DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
At AMC Networks being diverse, equitable, and inclusive is more than a business imperative that spurs creativity and drives innovation. It’s at the heart of who we are and what we believe. We think, operate, and create using DEI as a lever for positive change in three critical areas: Our Talent & Workplace, Our Content, and Our Greater Purpose.
Our Talent & Workplace
Telling authentic stories starts from within – by forging a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce and culture that recognizes, celebrates, and empowers everyone. This means we work to increase our pipeline of underrepresented talent and create pathways for development and advancement. It means we ensure equity in our pay and people practices. And it means we provide everyone with the resources they need to make a positive impact at our company and in society.
WHAT WE'RE DOING
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Learning Together
Throughout the year we are committed to bringing together thought leaders, partners and employees in Courageous Conversations to intentionally give space to topics that foster constructive dialogue and promote cultural awareness, deepening our collective DEI acumen as we work to promote a culture of belonging. Previous topics have included a “Living Land Acknowledgement Workshop” with the Lenape Center of Manhattan, a panel “On Black Joy and Why It Matters” with our VIBE (Vested in Black Interest) BERG, “Supporting Mental Health” with the Child Mind Institute and PACE (Parent and Caregiver Employees) BERG, and ”Notable Supreme Court Cases” with Harvard Law Professor, Jeannie Suk Gersen.
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Developing Talent Pipelines
We strive to create a pipeline of diverse talent by partnering with leading industry organizations committed to supporting students and graduates with an interest in media and entertainment including Academy Gold Rising, HBCU in LA, T. Howard Foundation, Reel Works, Black Theatre Coalition, The Boyd Initiative, IAIA, and more.
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Below The Line
We partner with organizations working to develop opportunities for under-represented talent in production, including the Handy Foundation post-production apprenticeships and Reel Works’ IATSE Entertainment Industry Hair Stylist Training, focused on increasing access for makeup and hair professionals of color, as well as supporting the launch of Coded for Inclusion, a hiring platform initiative from Staff Me Up and Color of Change. We also support ScreenSkillsUK, an organization that provides support, training and career development for off-screen UK based talent at every level and role.
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Fostering Inclusive Communities
We create space for diversity, inclusion and belonging, and continued learning in both our corporate and production work environments. Through our Inclusive Production Workshop series for production cast and crew, we meet the specific DEI needs of the production ecosystem at key inflection points: creative development, below-the-line hiring, and the start of production. The three-module workshop was developed to seamlessly integrate DEI concepts and practical tools into the workforce, culture, and content of our shows. In our offices, our employee-driven communities called Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs) are crucial to fostering a positive and inclusive workplace environment where everyone can show up as their authentic selves.
Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs)
Globally, our BERGs form communities through shared interests and experiences around several areas, including Visible & Invisible Disabilities, Emerging Leaders, Parents & Caregivers, Sustainability, and Asian-American/Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic/Latinx, LGBTQIA+ and Women-identifying employees. Our BERG members are a vital part of everything we do and create a culture of belonging for our employees. They facilitate networking and connections with peers; support the acquisition of diverse talent internally and externally; act as a valuable sounding board for content development and programming; facilitate leadership and skill development; and increase the organization’s overall cultural competency. Our BERGs are also strong business partners, helping to amplify heritage months, co-sponsor Courageous Conversations and support employee engagement through organizing in-person and virtual events.
Asian American Culture network
Advocates for visible and invisible disabilities (US, LATAM)
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY GROUP (US, UK)
California fusion dei group
emerging leader and development group
Women Employees and Allies (US, UK, Central Northern Europe, Southern Europe)
Fusion DEI group (UK, Central Northern Europe)
parent and caregiver employees (US, UK, Southern Europe)
LGBTQIA+ EMPLOYEES AND allies (US, UK, LATAM, Southern Europe)
Vested interest in black employees
Latin and Hispanic employees and allies
Our Content and Programming
We are passionate about telling authentic stories that connect with audiences in meaningful ways and that entertain, with vivid characters and worlds that show a full spectrum of the human experience. Ensuring diverse and inclusive voices and points of view – on our screens, on our sets, and in our writer’s rooms – is fundamental to our creative process. It is how we understand, reflect, and speak with insight and authenticity to the wide range of audiences we reach every day.
We have a long track record of championing and supporting independent and diverse voices and using our platforms to bring these storytellers` vision to life.
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ALLBLK
Launched in 2014 as Urban Movie Channel, ALLBLK is the first subscription streaming service created for Black TV and film. Dedicated to featuring content that is inclusively and unapologetically for, by and about Black people, ALLBLK has a diverse lineup that spans genres and generations with fan favorite titles such as A House Divided, Double Cross, Social Society with Kendall Kyndall, Millennials, and more.
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WE tv
With a slate of compelling, can’t miss unscripted shows, such as Growing up Hip Hop, Braxton Family Values, and more, WE tv consistently ranks among the top networks in cable for women of color and will always be dedicated to developing and presenting programming focused on positive, diverse female voices.
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Disability Storytelling
AMC Networks has been widely recognized for scripted storytelling spotlighting and celebrating people living with disabilities including BBC America’s CripTales, AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, Critics’ Choice Award-winner Push Girls and Sundance Now’s Peabody Award-nominee This Close.
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Recognitions
Actress Sandra Oh from BBC America’s Killing Eve won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama TV series for her role, making her the first woman of Asian descent to win that award. Our shows have also been recognized by the NAACP Image Awards and GLAAD Media Awards for performances and series including, most recently, IFC’s Sherman’s Showcase, IFC Films’ Farewell Amor, Killing Eve and more.
Content Programs
We work with leading industry organizations to ensure there is greater inclusion in the stories we tell. Through these partnerships, we celebrate and empower the next generation of storytellers who reflect the full spectrum of our world.
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Inclusion Rider
We’ve signed on to #ChangeHollywood in partnership with Color of Change, Pearl Street Films, and Endeavor Content to use inclusion riders on every AMC Studios production, a process for hiring and casting that will expand our candidate pools and increase representation for historically underrepresented talent. We view the rider as an opportunity to move beyond intention and focus on expectations and actions that should come along with our commitment. Learn more.
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Mentorship Matters
A program connecting prominent showrunners with emerging non-WGA writers of color for a year-long mentorship which will include networking, introductions, monthly check-ins, and an opportunity to be staffed in a writer’s room.
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Coded for Inclusion
We're proud to be a part of the launch of Coded for Inclusion, a game-changing job matching platform from Staff Me Up for the crews of scripted and unscripted television productions designed to help change the way hiring happens in Hollywood and remove the barriers to entry for job seekers from historically underrepresented groups (BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and active military/veterans). Learn more.
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High-Octane Episodic Directing Series
We’ve partnered with the Alliance of Women Directors, a collective of over 400 professional women-identifying and gender nonbinary directors, to launch a masterclass for emerging and mid-career directors. The series will consist of five classes centered on directing action and thriller content in scripted television, featuring directors, showrunners, and department heads from AMC’s The Walking Dead, Creepshow, The Terror, and NOS4A2, among others.