How a New Anti-Bullying and Harassment Standards Authority in the U.K. Plans to Shake Up the Industry

As the U.K. creative industries take steps to combat bullying and harassment, the hope among many in the film and TV sector is that a newly formed organization called the Creative Industry Independent Standards Authority will serve as a crucial bellwether for change.

Jen Smith is the inaugural interim CEO of the org, which is better known as CIISA. A U.K. organization similar in mission to the Hollywood Commission, it has been years in the making, set up in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Currently, the organization is still in its development phase, with an eye to launch next year.

What is clear is that, unlike its U.S. counterpart, CIISA will oversee all the U.K’s creative industries, from films and television to games and fashion. In January, the Society of London Theatres and U.K. Theatre confirmed their support for CIISA, followed this week by U.K. Music, the music industry’s largest body.