The main goal was to raise awareness of the lack of diversity in the US film and TV industry, specifically the lack of Black professionals in the space, especially in light of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign challenging the status quo in Hollywood. We also sought to do so in a way that showed the human elements behind the data by crafting videos that focused on the lived experience of those in the community, aiming to spur solutions to improve the industry’s inclusivity for all underrepresented groups.
This research project looks closer at the business case for diversity in the film and TV industry, drawing on external reports, industry data, and qualitative interviews with 50 Black and non-Black industry participants across the content ecosystem, in collaboration with the BlackLight Collective. The strategy involved finding a novel way to present the research digitally and bring the data to life in a way that would resonate with the audience. The execution involved 4 scripted video segments, which, combined with a feature-length article describing the research, was also supplemented by still photography and data visualizations.
Since publishing, the report saw considerable media pickup, with mentions in Bloomberg, Marketwatch, the New York Times, and others (including, most recently, The Atlantic). It’s been read seven times more than our average article (we don’t share number of reads publicly), with above-average engagement. It also elevated the topic of diversifying a relatively homogenous industry and offered concrete actions to drive inclusion, while also putting a figure on the price the industry pays by ignoring systemic racial inequities: $10 billion.
