Embodying positive change onscreen and off

As creative director at Derren Lawford's DARE Pictures, Fatima Shafiq is charged with infusing the prodco's acronymic principles of diversity, allyship, representation and empowerment into all of its output across premium factual projects, fast-turnaround docs, formats and digital-first content. Among the projects she has overseen through development and production are the Channel 4 one-offs Secrets of UK Prisons, part of the pubcaster's youth current affairs strand 'Untold,' and Selling My Virginity, which launched C4's new digital investigate strand 'In Too Deep'; Every Woman with Sophie Kasaei, a four-part series for MTV centered on women's health; and a forthcoming format that seeks to bring DARE's socially conscious values into the food space.

Submitting Shafiq for consideration for this year's Factual Under 40 cohort, DARE founder and CEO Lawford celebrated not only her professional nous but also her empowerment and elevation of her team members. In particular, he cited her committed support for the female-majority UK Prisons team through the sensitive legal and access issues that faced the fast-turnaround doc. AT

What changes would you like to see, and help create, in the industry?

"Firstly, I would like more compassion to be shown to freelancers in the current climate and going forward. Send out that CV, reply to that speculative email, and check in on friends — we all have a collective responsibility here.

Secondly, as technology continues to evolve, so too does the way we consume content, and we need to quickly adapt by exploring multiplatform strategies. Thirdly, I would like linear broadcasters to take bigger risks with the types of shows being commissioned."