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It wasn’t until I started working in TV, I realised my skin was a threat to white people in the workspace.
I saw that first hand a month into my first TV job. A girl who was a runner with me found every moment to criticise me and even said I don’t deserve to work in TV.
I saw that first hand a month into my first TV job. A girl who was a runner with me found every moment to criticise me and even said I don’t deserve to work in TV.
Me and this girl went on a away trip for the job and she reported me to the production manager behind my back and said I’m difficult to work with.
This came unprovoked!!
This came unprovoked!!
I remember being so angry about the situation tears rolled down my face as I was speaking to my mum over the phone.
I cried to my mum “ I’m going to get sacked. That’s my TV job finished before even really starting.”
I cried to my mum “ I’m going to get sacked. That’s my TV job finished before even really starting.”
That incident changed me as a person earlier in my career where I felt I had to mute my blackness in order to not make people threatened of me.
It’s funny because one producer who hadn’t seen me since I was a runner saw me recently. He was blown with how confident I was in a webinar I did a few months back.
I replied, “I’ve always had this confidence within myself, but the white counterparts put it on mute.”
I replied, “I’ve always had this confidence within myself, but the white counterparts put it on mute.”
I’ve had white people in TV say I look aggressive, threatening and indirectly say I’m too black to work on certain shows.
I won’t lie, it’s actually affected my mental health over the years.
I won’t lie, it’s actually affected my mental health over the years.
I worked on a show where I was harassed and bullied in secret by an Exec who told me to send 500 emails a day.
She basically set me up to fail because how is that ethically possible to send that many e-mails a day. She did this to force me out of the company.
She basically set me up to fail because how is that ethically possible to send that many e-mails a day. She did this to force me out of the company.
I worked on a show where a production manager was convinced I made a transaction on the company credit card. She forced me to bring my personal bank statements in to prove I didn’t do it.
There were other people on production who were white who had access to the card but she didn’t question them.
Why was it me she questioned? Of course because I’m black and black people are untrustworthy to her.
Why was it me she questioned? Of course because I’m black and black people are untrustworthy to her.
I had a producer who fetishes me, she asked “How big is your cock? I heard about black guys packing down there.”
I was in so much shock, I didn’t know how to react but pretend I didn’t hear what she just asked.
It’s even getting me mad thinking about it.
I was in so much shock, I didn’t know how to react but pretend I didn’t hear what she just asked.
It’s even getting me mad thinking about it.
The reason I didn’t report was because she was a woman and didn’t think it would have been taken seriously. Also she was senior!!
I worked on a show where one AP said if she saw me on the road, she’d cross the street because my appearance came across intimidating to her, baring in mind we were working on a show with black talent. 
Speaking up on this is helping me with my mental health. I realised I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer.
I’m not afraid to speak up because I know this will not stop being from getting jobs.
IT’S NOW MY TIME TO SHARE MY TRUTH!
I’m not afraid to speak up because I know this will not stop being from getting jobs.
IT’S NOW MY TIME TO SHARE MY TRUTH!
I’m now in a position where I can stick up for myself and other people, where I’m not scared of the consequences.
I’m a confident, intelligent, unapologetic BLACK, loving son, boyfriend, brother, uncle and friend.
No white person I rebuke can ever take away the blackness that makes me.
I love me
No white person I rebuke can ever take away the blackness that makes me.
I love me
To all you racist people in the TV industry, who don’t want to see me or any black people in the industry. I’ll be sticking around and there is no way I’m going to let this shit continue any longer.
I’ll be around to help the next generation of black talent breakthrough.
I’ll be around to help the next generation of black talent breakthrough.
There’s been many times I could have quit this industry a very long time ago and got a 9-5 in another industry, but I enjoy what I do. I won’t let those toxic people push me out.
To all those fake allys in the TV industry who think #BlackLivesMatter 
is your trend, I see you and will call you out.
Black people trauma shouldn’t be your trend.
is your trend, I see you and will call you out. Black people trauma shouldn’t be your trend.
If Black Lives Matters in the TV industry why has Terrence Woods Jr still not been found after going missing on a production he was working on nearly two years ago??? Why has this been kept quiet for nearly two years?? Why?
Let’s bring awareness!
https://twitter.com/rochellesnewman/status/1290735231260073986?s=21 https://twitter.com/rochellesnewman/status/1290735231260073986
Let’s bring awareness!
https://twitter.com/rochellesnewman/status/1290735231260073986?s=21 https://twitter.com/rochellesnewman/status/1290735231260073986
One last story I remember, and one day I will confront this woman.
One Exec told me to hide when the comissioner came on set because she didn’t want the comissioner to see me, but it was fine for the other white crew members to be there.
The pain I felt that day!
One Exec told me to hide when the comissioner came on set because she didn’t want the comissioner to see me, but it was fine for the other white crew members to be there.
The pain I felt that day!
I remember when I was ready to make the step from runner to jnr researcher, the talent team at the company I worked for said I wasn’t ready to step up, but they stepped up all the office runners who were white, knowing I was more experience than them.
This just goes to show even working twice as hard as black person isn’t good enough to prove your worth as a black person to white people.
