EXCLUSIVE: The British television executive hired to clean up bullying and poor working conditions in the industry has had her role scaled back after she was the subject of multiple misconduct complaints, Deadline can reveal. Sarah Swingler was appointed late last year as project lead for the new, broadcaster-backed Action for Freelancers (AFF) group, with […]EXCLUSIVE: The British television executive hired to clean up bullying and poor working conditions in the industry has had her role scaled back after she was the subject of multiple misconduct complaints, Deadline can reveal. Sarah Swingler was appointed late last year as project lead for the new, broadcaster-backed Action for Freelancers (AFF) group, with
EXCLUSIVE: The British television executive hired to clean up bullying and poor working conditions in the industry has had her role scaled back after she was the subject of multiple misconduct complaints, Deadline can reveal.
Sarah Swingler was appointed late last year as project lead for the new, broadcaster-backed Action for Freelancers (AFF) group, with a remit to help safeguard the UK’s freelance community and resolve long-running bullying issues that have plagued the sector.
The group is funded by the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, Sky, and UKTV, while Amazon Prime Video was the first streaming service to back the initiative. At the time of Swingler’s hire, the Film & TV Charity (FTVC) boss Marcus Ryder said she was “ideally placed” to improve working conditions.
But Deadline hears that objections were raised about Swingler’s appointment almost immediately after she was announced. As a result, the FTVC, which led on recruiting Swingler, has scaled back her role to a one-day-a-week lobbying position. Her job title, project lead, will also change.
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The FTVC said it took allegations of wrongdoing seriously and had “mutually agreed” with Swingler and broadcaster stakeholders that she focuses on policy. Swingler said she has always aimed to “foster respect” in the workplace and was “looking forward” to carrying out her AFF duties alongside a production role.
The TV Mindset, a group set up to campaign on behalf of the industry’s freelance workforce, told Deadline that it was made aware of complaints about her conduct and passed these on to the FTVC to investigate and “take appropriate action.”
One complaint was posted on a Facebook group for freelancers. This individual said Swingler’s appointment was “absurd” and alleged that she “treated me in a dangerous, dehumanising and insensitive manner.” This person put their name to their comments and screenshots of their post have been circulating in the UK freelancer community.
TV Mindset said: “To gain the trust of thousands of TV and Film freelancers and advocate for them on a national level, it is important there is no question as to the track record of the candidate chosen, and neither should their presence be a potential trigger for people. This trust is key during such troubling times for the industry, particularly when it comes to areas that impact mental wellbeing and health and safety.”
FTVC chief Ryder told Deadline that the charity “takes allegations of any improper behaviour by those working in the film and television industries very seriously.” “Looking into historic issues can be complex and while we take every appropriate step to conduct due diligence around all hires, we must also ensure that our hiring practices respect the law, exemplify best practice, and are fair,” he added.
In a statement, Swingler said she has “always endeavored to foster respect all round with my teams throughout my career, encouraging an open door policy, and mentoring newcomers along the way.”
The FTVC has returned to its original shortlist of candidates to ask if any would consider stepping into a new three-day-a-week role responsible for some of Swingler’s previous AFF duties. Swingler will concentrate on policy work while the new lead will focus on other elements, including working conditions, recruitment, skills and training, mental health and wellbeing, and communication. Interviews are set to begin next week.
Swingler said: “I’m looking forward to getting on with the important work of Action for Freelancers, focussing the time I have available to addressing government policy that relates to TV freelancers, using my political connections. I am also working on a television production, and will be splitting my time across both roles. Recruitment is underway to expand the AFF team, and my title will reflect my new responsibilities.”
Swingler has many years of experience as a freelance executive producer and has held full-time positions with Hot Yachts producer Curve Media and Banijay-backed Dragonfly, producer of CNN’s upcoming series Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain. Her credits include One Born Every Minute, the beloved Channel 4 fixed-rig documentary.
Tackling An Endemic Issue
Action for Freelancers’ inauspicious start to life may fail to inspire confidence that the UK industry can get to grips with endemic issues surrounding bullying and misconduct. The product of months of pan-industry work from broadcasters, studios, charities and unions, AFF was unveiled at last year’s Edinburgh TV Festival with fanfare. Its lead, UKTV content boss Richard Watsham, declared that the group would have proper funding and would be led collaboratively. Swingler’s hire was its first big move.
The AFF’s formation followed a number of high-profile incidents that rocked the freelance community including the allegations against Huw Edwards and Russell Brand. Since the launch of AFF, more than a dozen women have accused MasterChef host Gregg Wallace of inappropriate remarks and behavior (Brand has denied the allegations and said all his relationships were consensual. Through his lawyers, Wallace denied engaging in behavior of a “sexually harassing nature.”)
Freelancers have spoken of a “put up and shut up” culture that remains rife within the industry, especially at times of economic hardship. The FTVC surveyed thousands of freelancers recently, via its Looking Glass temperature take, and found that more than 40% had experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in the past year. Yesterday, we revealed that the UK government may force broadcasters to fund CIISA, the new anti-bullying reporting body which is struggling for investment.
“Action for Freelancers is a pan-industry initiative, which the Film and TV Charity supports and which we see as a critical step in addressing the concerns and challenges that freelancers face working within the industry,” Ryder said.