Creating and shaping the television industry’s future, building legacies and staying focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts are all themes that will resonate throughout September Diversity Week festivities in New York.
The WICT Network’s Leadership Conference, the 37th Annual NAMIC Conference and The Walter Kaitz Foundation’s Annual Fundraising Dinner — all of which will take place during the week of September 18 — will seek to build on last year’s return to an in-person celebration by emphasizing the industry’s valuing of DEI efforts as a way to stay competitive in an evolving entertainment marketplace, organizers said.
“The industry is doubling down on DEI, given everything that is going on in our industry with the shifts in companies and the economic environment in which our business is operated,” NAMIC president and CEO A. Shuanise Washington said. “We’re way too invested in DEI and what it means to the industry. For the most part, our CEOs are clear that DEI is not a feel-good proposition, but it actually ties itself to the bottom line.”
WICT Kicks Off Week
The WICT Network will open Diversity Week on September 18 with its annual Leadership Conference. Under the theme “Co-Create the Future,” conference organizers said the two-day event will feature more sessions and networking roundtables than previous iterations.
WICT will dole out honors during its opening day Touchstones Luncheon, including for its “Women of the Year”: Comcast executive VP and chief diversity officer Dalila Wilson-Scott and Paramount Global president and CEO of International Markets, Global Consumer Products & Experiences Pam Kaufman. The organization will also honor three “Women to Watch”: Charter Communications senior VP of billing strategy and design, customer operations Stephanie Babin; A+E Networks senior VP, legal and business affairs Kelley Drukker; and Listing Central LLC founder and CEO Nicole Nixon.
“The industry’s commitment to DEI is stronger than ever,” WICT president and CEO Maria Brennan said. “Our conference promises an opportunity for established and emerging leaders to gain the insights, strategies, and inspiration that are essential for navigating the ever-evolving challenges of our time.”
The 37th annual NAMIC Conference, under the theme “Our Legacy, a Mosaic of Possibilities,” will look to provide attendees — through numerous interactive sessions and networking opportunities — with actionable solutions to advance diversity and inclusion within their companies, Washington said.
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt will headline the NAMIC conference, which runs over two days beginning September 19. During the conference, NAMIC will also honor NBCU News Group’s Jose Diaz-Balart with the Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award during the September 20 Awards Luncheon. Other confirmed NAMIC conference speakers include film producer Will Packer and best-selling author Steve Pemberton.
“The conference is really about embracing our 40-plus year legacy of being focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, and exploring what the possibilities are in terms of going forward,” Washington said.
Kaitz Keeps DEI in Focus
Comcast’s Wilson-Scott, along with Revolt CEO Detavio Samuels, will co-chair the 40th anniversary Walter Kaitz Foundation Annual Fundraising Dinner on September 23. With its theme of “Staying Focused,” the fundraising affair will acknowledge the DEI progress that the industry has made through the foundation’s partners and supporters, Kaitz officials said.
Charter Communications will sponsor a pre-dinner reception, including a silent auction of “a carefully curated collection of items and experiences,” Kaitz said.
This year’s Diversity Week output will not include the industry’s joint NAMIC and WICT diversity employment study, released every two years.
Last year’s report concluded that female representation in the workforce increased by 5 percentage points since the prior report in 2019, even as the pandemic had a significantly greater impact on the employment of women overall. Workforce representation by people of color fell by 7 percentage points, dropping to 37% from 44% since the 2019 survey.
