During initial meetings with Be Equitable’s (formally, ‘Cook Ross’) CEO and Owner, Michael Leslie Amilcar made it clear that this project had a hidden agenda. As a full-service consulting firm specialising in inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA), they had two key goals. The first: for their brand to strengthen and expand its mission to build a more equitable world. And the second? To shift the tide of inadequate diversity and inclusion standards across the creative industry — starting with us.

As a small studio, we don’t have a HR department or formal IDEA policies set in stone. We’ve been fortunate to date that the FTP ethos and type of work has attracted caring, empathetic and open-minded people. We knew, however, that working with Be Equitable was a rare opportunity to learn from those with expertise in IDEA and from their lived experiences.

Over the past year, we’ve recognised the areas where we need to improve. We’ve become more conscious of our own biases and behaviours, and have learned practical skills which have already been put into action — both internally and with our clients. As we continue on our IDEA journey, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the seemingly small, yet radical changes to our own perspective and share For The People’s ongoing commitment to doing the work.