Renée Davis, Super Person

Founder of Out The Box

Out The Box is an organisation that supports the progression of Black creatives, entrepreneurs, and professionals by connecting them with resources and opportunities they need to thrive in career and business. Spearheaded by Renée Davis, who founded the business ten years ago, it’s gained momentum particularly post-pandemic and after Black Lives Matter, because of its prioritisation of networking and practical training to accelerate Black personal, business, and professional development. With clients and partnerships as varied as Google, M&C Saatchi Saturday School, and Mentor Black Business, Renée shares her reasons for her commitment and why she’s so passionate about this work.

What prompted you to launch Out The Box in 2014?

I wanted to create a space for young Black creatives to tap into their greatness. But the idea and format for the initiative came when I was studying for my media and journalism degree – the frustration of not feeling understood by my lecturers. My writing didn’t “make sense” to them and I felt “boxed in”. So, I started a blog on Blogspot and called it “Out The Box” to keep my craft sharp and write about my passions, which mainly related to creativity within Black culture. I interviewed creatives and entrepreneurs who I believed deserved a platform and to have their work showcased. Life got in the way with the project, but God kept nudging me to turn it into something serious and the 2011 London riots was my wake-up call. Eventually, I bit the bullet and started the site in July 2014.

You’ve been running Out The Box for almost 10 years, what have been the biggest developments made to the organisation since its birth? And how have these reflected changing cultural needs and attitudes?

Time flies! We went from being a website filled with inspiring stories and interviews to an organisation that connects Black creatives and professionals across career and business prospects – that they often fail to get because of systemic inequity. In 2015, we launched various networking events – beginning on Google Campus – for our community to learn and grow, with follow-ups taking place at Workspace group, Havas, and M&C Saatchi.

We also offered practical training, such as our 2018 partnership with Quaker Street Coffee which offered monthly interactive workshops that helped our community achieve their business goals, switch careers, or perfect their craft for the industries they were interested in.

During the pandemic, we offered Google Digital Garage collaborative webinars, tailored to get people set-up for working and functioning under the newly exceptional circumstances. George Floyd’s murder confirmed the lack of workplace safety for the OTB community, highlighting ongoing racism, micro-aggression, and stereotyping experienced by Black professionals. It led to the creation of Black at Work, an event series equipping Black employees with how to navigate workplaces and provide reflection and suggestion for allies to make necessary change. Out The Box organisation is “for the people” and continues to shift according to the needs of its community.

Why do you think it’s so important, particularly now, to nurture, support and equip Black creative talent to seek out their dream careers?

Young Black children aren’t encouraged to pursue their dream career or follow their passions in mainstream education and a lot of mainstream media continues to push the narrative that they are lazy. Technology enables us to all have the relevant tools at our disposal to create whatever we can dream of – but Black creative talent still needs support and encouragement for them to prosper and seize the opportunities presented their way. Paying it forward and being an active role model where possible is vital for that progression.

And what’s next in the pipeline for the organisation? How do you envision its growth?

We always listen to our community for feedback on how we can improve. Currently, we’re not in the space to create anything new because we’re focused on building Black at Work, our event and training arm that provides solutions, resources, and industry opportunities – as well as training for allies who want to make the workplace fair and equitable for Black employees. We’re also developing work for other brands and organisations, and I hope that long-term we will enlist more young Black creatives in our decision-making processes, they are the future after all.

Interview by: Olivia Atkins

PITCH SUPER ALUMNI 2023