I went to see a film recently called Finding Sherpas.
It’s described as an ‘inspirational docuseries [that] tells the stories of the hidden figures who helped some of the most famous and well-known people make it to the summit of their careers.’
I’d been invited by colleagues and friends, Zena Tuitt and Sabrina Clarke, who run the studio Niche on Demand, which produces original content in film, television, and theatre, to name a few areas.
This pilot episode was focused on Richard Adeshiyan, a prolific force in the media and publicity world. He went from growing up in care to working at some of the biggest Black brands in this country.
Sitting in that screening room in the heart of London, I was humbled and in awe. I’d met Richard a few times but was always working and wrapped up in my own world to pause and connect.
The 20-minute short film took the audience through the people who opened doors for Richard to become the heavyweight he is. They’re not all household names but held a key only they could bestow on Richard’s trajectory.
If you know me, you know that I’m always more interested in the people behind the scenes rather than in front, so ‘Finding Sherpas’ really spoke to me.
It also came at a time where I’m evaluating where I am, as my business TGRG turns 5 on March 13. It started to make me think who my sherpas were. Who are the people in my professional career who really opened the door for me?
So I’ve decided to acknowledge my own Sherpas here.
Zena Tuitt – Zena as mentioned above is the co-founder of Niche on Demand and directed ‘Finding Sherpas’.
I met Zena in 2017 after she hired me for the first World Afro Day as its lead publicist. Zena has been a gentle and highly intuitive guide since then when it comes to my business. So many times, she’s laid umpteen opportunities that have catapulted me forward into new stratospheres when it came to my work.
I call her The Black Godfather after the Netflix documentary based on music executive Clarence Hunt, who could be the ultimate Sherpas. I could never repay or thank her enough.
Vicky Crutchley – I still remember the first time I spoke to Vicky on the phone whilst changing platforms at my home station. I wanted to get back into contract work after my first stint at being self-employed.
I was fatigued with recruiters who always called, invited you in to meet with them, and then disappeared, never to be heard from again and replaced by a newbie.
She was immediately different; you could tell just by talking to her on the phone. You could hear she was driven and no nonsense, straight to the point. I explained I wanted to get into Internal Communications – a market I struggled to crack at the time – and she made light work of getting my first role.
She would periodically check in, and I got to know and like her more. When I was ready to transition out, Vicky was the person I called.
She secured me multiple contracts, negotiated hard for me, and when I wanted to go back to running my business, Vicky championed me, giving me words of encouragement that meant a lot. She is a unicorn.
Natalie Fiawoo – Natalie made a dream come true. For years, I had patronised the UK’s only national heritage centre for African and Caribbean people, Black Cultural Archives and had built several vision boards with their iconic Georgian building on it, determined to work with them in some way.
For years, they had been – and forever will be – the subject on many a thread on Facebook as people debated its place in the Black community. I had asked someone to introduce me but to no avail. And one day, Natalie messaged me privately on Facebook.
She said she’d noticed how consistently I’d asked how I can help and she would introduce me to a member of the Board. That began two and a half years with one of the most important clients in my career.
Ironically, Natalie is now a client herself and someone I’m extremely proud of. She really is the embodiment of a Sherpas.
At the end of the screening, producer and NOD founder, Sabrina acknowledged my presence and said I was a Sherpas in my own right, categorically the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I can never repay those who have helped TGRG reach five years – I know there are loads I’ve missed – , but I hope that I can live my life in a way that is worthy of the Sherpas title.
Thank you to all the Sherpas – seen and unseen – who have supported our past and our future.
You can watch the trailer for Finding Sherpas on YouTube
