The unveiling of the 2024 AIM/PAR Workplace Diversity Study highlights the annual Diversity Week of gatherings recognizing diversity and inclusion efforts within the media and entertainment industries. 

The week of events begins October 21 with the WICT Network Leadership Conference, followed by the October 22 NAMIC Conference and the October 23 Kaitz Dinner, now under the auspices of the NCTA Educational Foundation (formerly the Walter Kaitz Foundation).

WICT and NAMIC will once again team to offer the latest AIM/PAR Workplace Survey, a biennial report on the current state of ethnic and gender diversity within the media and entertainment industry. Industry executives hope the new survey will surpass the results from the 2022 report, which showed major gains for women in the workforce but a decline in the share of people of color employed compared to 2019. (The 2022 survey was delayed a year due to the pandemic.)

“It’s going to be fascinating to see how the industry fared in terms of women and people of color,” WICT Network president and CEO Maria E. Brennan said. “Depending on what kind of company you keep there’s either a stronger commitment than ever to diversity, or one that looks at DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) as some sort of entitlement program where it personifies the complete misunderstanding of what diversity and inclusion means for everyone across the board.”

NAMIC president Shuanise Washington also hopes this year’s survey will show an improvement. “Those companies who are absolutely committed to diversity see an ROI (return on investment) in terms of better outcomes and better business results, as well as positive work environments and work cultures in those companies,” she said. “Those efforts hopefully will continue to grow despite the tangential conversations that will be taking place to some degree.” 

WICT, NAMIC Set To Gather

The two-day WICT Network Leadership Conference & Touchstones Luncheon kicks off Diversity Week October 21 under the theme “Fuel­ing Your Power and Purpose,” and will focus on the leadership qualities and the importance of fostering an inclusive workforce culture.

The Touchstones Luncheon will honor its 2024 Women of the Year winners Amy Blair, Liberty Global chief people officer; Johnita Due, CNN Worldwide executive VP, integrity and inclusion; and Sandy Howe, ATX Networks board director. The organization will also honor three Women to Watch during the luncheon: Charter Communications head of operations, sales and marketing Julie Unruh; AMC Networks executive VP, linear and streaming products Courtney Thomasma; and Amazon Web Services Global director of solutions architecture for media & entertainment, games and sports Steph Lone. 

MSNBC president Rashida Jones is honorary chair of the NAMIC Conference, set for October 22-23. “We are honored to have Rashida Jones as this year’s honorary chair,” Washington said. “Her leadership and vision are transforming the media landscape, setting new standards for excellence and inclusion.”

Essence Ventures CEO Caroline Wanga will keynote NAMIC’s 38th annual conference. Washington said the conference’s theme, “Diverse Voices! Defining the Future …,” will focus not only on empowering diverse voices not only within the industry, but exploring potential partnerships with tangential companies.

“This year’s conference embodies a pivotal moment of change and progress as we navigate and shape the future of our industry together, ” Washington added. 

“Do Good. Be Better. Impact Tomorrow.” is the theme for the October 23 Kaitz Dinner diversity fundraising event. The dinner is the first since the Walter Kaitz Foundation was fully integrated into the NCTA Education Foundation in May. The NCTA Education Foundation is dedicated to leveraging the industry’s positive impact on communities, NCTA said. 

The NCTA Education Foundation will continue the former Kaitz Foundation’s grant-making programs and support for legacy industry organizations and efforts, according to NCTA. 

The Kaitz Dinner will honor two ChangeMakers “who have made a significant impact and resonance around diversity and inclusion in our industry over the last year,” said the organization. Comcast NBCUniversal is the Ambassador Sponsor, with Charter Communications the Champion Sponsor. 

Last year’s 40th anniversary Kaitz fundraising dinner raised more than $1.1 million toward the media and connectivity industry’s DEI efforts. 

The Walter Kaitz Foundation’s 35 Annual Kaitz Dinner in New York raised more than $1.4 million Wednesday night to help foster diversity programs throughout the cable industry.

The funds will go to help four organizations supported by Kaitz – The T. Howard Foundation, The Emma L. Bowen Foundation, The National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) -- serve as a catalyst to increase diversity in the workforce, in industry programs and in programming.

The dinner, held at the New York Marriott Marquis on Oct. 17, honored TV One as the 2018 Diversity Champion, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America as Diversity Advocate.

“We were determined to shake up the television landscape and we did,” TV One founder and CEO Alfred Liggins said in accepting the Diversity Champion award. “TV One has delivered a unique and authentic voice to African American viewers.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of America CEO Jim Clark said that the organization is a critical resource across the country, providing a safe, inclusive environment for young men and women.

“When you visit a Boys & Girls Club, you are likely to meet children from diverse backgrounds and circumstances,” Clark said. “…At Boys & Girls Clubs, we believe every kid has what it takes.”

NCTA-The Internet & Television Association CEO Michael Powell took that a step further, adding in his speech that in today’s era of identity politics and anti-intellectualism, it is more important than ever to ensure that diverse voices are heard.

“A commitment to multi-cultural democracy, integrated schools and a diverse workplace is not a social justice course at Yale or politically correct beliefs,” Powell said. “It is the only aspiration that embraces a vision of social government and the economy that includes all of us.”

And he stressed that it is up to businesses to lead the diversity charge.

“Anti-intellectualism is dangerous because it serves as a subtle sickle for cutting down the rising prospects of the poor, the middle class aspirations of blacks and Latinos, and the glass ceiling smashing goals of young girls,” Powell said. “This is why we desperately need corporate America to remain resolutely committed to multicultural work forces where merit still counts for not just something, for everything. We need business leaders who pride talent, skill and expertise and we need professional environments where facts remain arbiters of truth and where knowledge is celebrated.

“Many industries do fail at diversity, despite their self interest, but our industry is not one of them,” Powell continued. “We do not shrink from our commitment to diversity. Our industry recognizes that its own prosperity depends on inclusion and maybe more importantly, it fundamentally understands the future prospects of America depend on it as well.”

Kaitz Foundation executive director Michelle Ray praised her predecessor David Porter as well as other diversity-focused organizations like NAMIC and WICT, for moving diversity initiatives forward across the industry

“We’re really here because diversity maters,” Way said. “It has mattered for the last 35 years and it will always matter. The evidence of this is reflected back in the faces and the stories of those whose lives and careers have been impacted by the industry’s unwavering commitment to these ideals.”

The Dinner was co-chaired by Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson and AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan.  The next dinner will be held on Sept. 18, 2019.

Wednesday’s 33rd Annual Walter Kaitz Foundation dinner raised nearly $1.7 million as the pay TV industry honored A+E Networks and the National Association of Independent Latino Producers (NALIP) for their efforts to foster diversity, NCTA said today. Money raised by the Kaitz dinner supports the Emma L. Bowen Foundation, the National Association of Multi-ethnicity in Communications and Women in Cable Telecommunications.  

A+E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc accepted the Diversity Champion award for the programmer’s efforts to promote women and minorities in leadership roles. The programmer, which includes networks like History Channel, Viceland and Lifetime, has used its influence – it reaches 330 million TV watchers worldwide and 500 million digital users – to touch on topics like racial diversity and sexuality. History’s remake of Roots was a success this year and brought the groundbreaking story of slavery and individuality to a whole new generation. At Viceland, programs like travel documentary Gaycation explore sexual orientation and the cultural dynamics of foreign LGBTQ communities.  

NALIP executive director Axel Caballero accepted the Diversity Advocate award for the organization, which was formed 17 years ago to advance the professional interests of Latino content creators.

Under Caballero, who joined NALIP three years ago, the organization has expanded its outreach by creating “incubators,” a series of initiatives that allow Latino content creators to gather together, share their best work, network and receive training that take their careers to the next level. Combined with NALIP’s array of mentorship programs, media summits and showcases which bring together key players in the cable, media and entertainment worlds, the organization has expanded the meaning of what being a producer means.

The dinner, held at the New York Marriott Marquis (the theme was Inclusion. Impact. Inspiration) on Sept. 21, was hosted by CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield. The dinner committee was headed by Turner Broadcasting System chairman and CEO John Martin and Charter Communications chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge.