DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
OUR COMMITMENT
TO DIVERSITY,
EQUITY & INCLUSION
Paramount is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. We believe that to be the best creators and storytellers, our company must reflect, celebrate and elevate the diversity of our audiences.
A NOTE FROM
BOB BAKISH
We strive to make diversity, equity and inclusion part of who we are – etched into the fabric of our workforce and culture, seen in the content we create and the partners we work with, and always reflecting the audiences and communities we serve.
Bob Bakish
President & CEO, Paramount
A NOTE FROM
MARVA SMALLS
In our resolve to advance diversity, equity and inclusion globally, we are guided by certainty of purpose and clarity of vision. We know there is more work ahead of us, but we are committed to this shared journey and pleased to share this snapshot of our work.
Marva Smalls
Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion at Paramount and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Nickelodeon
INCREASING
OUR IMPACT
As a leading content company with global reach and impact, Paramount influences culture around the world. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and belonging are central to our success—they are a cornerstone of our legacy and foundational to our future.
DE&I is a shared journey that starts at the top with our CEO, leadership team, and Board of Directors. With transparency and accountability as key requirements governing the way we operate, these leaders drive the policies, programs, and initiatives that carry our commitment forward across our iconic brands, our global employee base, our like-minded partners, and our powerful lineup of content. Our dedicated HR team has been innovating and partnering to embed DE&I into every aspect of our employee experience—including specific programs to strengthen how we attract, develop, retain, and measure our progress.
Our DE&I work is tenacious, purposeful and interconnected. Within our company, we continue to create policies and programs to ensure our workforce is diverse and to foster a culture where employees can thrive. This work is supported by our internal stakeholders, including our dynamic Employee Resource Groups and Inclusivity Councils.
As a pioneer in content that represents and appeals to diverse audiences, we are also resolute that diversity, equity and inclusion must be reflected within our content and behind the scenes. Our suite of talent initiatives such as Content for Change Academy, the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program, Directing Initiative, ViewFinder Emerging Directors Program, Nickelodeon’s Writing Program and Artist Program, BET’s Project CRE8, MTV Entertainment Group’s First Time Directors Program, and the annual talent SHOWCASE develop and sustain a pipeline of underrepresented creators. We also continue to use our platforms and join forces with our creative partners, including Tyler Perry, Lena Waithe, Mara Brock Akil, Niki Lopez, Leslie Valdes, Valerie Walsh Valdes, Kenya Barris, Will Packer, Tarana Burke, and Mervyn Marcano, to further advance our collective mission of inclusion.
While we’re proud of our work so far, we recognize there’s more to do. We are committed to always working toward a workplace and a world where inclusion is second nature and equity is part of our DNA.
OUR RESPONSE TO RACIAL RECKONING
AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Paramount is committed to serving the needs of our employees, audiences, and communities. That responsibility only intensified in 2020 as the murder of George Floyd led to a cultural reckoning and the alarming rise in anti-Asian hate, anti-Semitism, transphobia, and hate crimes targeting other racial, ethnic, and religious groups forced us all to confront systemic racism and bias. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have devastating effects on the world, with disproportional health, emotional, economic impacts taking a toll on many marginalized communities.
At Paramount, our response to amplify the voices of these communities, condemn all forms of hate, and honor Floyd and other victims were only a handful of the actions we took to ensure our company reflects, celebrates and elevates the diversity of our employees, audiences and communities. We also responded to the challenges of COVID-19 by providing financial, educational and community support directly to the communities most impacted. We recognize our responsibility to use our power across our entire ecosystem—including our content, platforms and reach—to intensify our efforts towards this mission.
We’ve made progress in this work through a number of commitments centered on our belief that we can use our power as storytellers to transform the way people see themselves and each other. From our global expansion of BET’s Content for Change to CBS’ targets for BIPOC representation in its writers’ rooms to the work of Nickelodeon to support our communities of kids, we are focused on programs that elevate underrepresented voices and use our content and platforms to combat hate and bias. We have activated new partnerships, invested deeply in existing relationships, and—together with our employees—have worked to create more inclusive content and raise industry standards when it comes to social and racial justice. We’ve launched new content and pipeline initiatives that aim to inject equity into our hiring process, expanded access for emerging talent and supported creators and leaders who reflect the diversity of all our audiences. Our Employee Resource Groups have created the space for solidarity, healing and education in order to activate a broad range of anti-bias and anti-hate initiatives globally. And our divisional Inclusivity Councils are keeping our brands and businesses accountable to their diversity and inclusion goals – and strengthening our culture, where this work is everyone’s responsibility.
We will continue our work to advance DE&I and ensure it becomes even more integrated into our business and operations. And we’ll continue to show up and stand up for our people and communities to inspire meaningful and lasting change.
