Can new regulator clean up the entertainment industry?

A new watchdog for standards of conduct in television, film, music and theatre wants to create “a much safer environment” for workers after years of revelations about abuse, bullying and harassment, bosses say.

People will be able to report complaints to the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (Ciisa) when it launches next year.

Founder Dame Heather Rabbatts said she was “delighted” with the response from broadcasters, producers and record labels following a call for funding, which was backed by stars including Keira Knightley and Cara Delevingne in june.

But the question is whether Ciisa has sufficient powers and capacity to tackle the current problems.

The new organisation has been in the making for several years, after Dame Heather, who founded Time’s Up UK in 2018, saw that many victims of bullying and harassment had nowhere to turn for help.

It also followed former X Factor singer Rebecca Ferguson’s campaign for better regulation, who said She was exploited and bullied in the music industry.

Abuse is common in industries where bosses and stars have a lot of power over young artists and workers desperate to make a career in the industry, and over freelancers with precarious livelihoods.

“It is often powerful people who take advantage of vulnerable people who have no employment protections. This means that the creative sector has certain characteristics that are different to other sectors,” said Dame Heather, interim chair of Ciisa.

Interim Director Jen Smith said: “The phrase we hear most often from our colleagues in the creative sector is that there is a shortage of independent, confidential advice and support, and it is desperately needed.

“We are a 70% freelance community. Often it is unclear where to go (for help).”

It won’t just support those working behind the scenes. If it had been up and running, Ciisa could have helped deal with recent complaints from several celebrities about alleged bullying on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancingsaid Smith.

“I think this is exactly the kind of scenario where an independent body can really add value to the sector.”

For some people, the launch of Ciisa comes quickly.

Earlier this year, trade union Bectu published research showing that 92% of creative workers had witnessed or experienced bullying or harassment at work, with one in five experiencing serious sexual abuse at work.

And The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee has published a report concluded that the music industry is still a ‘boys’ club’ where sexual harassment and abuse are common, due to a ‘culture of silence’.

“The entertainment and creative industries have been plagued by systemic misconduct and abuse for decades,” said Alexa Morden, host of The 98% Podcastdiscussing the realities of acting life, he told BBC News.

“The hierarchical nature of the industry allows those in positions of influence to exploit individuals and abuse their power.”

Morden has heard many stories through the podcast that are “horrific, but unfortunately not as shocking anymore,” she said.

According to Morden, Ciisa is “essential to finally implement the right protections and regulations in this sector”.

But it will be a challenge to overcome “the deep-seated culture of fear that permeates the entertainment industry” and “address the resistance of those who have built their success on the exploitation of others,” she added.

Ciisa has just appointed leading barrister Baroness Helena Kennedy KC as Chair, succeeding Dame Heather.

When someone makes a complaint, the organization provides advice, dispute resolution, mediation and assistance in referring cases to the police, if appropriate. In some cases, the organization may initiate its own investigations.

Ciisa establishes a set of behavioral standards prior to launch so that it can be assessed whether someone has crossed the line.

But its powers will be limited. It is a voluntary regulator – it has the backing of most major industry players and government, but it will have no powers to impose financial, disciplinary or criminal sanctions.

“We would appropriately reference the most relevant place in terms of accountability,” Smith said.

“But our language is about recommendations, about improvement, about proportional accountability. That is the tone and the language of Ciisa.”

The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee welcomed Ciisa in its report, but said it was “not a panacea for all the problems facing the sector” and that “time will tell whether the company has the powers to make the changes needed”.

And once it is launched, the body is likely to uncover the true scale of bad behaviour in the industry, only a fraction of which makes headlines. It could be overwhelmed.

“We are a new entity. The reality is that we are modeling very carefully for all eventualities,” Smith said.

“But because we are new and unique, it is difficult to determine the scale of what is happening to people. That is why the creation of Ciisa is so important. We do our due diligence incredibly carefully when setting it up.

“We make sure that all the technical foundations for our operating model and so on are absolutely solid, so that we are prepared for the large volume of reports, issues or requests that come to us when we start deploying our services. We make sure that we are prepared.”