GoCardless wins ‘Best User Generated Content’ at the Lens awards 2022

GoCardless’ Pride team were awarded Gold in the ‘Best User Generated Content’ category at the Lens Awards on Wednesday 20th April.

What are the Lens Awards?

The Lens Awards celebrate creativity and innovation in corporate film, storytelling and visual communications. The awards aim to recognise the increasingly vital role video plays in corporate communications.

About the winning entry - ‘A Message to Myself’

Pride is an employee-led group at GoCardless that works to ensure the LGBTQIA+ community feels represented and empowered to be themselves. In recognition of ‘National Coming Out Day’ in 2021, the group engaged Big Button, a creative film agency, to craft a short, impactful film. Titled ‘A Message to Myself’, the film features members of the GoCardless team reflecting on their own journeys of coming out, alongside personal photos of their younger selves.

The feedback from the judges was that the film was “watchable, personal and inspiring”. They praised the authenticity of the film with one adding: “Lovely film with very natural delivery and an authentic look and feel”.  Another praised it as an “emotional piece of storytelling.”

"Taking the time to think about what I'd say to my younger self was much more emotional than I had expected,” said Hamish Wood, Co-Chair of the Pride group. "I'm extremely proud of the team who contributed their stories and incredibly grateful to Big Button for telling these stories so respectfully."

The awards evening was also a great success for Big Button, who took home gold in every category in which they competed, culminating in the agency receiving the coveted ‘Grand Prix’ award. 

“We’re delighted that GoCardless has been recognised by the Lens Awards,” said Simon Crofts, Client Services Director at Big Button. “It was a privilege to work with the Pride group to tell these important stories, and we’re grateful to the team for giving us the opportunity. We hope the film continues to support and inspire individuals on their own personal journeys.”

About Diversity and Inclusion at GoCardless

GoCardless' D&I strategy aims to "Make the GoCardless journey irresistible...for many and more".  This is achieved through four strategic pillars:

• Reflect the outside, inside

• Representation matters

• Equitable opportunity

• Leading with inclusion

GoCardless has a history of strong, active volunteers who have been leading a range of D&I efforts in recent years. Our Pride group is one of four Employee Resource Groups:

• BEAM - BEAM aims to increase the opportunity for the Black, Ethnic and Asian Minority community.

• Inspiring - Our Inspiring group is on a mission to encourage gender equality for all.

• Access - Our newest group representing the needs of disabled and neurodiverse current and future employees.

• Pride - The group’s mission is to ensure our LGBTQIA+ colleagues feel represented and empowered to be themselves.

Find out more about Diversity and Inclusion at GoCardless here.