Wilson Chapman editorMajor entertainment companies Amazon Studios, Warner Bros. Discover, A+E Networks and Banijay Americas have signed on to join Coded for Inclusion, an initiative that aims to combat discriminatory hiring systems in the industry through its Staff Me Up platform.
Coded for Inclusion was launched last year, as a collaboration between several organizations including Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society Fellowship, Hue You Know, AMC Networks and Endeavor Content.
The program provides productions access to Staff Me Up, a hiring program that uses DEI tools developed from research by social and racial justice groups Hue You Know and Color of Change, and encourages executives to hire outside of their organizations. “We believe that every role on a set contributes to the product and it is why we are committed to diversifying the people powering our content behind the scenes in order to be the most representative of the audience,” Samata Narra, senior VP and president of equity, inclusion and content at Warner Bros.
Discovery, said in a statement. Said Karla Pita Loor, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Inclusion and Social Responsibility, Banijay Americas: “At Banijay Americas, we are focused on building partnerships that translate into real jobs and meaningful change in the industry—those that help us deliver on our commitment to reflecting the rich diversity of our audiences both onscreen and behind the scenes on our sets.”The idea is to remove barriers to entry for job seekers from historically excluded groups — including BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and active military/veterans.
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