MEET THE TEAM
Enabling access to the arts and creative approaches to education is a lifelong mission for our Co-Founders Dwayne Gumbs and Alex Williams.
Growing up in East London they both experienced significant barriers to accessing the arts, having defied those barriers they feel a responsibility to provide opportunities for the next generation to not miss out on the transformative, developmental power that the arts can have.
The Founders
-
Artistic Director
Dwayne graduated from Brunel University with a joint BA Hons in Drama / Film & Television studies. He then set about creating a platform to inspire and educate young people through the arts, whilst providing opportunities for creatives to give back to their communities. After founding Diverse Voices, he combined forces with Alex to expand their offering so that young people in under-resourced areas across London could access creative outlets that would otherwise not be available to them.
As a creative Dwayne is an accomplished writer/director enthusiastic about telling engaging, compelling and diverse stories. He has been supported by Film London, BFI, BBC Film and is also co- founder of production company Foresight Films.
-
Managing Director
Alex is a social entrepreneur and creative producer passionate about using storytelling to spark change and empower others.
Since joining forces with Dwayne in 2010 as co-founder of Diverse Voices, he has led a range of film, theatre, and music projects that explore important social issues while creating space for underrepresented voices.
As a producer, Alex is committed to bold, innovative filmmaking that champions inclusion both on and off screen. His debut short film Holy Beef premiered at the BFI London Film Festival, and he has since gone on to co-found Foresight Films — a production company dedicated to impactful storytelling rooted in community.
Alex’s work has been supported by organisations including BBC Film, BFI, and Film London, and he currently has an exciting slate of film and television projects in development.
Our Team
-
Director of Operations
Julia is a creative with a passion for social impact, putting this at the heart of her career to date. She has previously managed a charitable organisation, overhauling its efficiency and impact with a 64.5% increase in fundraising from the previous year. Building on this, Julia went on to hone her operations skills in a number of companies, most recently within the education sector. As the performing arts were both an inspiration and a freedom in her youth, Julia is passionate about arts-based learning and Diverse Voices’ mission, and furthering their reach and impact.
Our Trustees
-
Simone Watson-Brown (she/her) is a Freelance Theatre Director, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, Executive Coach and Creative & Corporate Facilitator. She also works as Head of Partnerships at Theatre Peckham and is Founder and Director of Dramatic Momentum.
-
Leonie Elliott trained at The Harris Drama School for film, television and theatre since the tender age of six. She performed the leading role of Judy Samuels in her first British feature film, 'Wondrous Oblivion' staring alongside Delroy Lindo (Romeo must die, Cider House Rules).
Among her many screen accomplishments, Leonie recently starred in BBC drama; Danny and the Human Zoo written by and starring Lenny Henry and Netflix Drama Black Mirror. Leonie currently stars as a leading actress in Britain's most watched drama Call The Midwife available on Netflix and in over 200 countries. Leonie is the first woman of colour to star as a leading lady in a British period drama.
Leonie is really excited to bring her years of experience in the arts to Diverse Voices.
-
Mary originally trained as a teacher over twenty-five years ago, her specialist subject and passion was and remains PSHE (Personal Social Health Education).
In 2004 she become an advisor and trainer within Waltham Forest, developing policy and curriculum in schools to promote high quality PSHE. It was during this role she 1st worked with Dwayne and developed a respect for the work he delivers.
She has collaborated with Diverse Voices since its inception, developing their workshops to ensure they are in line with national and local guidance / standards, as well as producing teaching packs and resources to support their school programmes.
Mary now works as an associate trainer with the British School of Meditation, and is enormously proud to be able to contribute to the continuing growth of Diverse Voices as a trustee.