The Procter & Gamble (P&G) Company has announced a new talent development and partnership platform to help level the playing field; and improve the inclusion of Black creators across advertising, film and television.
Entitled Widen The Screen, the initiative will include new films and programmes that feature more diverse storytellers; combat bias against all people fuelled by misrepresentation; increase investment in Black-owned and operated media; and employ more diverse creators in a way that improves their trajectory for long-term success, said the company.
Its anthem film Widen The Screen, premiered during the 2021 NAACP Image Awards on Saturday 27 March, invites everyone to challenge expectations and stereotypes. The film helps people learn how disparities in representation behind the camera lead to misrepresentation of people and communities that fuel bias in real life. Its call to action is to “portray a more holistic view of Black life; one that is layered, beautiful and dynamic; and not one that simply reinforces commonly told stereotypes”, said the company. The film is created and produced by a team of largely Black creators in collaboration with Grey; and narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali. It ends with the line “Let’s widen the screen to widen our view”; and challenges the expectations viewers have about the characters and stories often played by Black actors.
DISPARITIES BEHIND THE CAMERA
“While we’ve made equality a top priority within P&G and worked with other companies to do the same, we recognise that is just not enough. We have to address the systemic inequalities that exist in our industry; and that’s why Widen The Screen is a critically important initiative; not just for P&G, but for the industry,” stated P&G’s Chief Brand Officer, Marc Pritchard. “In stepping up and levelling the playing field for Black creators, we will enable change that will benefit all under-represented groups and result in higher quality, more relevant film, television and advertising content; that deepens our appreciation of the richness of our society.”
“It is my hope, through this campaign, to encourage image makers to reveal the fullness of who we are as Black people. We don’t have to be ‘exceptional’ to be respected and valued. Our humanity isn’t dependent upon us being doctors, lawyers, engineers or famous,” added Kevin Wilson Jr, Director of Widen the Screen. “Yes, we are those things; but we also take up many spaces in this world and the love we share should be depicted as well. We are more than the brutality we often see in our depictions in television and film. We are the joy we experience with loved ones and the passion we have for one another.”
REPRESENTING MORE PEOPLE OF COLOUR
Widen The Screen is a significant expansion of prior P&G efforts aimed at increasing inclusion and representation of people of colour in the advertising industry. Building on this success, the platform will provide even greater access and opportunity to break into an industry notorious for being difficult to enter; with an immediate focus on Black creators, and runway for future expansion.
Queen Collective, P&G’s signature multicultural talent development initiative returns for its third year in 2021. The partnership with Queen Latifah, Flavor Unit Entertainment and Tribeca Studios accelerates gender and racial equality behind the camera by opening doors to the next generation of up-and-coming Black women directors through mentorship, production support and distribution opportunities. They produced two films in 2019 and 2020; and P&G is doubling production in 2021, greenlighting four documentary-style productions for women filmmakers.
This summer, P&G is increasing creative output for Black creatives and filmmakers in partnership with Uninterrupted and Saturday Morning, Black-owned creative and production partners. This effort aims to help the world see their passion, potential and power; and to tell previously untold stories. P&G and Uninterrupted, an athlete empowerment brand within The SpringHill Company built by LeBron James and Maverick Carter with the mission of empowering greatness in every individual, are collaborating on a project that will take viewers on a journey of a father and his son using the power of imagination to explore a range of opportunities beyond athletics.
‘MORE THAN AN ATHLETE’ STEREOTYPE
The film and associated community programmes aim to show young Black men that they can follow and achieve their dreams outside of sports; which aligns with Uninterrupted’s “More Than An Athlete” mantra. Saturday Morning (P&G’s partner for The Look) is a creative agency that raises awareness of racial bias and injustice. P&G, together with Saturday Morning, Tribeca and dozens of Black creatives, are creating scripted stories to tell life-affirming stories of joy, love and resilience.
The company also announced support for efforts to increase the number of Black creators entering the industry; through programmes like the Marcus Graham Project; and the One Club for Creativity’s One School Initiative. It is also continuing to support of critical talent development initiatives like ADCOLOR; and increasing investment in a broad range of Black-owned and operated companies and media platforms. Widen The Screen includes collaborations with a variety of majority-owned advertising agencies and partners too; to ensure increased representation and inclusion.
“True inclusion leads to greater creativity and innovation, provides access to opportunity; and leads to equity in income and wealth creation. Our hope is that we will create a ripple effect and the rest of the industry will follow suit,” Pritchard added.
Check out how Bacardi’s PATRÓN is helping Black students find careers in the marketing and advertising, in the story below.
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