Strands of Genius: Systemizing Class Equity in an Industry, Redesigning for Inclusion, Around the World on Toast

Guest curated by Monica Kulkarni

Mar 31, 2022

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, MONICA KULKARNI ::

LOCATION: BEDFORD, UK

PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: INDEPENDENT COPYWRITER AND STRATEGIST

Hiya, I'm Monica Kulkarni and my earliest memory is as a three year old, doing an impression of the two professors off Pigeon Street. I've been collecting accents ever since. Alas, I never managed to make a living out of mimicry, so turned to teaching foreign languages, recruiting students to Higher Education and marketing startups. Not at the same time, mind. I'm now a copywriter, strategist and a born-again intern after I jacked in my marketing job and decided to start a career in advertising. And let me tell you, it is a REAL eye-opener. Incidentally, this is how I came to meet Rosie and Faris, when they set themes to explore in my MA Advertising industry project. More on that later. I live in Bedford, UK with my two daughters and husband.

Editor’s Note (Team Genius Steals): Over the years, we've worked with Paul Caplan who is a Course Leader MA Advertising at London College of Communication. This year we're so excited to be introducing you to some of the students who've recently participated in his program. Their dissertations were thought provoking and have us excited about the future minds of our industry. Thanks for curating some great links, Monica!

:: THE LINKS ::

CAN YOU SYSTEMIZE CLASS EQUITY IN AN INDUSTRY?

Only 19% of the advertising industry are from working class backgrounds, yet comprise 39% of the UK working population (IPA 2021). And the creative industries in general fare worse. According to the Sutton Trust, only 12% come from low socio-economic backgrounds. A stat which has worsened in recent years.
The effect of this homogeneity on Adland? It's stifling the industry's ability to connect with at least half of society. To create adverts that resonate. Class diversity is often overlooked when it comes to DE&I initiatives. But it matters.
In my MA project I explore how socio-economic diversity affects creativity and effectiveness (spoiler alert: it's pretty important). It's not enough to just hire people from underrepresented backgrounds. We need to create an atmosphere that builds confidence and recognises different groups' cultural capital. But how?
My research led me to Common People, the network set up by Jed Hallam, and some of its brilliant members, who kindly shared their stories and thoughts with me (the Common People newsletter is coming soon). The result is E Corp - a fictional kitemark - embedding equity in ways you might not have considered. And with far-reaching consequences beyond class. (E Corp)

REDESIGNING FOR INCLUSION

Universal design and inclusive design are practices which have been around a while, although they're not used as much as they should.
I'm not a designer and so only occasionally hear about inclusive design in mainstream media. Examples such as Aspern, Vienna, a neighbourhood built with women in mind and Matrix, a feminist design co-operative which ran until 1994, show how thinking about one underrepresented group can benefit other groups too.
This essay acts as a brief history of universal design, demonstrating the principles apply as much to cultural and socio-economic inclusivity as to physical inclusion. Can we apply them to other processes, such as communication? (Aeon)

AROUND THE WORLD ON TOAST

Let's face it, the world is pretty awful at the moment. But sometimes you come across a gem to lift your mood. Meet Beryl Shereshewsky, a documentary maker who has managed to create perhaps the most wholesome entertainment on the internet. Join a lovely community where people share recipes close to their heart, and show how human we all are. Watching her videos, I've learned about culture, history, and travelled the globe - all through food.
All the recipes are simple - Beryl insists she should be able to make it easily in her tiny New York kitchen. My faves are what people eat on a rainy day and what goes on toast in different countries. The UK entry might surprise you. (YouTube)

Looking for more from Monica Kulkarni? Those enrolled in The School of Stolen Genius will receive a deep dive from her in their inbox shortly! You can access all our expert interviews for SOSG here.

:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: City :: Liverpool and Madrid: I moved to Liverpool for uni and it took me nearly ten years to leave. I still get homesick for it. Madrid has a buzz to it I've not felt anywhere else.

:: Book :: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

:: Podcast :: The Moth Radio Hour. Every human emotion through the art of storytelling.

:: Album :: Purple Rain by Prince and Power, Corruption and Lies by New Order

:: DIALECTS ::

I told you I loved accents. Geek out with Erik Singer, dialect coach, on how actors fare with assuming a new voice.

Thank you for reading!

Monica Kulkarni

Drop me a line at monicakulkarni100@gmail.com

You can see my portfolio with my creative partner, Divya Nenwani here.

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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.

Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)

Strands of Genius