New Partners on Board for Coded For Inclusion Initiative

A+E Networks, Amazon Studios, Banijay Americas and Warner Bros. Discovery have signed on to utilize and support Coded For Inclusion, which aims to disrupt the biased hiring systems in the industry by providing their productions access to the Staff Me Up hiring platform.

The initiative was launched last year in a commitment to create a holistic approach to address the diversity shortcomings that exist in Hollywood and is further endorsed by Color Of Change and led by an alliance of #ChangeHollywood supporters including Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society Fellowship, Hue You Know, AMC Networks and Endeavor Content.

The additional partnerships with A+E Networks, Amazon Studios, Banijay Americas and Warner Bros. Discovery will support further expansion into scripted production.

Staff Me Up has expanded on its inclusive technology and infrastructure while tapping into the racial and social justice equity expertise of Hue You Know and Color of Change, to remove barriers to entry for job seekers from historically excluded groups (BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and active military/veterans) to ensure studios and production houses have a direct pipeline to candidates. The hiring platform provides transparency about available job opportunities and overcomes the obstacle of production leadership hiring predominantly from within their own networks.

Daniel Rosenberg, VP of business development and strategic alliances at Staff Me Up, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome A+E Networks, Amazon Studios, Banijay Americas and Warner Bros. Discovery on board. It is our goal with these partnerships to increase the visibility of job opportunities in the industry while providing productions an easily adaptable infrastructure to diversify their talent pools and break down the barriers of entry into Hollywood.”

“A+E Networks has long been committed to diverse representation in all roles—in front of and behind the camera—and we’re excited to uncover and be paired with underrepresented talent through Staff Me Up,” said Karen Gray, CHRO and chief diversity officer at A+E Networks. “Our content across all of our platforms will be enhanced by this innovative solution that is helping the industry move forward.”

“Our support of Coded For Inclusion is aligned with our commitment to a more inclusive Hollywood, one that reflects the diversity of our world today,” said Latasha Gillespie, head of global DEI at Amazon Studios, Prime Video and IMDb. “To foster high-performing and inclusive sets, we need to attract and hire the best talent. We are thrilled to extend this resource to our creative partners so they have improved access to high-caliber, talented individuals.”

“At Banijay Americas, we are focused on building partnerships that translate into real jobs and meaningful change in the industry—those that help us deliver on our commitment to reflecting the rich diversity of our audiences both on-screen and behind the scenes on our sets,” said Karla Pita Loor, executive VP of enterprise inclusion and social responsibility at Banijay Americas. “We are proud to broaden our work with Staff Me Up by investing in the Coded for Inclusion initiative, powered by Hue You Know and Color of Change, to ensure ongoing growth of the hiring platform as well as expanded access to the most highly skilled talent in the business.”

Samata Narra, senior VP for equity and inclusion, content, at Warner Bros. Discovery, added, “Warner Bros. Discovery is proud to partner with Staff Me Up and support the Coded for Inclusion project. We believe that every role on a set contributes to the product, and it is why we are committed to diversifying the people powering our content behind the scenes in order to be the most representative of the audience.”