Cablefax The Magazine - October 2021 - 26

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION -
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
With people of color missing from many managerial positions and production
roles, the industry has some real ground to make up. The good news is that a
growing number of companies are on the road to making it happen.
By Cathy Applefeld Olson
F
or his 2017 film " Get Out, " director Jordan Peele specifically
sought out a Black composer through traditional
channels to create the score for the Universal Pictures
horror drama. He came up empty-handed.
" Jordan went on YouTube and ended up hiring a guy who was
teaching music at a school in Santa Monica, " recalls Craig
Robinson, EVP and chief diversity officer at NBCU. " We need to be
thinking about DEI efforts everywhere, every day. "
Diversity, equity, inclusion. These three words now share the
spotlight with their long-standing counterparts: lights, camera,
action. From casting to in-house councils, from hiring tenets to
employee support, the industry is working to amend a longstanding
lack of diversity both in front of and behind the camera
that has accelerated as the Black Lives Matter movement
gained traction and the definition of diversity itself expanded.
Across the industry, progress has been spotty. At 45%, multisystem
operators bested the programming sector and the
national benchmark across all industries with regard to overall
employment of people of color, according to a 2019 NAMIC
Diversity Report. However, at the managerial level, that number
drops to 14%. Executives and senior-level managers came in at
16%, entry and mid-level managers at 31%.
As of September 2020, TV executive positions were still 92%
white and 68% male, according to the television portion of
UCLA's annual Hollywood Diversity Report. The report found
that despite some gains, people of color and women were still
underrepresented in nearly every employment area.
But with a recent outpouring of initiatives, there's hope the 2021
report will look different. Recent moves include Cox Communications
debuting its Lotus ERG for Asian American and Pacific
Islander employees. Last summer, WarnerMedia premiered the
Listen. Understand. Act. initiative, which led to the creation of
a three-week program designed for teams to learn together as
they build their DEI competency.
AMC Networks' The Mentorship Collective offers employees
professional growth through connection with an executive
mentor alongside a handful of other mentees to promote diversity
of thinking, practice and understanding through a curriculum
provided by the DEI Mentoring & Development Committee.
Peele's hiring of composer Michael Abels for " Get Out " led to the
creation of the Universal Composers Initiative, which identi26
CablefaxDiversity.com
fies
artists with unique perspectives that can be translated into
musical expression for TV and film. It's just one on a continuum
of diversity-forward practices at NBCU, which has embedded
senior DEI leads across its businesses including television,
streaming, sports, ad sales, news, studios and programming.
They gather for weekly meetings and are involved in everything
from onboarding to script-vetting.
Disney Advertising Sales' umbrella DEI committee now counts
70 employees ranging from assistant to President Rita Ferro. In
January, the Disney division sent an open letter to the advertising
and marketing industry alongside eight agencies and
organizations seeking collaboration in understanding the effects
of systemic discrimination in the industry and the creation of
practices for a new culture.
" The decision to release this letter was employee-led. It was inspiring
to witness the development and execution process, and
personally energized me-because staying committed takes
stamina, " Ferro says.
Senior leadership is increasingly taking front-and-center roles in
the quest for more inclusive workplaces. Cox EVP/chief strategy
officer Sujata Gosalia serves as the executive sponsor of Lotus.
She's shared her personal story through the group and had
conversations in the hopes of helping others. Lotus counts 1,089
members a little more than a year after its debut.
The group's goal " is to enhance employee understanding, value
and inclusion of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, "
Gosalia says. " In one short year, they have done a wonderful
job of building that community for those who identify as a part of
the group, as well as inviting allies to participate and learn more
about the rich and diverse cultures that this group represents. "
Cox launched new AAPI Employee Resource Group, Lotus.
October 2021
Diversity List
http://www.CablefaxDiversity.com
Cablefax The Magazine - October 2021

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