Zebedee

Down Syndrome International

“We are so grateful to Zebedee, not only for representing disabled children like Rio but also for giving us some incredible experiences as a family.” Kim Williams, Rio’s mum.

By Denise Humberstone (UK, mum of 3, blogger at troynize.com) Around 15 per cent of the world’s population, or an estimated 1 billion people, live with disabilities. [World Health Organisation, 2020]. Not only are they the world’s largest minority, but they are also the world’s largest underrepresented minority in the media and fashion industry. Zebedee, a talent agency unlike any other, is determined to set that right and reframe the meaning of beauty.

Lauren by photographer Rosie Baird

Laura and Zoe

“We consider it our job, our goal to get that representation percentage right up to where it should be: 20%, in the UK and elsewhere!”

Zoe and Laura declare in unison.

Zebedee are a talent agency advocating, representing, fighting for and providing opportunities across all forms of media for over 500 people who have visible and invisible disabilities, alternative appearances and those who identify as LGBTQ+, in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia. Seventy-five of their talents have Down syndrome, different ages, different abilities, different ethnic backgrounds How it all started

Harry

A 2017 dog walk on the beach unsuspectedly turned into a hinging life event and agency that not only dramatically changed the lives of two women but countless others in the disability community as a result. It’s certainly been a far cry from a walk in the park, but one thing is for sure, their journey keeps on gaining ground in a world which supposedly had no place for it whatsoever. I proudly present to you two trailblazers, two powerhouses, who have been on the disability disruption path for just over four years: Laura Johnson and Zoe Proctor. Zoe, a plus-size model and performing arts teacher for people with disabilities and Laura, her brother’s partner, a mental health social worker for many years. The two of them were used to ranting about the lack of opportunities for people with any kind of disabilities in the media industries and hence the lack of representation and the damage in mental health it inevitably triggers. They’d had enough witnessing the hurt caused to the people they loved and were willing to try to do something about it! It was the day they turned their frustrations into goals and goals into reality! They returned home and set to work immediately. They decided to found a talent agency that would create the opportunities the disability community so desperately craved and needed. First thing first, they had to find a name for that agency. They remembered that happy, bouncy character (who, let’s be truthful, had his own mobility issues) of the much-loved children’s TV programme The Magic Roundabout, and Zebedee literally sprang to mind! Business plan? Nope. Market Research? Nope. They just knew it was the right thing to do! The first talents Zebedee signed up were mostly Zoe’s performing arts students. Zoe and Laura were hoping their limited knowledge of the modelling world (Zoe as a plus-size model and Laura as the mother of a child model) would serve them as a springboard, but nothing could prepare them for those impenetrable walls of the media industries! They had to start from scratch, learn the jargon, tame the ropes, get blood out of stones even! Unlike that famous family from We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, they couldn’t go through layers and layers of bolted minds; they had to find ways to go over them and under them… Their perseverance, resilience and commitment were tested to the hilt: their pleas kept falling on deaf ears, the rejections were relentless. The biggest lesson they’ve learnt so far is that ableism is real and systemic. They were at their wits’ ends.

It was the day they turned their frustrations into goals and goals into reality!

Ellie Kathleen

Lenny

How could this be? What does the future look like representation-wise?

• According to a Scope charity research in 2017, though 20% of the population in the UK is recorded as disabled, yet only 0.06% of adverts feature disabled people. • Ironically, it’s probably easier for smaller companies to address representation, inclusivity, and diversity as the decision-makers can drive necessary changes a lot faster than bigger companies who have to go through a number of obstacle courses for major decisions to be made. It also makes them more fearful of a negative financial impact in case they get it wrong, one they would not recover from, unlike bigger companies (although all-inclusive campaigns have been receiving wide acclaim from consumers and have been financially rewarding). • All companies also worry about the logistics, right terminology and accessibility of any photoshoot or film shoot with somebody who has a disability (although all they have to do is ask the relevant people or Zebedee who are always there to help and guide). • There is also a worry of being accused of tokenism and see their inclusive campaign backfire on them (although they should be more concerned with not taking steps at all as consumers are now starting to shift their business to brands that reflect their core values more and more)

How are Zebedee faring four years down the line? Slowly, painstakingly, they went from being ignored to being told “No!” without any reason and sometimes quite rudely, to being told “No!” with reasons why. And that was the first breakthrough: objections could be overcome, at least discussions could start! Bookings started trickling in… Brands such as Disney, River Island, Mothercare became regular clients. Zoe’s original ultimate dream was to one day have one of their models work for a high-end fashion brand. Laura’s ultimate dream was to have one of the Zebedee babies or toddlers featured on a baby nappy or baby wipe ad. “Wishful thinking, indeed!” everybody told them. Well, not only were their wishes actually granted, but it all happened in the middle of a pandemic, and both selected models have Down syndrome: Lennie Rooney was featured on a Pura campaign, and Ellie Goldstein broke Gucci’s record of most-liked post on their Instagram account (nearly 1 million likes) when she starred in a Vogue/Gucci Beauty campaign! They also went from getting unpaid or low-paid jobs for their talents to securing well-paid ones from high-street brands to massive brands such as Nike, Vogue, Kurt Geiger, Tommy Hilfiger and many more! The bonus for Zoe and Laura is that they are not just an agency. By producing regular awareness campaigns, online/onsite workshops to further their talents’ career, social events for their mental health, they’ve created a proud community where all the talents support and cheer each other as opposed to competing with each other. • Zebedee will always put forward their talent if they feel they fit the brief because, as Zoe puts it:

“If we had to wait until the brief requires somebody with a disability, we’d hardly ever get any bookings!” And it works, kind of. Although they only ever get excellent feedback from casting teams, the figures speak for themselves: two bookings for disabled talent per thousand bookings. Still, the silver lining is two bookings that didn’t exist four years ago. • They have recently launched Zebedee Talent Talks, a podcast giving monthly updates on their inclusion revolution movement, always with a talent talking about their journey pre and with Zebedee. • The pandemic and three lockdowns seem to have levelled up the opportunity field for talents with disabilities as all castings had to be done remotely and put them on par with their mainstream counterparts. No more anxieties due to travelling by train, or underground, or taxis, no more fingers crossed for accessible venues. None of that. They could just focus on delivering the brief.

“Ever since the Covid-19 crisis, people are re-evaluating what is important in this world. Kindness and inclusion are becoming more and more important,’ says Zoe. Thanks to their continued dedication to the inclusion revolution and in spite of their naysayers, Zebedee have now become the world’s leading specialist agency. They may have come a long way, but they are not about to put their guards down as the long and winding road ahead yields no signs of a smooth ride anytime soon. “In time, the industry will be more inclusive, and there’ll be less need for us, but currently, it’s still incredibly laborious to encourage brands to book disabled models,” says Laura. “People with disabilities are still the largest and most underrepresented minority group in the media and fashion industry,” adds Zoe. “We consider it our job, our goal to get that representation percentage right up to where it should be: 20%, in the UK and elsewhere!” Zoe and Laura declare in unison.

Hear, hear!!