CMU School of Drama


Friday, November 16, 2018

How Hollywood Studios are Rising to Meet Interest in Inclusion Riders

Variety: In the book “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption,” a gifted young lawyer fights for the poor and the wrongly condemned. And in pure Hollywood fashion, the movie based on the book’s true story will be the first production to fall under WarnerMedia’s newly adopted inclusion rider.

2 comments:

Rebecca Meckler said...

I first read about diversity riders on the Green Pages last year and thought they were a brilliant idea. They give stars and celebrities with power, a way to support actors in smaller roles and the crews in bringing diversity in. It made an arguable intangible concept finite and measurable and allowed employees to hold their employers accountable. Allowing people to get there foot in the door, no matter how, allows them to climb the ranks. I never understood Netflix’s argument stating that inclusion needs to be project to project, especially for behind the scenes workers. I understand that in period pieces having diversity can seem historically inaccurate, though I would argue most times it probably doesn’t matter, behind the camera, it doesn’t make any sense. Going forward, it will be interesting to see if more of the major companies start to use diversity riders and if more high profile celebrities publicize their use it.

Sarah Battaglia said...

When Frances McDormand first said those words in her Oscar acceptance speech I didn't know exactly what they meant but I did some research and I learned and I am happy that so many places are rising to meet the expectations of a younger generation for diversity and inclusion. I think we all have to be conscious of the fact that things are changing and as I am about to enter the work force as a white person I am very aware of the fact that people probably aren't looking to hire me as much as they might be someone with my same qualifications who is a person of color. Thats okay. We all have to contribute to making the world a more equitable place and if I don't get one job because the company is trying to diversify their staff than thats a small price to pay for a larger picture of unity I'd like the world to look like when I bring a kid into it one day.