By Robert Goldrich
During last month’s annual PROMAX conference, held virtually due to the pandemic, Vernā Myers, VP of inclusion strategy at Netflix, affirmed that in the quest for social justice, being a good person and condemning racism aren’t enough–rather, you have to be anti-racist in your beliefs, actions and policies. This mindset needs to be brought to bear on your personal beliefs and feelings, interpersonal behavior and relationships, on organizational and institutional levels, and our culture. Myers said it is incumbent upon us to “interrupt bias when you see it,” that this “is not the time to be a bystander,” that we must all move “from being neutral to being active.”
She called upon influential entertainment execs, marketers and promotions experts in the PROMAX community to expand their social and professional circles so that more people of different backgrounds and races are included. More people currently in your “out-group” should become part of your “in-group.” She suggested writing down the names of people you’ve hired or promoted over the past few years–how many are Black, are women, Black women, from underrepresented groups? If there are no or relatively few people of color, if the hires are white male-dominated, you are missing out on talent, different storytelling perspectives and opportunities.
Companies additionally need to explore their hiring biases. Many firms for example might first or exclusively seek out graduates from certain elite schools. Similarly hiring decision-makers might look to the schools they came from for whom they consider to be the most desirable job candidates. The major drawback in these approaches is that the system is inherently unfair when it comes to deciding who gets into these favored schools. Invariably people of color and the socioeconomically disadvantaged generally aren’t able to attend elite, preferred schools so you have to be open to other educational institutions and experiences.
Myers also recommended that entertainment companies hire a professional in diversity and inclusion–either on staff or as a consultant. Additionally, researching racism and the different forms it can take is important. “‘I didn’t know’ is not enough of an excuse,” she stressed.
Tangible action and commitment, the proverbial putting your money where your mouth is, are essential to advancing positive change. In this vein, Myers pointed with pride to Netflix’s recently announced $100 million investment in Black community banks and organizations, which at a grass-roots level can offer direct support to Black households and businesses.
Robert Goldrich is an editor with SHOOTonline
Human promotes Kamela Anderson to West Coast EP and head of sync
Music production and supervision company Human has promoted Kamela Anderson to West Coast executive producer and head of sync. In this new role, Anderson will oversee all West Coast operations for Human, including PostHuman, an independent postproduction entity.
As Human’s former head of sync and A&R, Anderson helped build the music supervision department. Anderson has spent the past eight years in various roles within Human. She has grown with the company as a rising voice in commercial music.
Anderson’s career in advertising began in sales at HSI Productions before joining Anonymous Content to work in its in-house sales department. After that, her journey at Human began, where Anderson worked on several notable brand films that went on to win many industry awards, including four Clio Awards, a Bronze Pencil, a Gold Andy Award, and a Silver Lion. Her work at Human spans brands like Apple, Xbox, Adidas, Samsung, Amazon, BMW, Netflix, NFL, Meta, Gatorade, Google, Doritos, Mountain Dew, and a Nike spot which garnered recognition from the soundtrack’s artist. For “Dream Further,” Nike’s gloriously girl-powered ad promoting the Women’s World Cup, Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation,” was synced, delivering optimal emotional impact. Jett later lauded this needle drop as “stunning” and “carrying a strong message beyond the brand” while being honored that year with a Bronze Clio.
“I built HumanSupervision as a new offering in 2020, and we’re continuing to expand our reach, both on the West Coast and internationally,” remarked Anderson. “My creative partner Mike Jurasits and I are very hands-on collaborators and continue to push the envelope with our artist partnerships. Recently, we took a simple music supervision... Read More