Netflix Inc. has pledged $100 million to make its shows more inclusive following a diversity study released Friday that analyzed the makeup of the streaming company’s on-screen and behind-the-scenes talent.
The company
NFLX,
+0.64%
announced Netflix Fund for Creative Equity on the heels of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. While the study concluded Netflix’s shows have made progress, improvements are necessary. According to the executive summary, “racial/ethnic representation varies by group,” and “LGBTQ and characters with disabilities are rare.”
“Doing better means establishing even more opportunities for people from underrepresented communities to have their voices heard, and purposefully closing capacity and skill gaps with training programs where they are needed,” Netflix Chief Executive Ted Sarandos said in a post Friday.
Netflix’s $100 million fund will come over five years in a “combination of external organizations with a strong track record of setting underrepresented communities up for success in the TV and film industries, as well as bespoke Netflix programs that will help us to identify, train and provide job placement for up-and-coming talent globally,” the company said.
The new fund complements several programs that Netflix supports, including the Ghetto Film School, Film Independent’s Project Involve, and the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival’s Latinx Inclusion Fellowship Series, which mentors Afro Latinx directors.
