Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Media and Entertainment: 3 DEI Strategies You Can Employ Now

DEI strategies benefit everyone and are more accessible than leaders realize.

Sept. 8, 2023 | By Sarah Mayo & Katelyn Lind

As media and entertainment account managers and DEI ambassadors, we have front-row seats to observe why the diversity numbers aren’t budging. VPs and SVPs in media and entertainment want to cultivate diverse and inclusive teams but face barriers they perceive as dead ends. Before we tackle the three obstacles we hear about most often, let’s look at why your bottom line craves diversity and the implementation of effective DEI strategies.

What Are the Benefits of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Your Organization?

• Profitability: Diverse and inclusive companies are 36% more likely to financially outperform their peers.
• Innovation: When people with different views, varied life experiences and divergent backgrounds come together to solve problems, the solutions are more inventive.
• Product-market fit: Your customers want to feel seen. The innovators designing their products should be a representation of them.
• Retention: Employees who can be their authentic selves at work and feel a sense of belonging stay longer than employees who don’t feel the same way.

Workplace Equity and Inclusion in IT: Statistics

You’re probably aware of the numbers: The IT industry is made up of roughly 25% women, 8% Black people, and 8% Hispanics and Latinos. When we put the media and entertainment industry under the DEI lens, the numbers are even smaller.

“Quite often in media and entertainment, we see women and people of color hold creative roles, compared to IT positions. While creative jobs are a crucial part of the media and entertainment workforce, it means that the diversity demographics in IT are even more disparaging,” says Tom Roach, TEKsystems vertical strategist.

DEI Strategies in Media and Entertainment: Pivot Your Approach

We support Fortune 500 media companies in executing innovative technology solutions. Our specialty? Listening to your challenges and tailoring solutions that fit your business. Every organization is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to diversifying IT workforces within media entertainment services. However, the misconceptions are almost always the same.

Common misconception No. 1: “The diverse talent pool doesn’t exist for IT roles.”

To recruit the candidates you’re seeking, you most likely need to tweak your recruiting strategies and invest in early talent programs. Small steps can have a big impact on your overall DEI strategy.

Action plan: Vet your vendors.

• Instead of working with multiple vendors, choose one or two whom you trust and ensure they have a solid program for recruiting and training diverse candidates.
• Do your partners offer free training programs for individuals looking for a career shift or those who can’t afford a four-year degree?

Common misconception No. 2: “We don’t have the budget.”

You’d be surprised by how you can make an impact at no cost. When was the last time you took inventory of your interview process? Have you audited it for cognitive biases?

Action plan: Standardize the interview process.

• Do you automatically consider candidates with four-year degrees more qualified than individuals who have taken the nontraditional route of less expensive career programs? Often, candidates without a four-year degree have on-the-job training and bring fresh approaches to problem-solving.
• Give each candidate the same amount of time for skills assessments and ask everyone the same questions.

Common misconception No. 3: “I care about diversifying our teams, but it takes too long, and I need to fill positions ASAP.”

If you’re hiring a team for a specific project, how many opportunities are there for early talent in the initial stages of their IT career? Consider bringing on candidates who have been through a training program so they can learn the ropes and grow in your organization.

Action plan: Think long term.

• Allot a certain number of positions for early talent at the beginning of a project and work with a vendor who can fill those positions with individuals who are fully trained and passionate about their IT career.
• Implement equitable retention strategies like mentor or apprentice programs.
• Build partnerships with diverse IT organizations and nonprofits that focus on providing candidates upskilling opportunities that focus on technical skills, soft skills and business skills.

[For a closer look at DEI recruiting strategies, check out this article coauthored by Franklin Reed, TEKsystems’ director of DEI, and Lauren Kolodrubetz, executive director of marketplace diversity solutions.]

Workplace Equity and Inclusion

Everyone, regardless of race, gender or background, deserves the opportunity to secure a career in IT. While diversity and inclusion in media will not happen overnight, it doesn’t mean that we can’t take steps now to impact future DEI goals.