Carina #mixedmonday

This weeks #mixedmonday is Carina, @carinawildlife.

Carina is a Natural History Producer/Director in Bristol working on series including David Attenborough’s Life in Colour, Earthsounds and the BAFTA award-winning Big Blue Live. Founder of the @wildfilmhub, Carina hosts a monthly podcast to increase access, diversity, and inclusivity within the Natural History Filmmaking industry.

How would you describe your ethnicity?

My parents were both born in London, my paternal grandparents were part of the Windrush generation, my grandmother was from St Kitts & Nevis and my grandfather was from Barbados. My mum's parents met in the Netherlands at the close of WWII, my grandmother was a Dutch nurse and my grandfather was an English soldier. I grew up on a predominantly white council estate where derogatory words like half-caste and coloured were used all the time and I didn’t have a strong sense of self. In my twenties, I moved to Brixton and for a long time, identified simply as Black. But as I have grown and found this wonderful community of mixed people and families in Bristol, I feel I have found myself and love my whole heritage.

Has your mixed-ness influenced your career in any way?

Absolutely, I work in a predominantly white industry and my experiences; feeling otherness, being an outsider, have shaped my passion to change this for the next generation. It led me to found the Wild Film Hub and work to improve access and support for underrepresented people to work within Wildlife Filmmaking through my podcast and outreach.

If you could describe your mixed identity in one word, what would it be?

Evolving.

What is the best thing about being mixed heritage?

What I once saw as a negative, not being enough, being different, I now see as a superpower. As advocates and activists, mixed heritage people see different perspectives and bring our unique points of view to our personal and professional lives.