#ChangeHollywood, an initiative of the civil-rights group Color of Change, has joined Pearl Street Films and Endeavor Content to issue a reimagined version of the inclusion rider, a contract provision designed to bring about workplace diversity through inclusive hiring on film and TV projects. The effort is in coalition with inclusion rider co-authors Kalpana Kotagal, partner in Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, Fanshen Cox, Pearl Street’s head of strategic outreach, and Dr. Tasmin Plater, Endeavor Content’s head of HR.
In addition to the new inclusion rider, Dr. Plater’s implementation guide has been released for entertainment companies. The guide serves as a template that sets forth the principles of the inclusion rider as policy. The purpose of the combination of these resources is to build greater equity in the entertainment industry by focusing on accountability and hiring targets. The coalition brings together civil rights, racial justice and legal expertise, as well as a deep knowledge of the industry, to provide resources for increased representation throughout Hollywood.
Initiated in 2016, the inclusion rider introduced Hollywood to a contractual commitment model to be used during negotiations. This new iteration of the rider now expands upon its original legal framework, develops additional tools for hiring crew from underrepresented backgrounds, and adds accountability measures and advocates for intersectional inclusivity, which includes but is not limited to gender, race and ethnicity, as well as LGBTQIA, age, and disability considerations.
Several studios, production and media companies have already committed to the inclusion rider policy, including AMC Studios, Forest Whitaker’s Significant Productions, Scott Budnick’s One Community, Stephanie Allain’s HomeGrown Pictures, Layne Eskridge’s POV, Jeff Friday Media, Lynette Howell Taylor’s 51 Entertainment, Raeshem Nijhon, Carri Twigg and Nicole Galovski’s Culture House, Matt Nicholas & Nastassja Kayln’s Rebel Maverick, Farhoud Meybodi’s Ritual Arts, Harry & Gina Belafonte’s Sanfoka.org, and Portal A.
“Simply put, the inclusion rider is a template, an addendum added to a contract that says that those charged with hiring will seek to hire qualified cast and crew who have been traditionally underrepresented in productions,” said Kotagal. “The rider sets forth accountability measures where those efforts may fall short. It also can and should be tailored to fit project specifics and production types.”
“Our updated rider names intersecting identities like colorism, sizeism and ageism as important factors in qualified hiring targets,” added Cox. “We are a Black and Brown-led coalition offering a tangible, active and legally-sound resource for everyone who made promises during the uprisings this summer.”
“The company policy is baked with the principles of the rider,” said Dr. Plater. “Its primary goal is to break down the barriers of entry into Hollywood. We accomplish this by encouraging the use of different databases for sourcing talent, tracking measuring- and acting against the data collected regarding our efforts to diversify our productions, and implementing accountability measurements.”
Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, said, “This moment is bigger than one company, client, or project. The industry must come together united to stand against inequity and exclusion. Racial justice initiatives are most powerful when they are bold enough to confront challenges at the systemic level and adopted across the board. By building on the momentum originated by the rider’s co-authors, the new rider template and policy will give the industry the resources to execute on the #ChangeHollywood Roadmap for sustained, tangible change.”
This project is years in the making–a result of true cross-organization collaboration, the progression of the inclusion rider, and the expansion of resources available to studios and production companies. This is the first release by #ChangeHollywood of resources for executing on the Roadmap. #ChangeHollywood, inspired by Michael B. Jordan and executed in close partnership with WME and Endeavor Content, is the founding vertical of a multi-industry racial justice accountability franchise from Color Of Change. To access the inclusion rider template, inclusion rider policy template and implementation guide, click here.
