A+E Networks, Amazon Studios, Banijay Americas and Warner Bros. Discovery has signed up for Coded for Inclusion, an initiative aimed at using the hiring platform Staff Me Up to put more diverse job seekers into Hollywood production jobs.
The initiative was started by Color of Change, Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society Fellowship, Hue You Know, AMC Networks and Endeavor Content
“We’re thrilled to welcome A+E Networks, Amazon Studios, Banijay Americas, and Warner Bros. Discovery on board. It is our goal with these partnerships to increase the visibility of job opportunities in the industry while providing productions an easily adaptable infrastructure to diversify their talent pools and break down the barriers of entry into Hollywood,” said Daniel Rosenberg, VP of Business Development and Strategic Alliances, Staff Me Up.
“A+E Networks has long been committed to diverse representation in all roles - in front of and behind the camera – and we’re excited to uncover and be paired with underrepresented talent through Staff Me Up,” said Karen Gray, chief HR officer and Chief Diversity Officer, A+E Networks. “Our content across all of our platforms will be enhanced by this innovative solution that is helping the industry move forward.”
“Our support of Coded For Inclusion is aligned with our commitment to a more inclusive Hollywood, one that reflects the diversity of our world today,” said Latasha Gillespie, head of global DEI at Amazon Studios, Prime Video and IMDb. “To foster high performing and inclusive sets, we need to attract and hire the best talent. We are thrilled to extend this resource to our creative partners so they have improved access to high caliber, talented individuals.”
“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,” said Karla Pita Loor, executive VPt, Enterprise Inclusion and Social Responsibility, Banijay Americas. “
“Warner Bros. Discovery is proud to partner with Staff Me Up and support the Coded for Inclusion project. 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,” said Samata Narra, senior VP, Equity and Inclusion, Content, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Staff Me Up currently has more than 380,000 crew profiles listed on its hiring platform, including over 100,000 people from historically underrepresented communities.
Since Coded for Inclusion’s launch last year, Staff Me Up expanded on its inclusive technology and infrastructure while tapping into the racial and social justice equity expertise of Hue You Know and Color of Change, to remove barriers to entry for job seekers from historically excluded groups such as BIPOC, Women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and active military/veterans, to ensure studios and production houses have a direct pipeline to candidates. ■
