ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group has announced the launch of a ‘Culture Code’ – a comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion initiative (DE&I) – for its entire creative community.
The ‘Culture Code’ will offer the best-in-class DE&I training through a multidisciplinary approach, said the entertainment group. It aims to challenge and eliminate racism, and make the media and entertainment industry more diverse inclusive for all groups, including people with disabilities.
In collaboration with social justice partners – The Museum of Tolerance, Color of Change, Anti-Defamation League, The Jed Foundation, MPAC, RAINN, RespectAbility, Storyline Partners and GLAAD – the ‘pioneering endeavour’ will expand beyond employees to also include ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group projects, production companies and talent.
“We live in an increasingly divisive world and yet as storytellers, we believe in the power of content to give the gift of empathy and understanding,” stated Chris McCarthy, President of ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group (formerly Entertainment and Youth). “We’re developing our Culture Code to nurture our creative community and outline a communal set of values, respect and mutual understanding that centres around the celebration of inclusion and diversity in everything we do. We are humbled to be doing it in partnership with an incredible set of organisations who have dedicated their own lives to changing the world for good.”
LESS HOSTILE INDUSTRY FOR BLACKS & MUSLIMS
The legacy of racism in Hollywood is “long and unforgivable”; “Excluding Black talent, silencing Black voices, derailing Black careers, and using the economic power of the industry to prop up police departments in the very real world,” pointed out Rashad Robinson, President of Color Of Change. “The work of Culture Code is an important step in challenging and eliminating racism within the industry and the content it produces.”
Robinson believes it will take partnerships like this to “transform the media landscape and create a more humane, less hostile world for Black people, in which they are empowered to create their art and thrive”. “Color Of Change is proud to join ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group in its new initiative to provide the entertainment industry with a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and inclusive education,” he added.
Sue Obeidi, Director of MPAC Hollywood Bureau, agrees. “For decades, Muslims have been vilified by stories that were inaccurate, racist and careless. Harmful, yet successful TV series and films were written about Muslim communities, many of which went unchecked by people of conscience. Our presence and voice in the writers’ room has been missing for the longest time,” she explained.
“ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group’s Culture Code is a welcomed initiative that is being launched at the perfect time. America is on the cusp of a new era and so is the entertainment industry. Underrepresented communities have been eager to see their deep and rich stories told authentically, fairly, and in a nuanced manner, and Muslim communities are high on that list,” she pointed out. “MPAC Hollywood Bureau is proud and honoured to be part of the Culture Code initiative where we can work in tandem in telling better stories about and by Muslims. Here’s to a new beginning.”
DEFEATING HATRED & STEREOTYPES
The best way to defeat hatred “is to go beyond stereotypes and put a human face on the ‘other’,” commented Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Global Social Action Director, Museum of Tolerance. “Simon Wiesenthal Center and its Museum of Tolerance have long believed that storytelling is a powerful way to engage hearts and minds for positive change. As partners of ViacomCBS, we share in the vision and commitment that America needs to move away from a cancel culture to a counsel culture. We are honoured to join as a Culture Code partner to collaborate with others in advancing cultural competency and social justice in the entertainment industry.”
Jonathan A Greenblatt, Chief Executive Officer and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, said he is also looking forward to making “meaningful change”. “We are thrilled and grateful to join ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group in its launch of the Culture Code initiative. The importance of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the workplace and with powerful companies like ViacomCBS will contribute to racial and social justice in media and society,” he added.
MENTAL HEALTH & DISABILITY IN MEDIA
While one-in-five people in the US has a disability, which includes non-visible disabilities such as mental health and learning disabilities, most DE&I initiatives in media historically did not include disability, points out Lauren Appelbaum, Vice President of Communications of RespectAbility.
“Disability cuts across every other demographic and in order to ensure full inclusion for all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and more. Disability needs to be part of the conversation. We applaud ViacomCBS for recognising the importance of this,” noted Appelbaum. “RespectAbility is honoured to join ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group in support of the Culture Code initiative. By ensuring a comprehensive look at DE&I, the Culture Code initiative will ensure that diversity and equity-focused conversations are intersectional in nature.”
Courtney Knowles from The Jed Foundation agrees. “We’re living in a time where taking care of our mental health, supporting each other and exploring the intersection of mental health and the other issues Culture Code addresses, is so important,” she stated. “We’re proud to join such an amazing group of partners for this work.”
RAISING THE BAR
With Culture Code, the MTV Entertainment Group is once again “raising the bar for how the industry should work with and include our community”, confirmed Rich Ferraro, GLAAD’s Chief Communications Officer and Executive Producer of GLAAD Media Awards. “So many of the most powerful early media images of LGBTQ people appeared on MTV and ViacomCBS’ brands.”
However, “the overdue conversations on diversity, inclusion and intersectionality happening across the industry often leave out the key step of behind-the-scenes education”, he noted. “When content creators and staff truly understand diverse identities, it leads to more authentic stories and projects. This new initiative will no doubt lead to culture-changing media projects that entertain, inspire and enrich audiences.”
Sanaz Alesafar, Programme Director of Storyline Partners, believes that “the current moment supports our calls to have media, content, and cultural production be anti-racist, intersectional, and ecologically considerate”. We are thrilled to partner with ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group to ensure authentic representation and equitable practices to support their content and creative community,” she added.
The MTV Entertainment Group plans to pilot this internal DE&I and Culture Code training by the end of this year, with the larger rollout kicking off in early 2021.
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