WEBVTT - Amazon’s Inclusion Playbook: One Year Later, What Has Changed? 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:12.600 Welcome to Strictly Business Varieties, weekly podcasts featuring conversations with 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:16.560 industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment. I'm 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:20.560 Cynthia Littleton, co editor in chief of Variety Today. My 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:24.599 guest is Latasha Gillespie. Gillespie has head of Global Diversity, 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:29.040 Equity and Inclusion for Amazon's Prime Video, Amazon Studios, and 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:33.320 IMDb units. Gillespie is a major player in setting d 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:36.440 E and I policy for one of the world's largest corporations. 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:39.680 This time last year, she led the launch of its 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:43.800 inclusion policy playbook, with content production guidelines that go right 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:46.120 to the heart of the creative work done at Prime 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:50.400 Video and Amazon Studios. It was a significant statement about 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:54.520 d E and I expectations. One year in, Gillespie says 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:58.320 there is measurable progress in hiring, especially in low profile 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:02.600 areas like transportation and support services. The policy playbook is 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:06.399 open to all to view online. That's important, Gillespie says, 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:10.240 to ensure access to the playbooks large and growing database 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:14.679 of BIPOC owned businesses, vendors, and creative talent above and 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:19.000 below the line. Gillespie has had a few frank conversations 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:22.240 with producers as the company formalized. It's the E and 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:26.640 I procedures around content for a company that prides itself 0:01:26.720 --> 0:01:31.720 on being customer obsessed. As Gillespie explains, it's crucial that 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:35.840 the people behind Amazon shows have the right lived experience 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:39.640 to tell the stories that they do. Overall, she's been 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:42.560 impressed at how many people she's encountered are committed to 0:01:42.680 --> 0:01:47.480 meaningful progress. Gillespie also shares her impressions about the entertainment 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:50.600 business in general from the vantage point of a very 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:55.040 different business. The Chicago native joined Amazon's corporate ranks in 0:01:56.360 --> 0:02:00.120 after a long career with machinery and equipment manufacturer at 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:11.440 a Pillar. That's all coming up after this break, and 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:17.680 we're back with Amazon's Latasha Gillespie. Latasha Gillespie, head of 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:22.360 Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Prime Video, Amazon Studios, 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:25.440 and IMDb, thank you so much for joining us today. 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:28.480 Thank you, Cynthia for having me. It's a pleasure to 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:30.920 be here. I'm glad that we have the chance to 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:33.720 talk today because right about now we're at the end 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:37.640 of May. Here, it has been just one year since 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:41.680 Amazon unveiled it's very expansive what it calls its inclusive, 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:46.520 what it calls its Inclusion Policy Playbook, and it was 0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:52.799 a very thoughtful, very comprehensive series of guidelines and objectives 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:56.919 to guide what every company and entertainment, what every content 0:02:56.960 --> 0:02:59.840 company on the planet has been dealing with is making 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:04.600 sure that content looks like the audience it serves. And 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:08.720 that can't be done without bringing in way opening up 0:03:08.760 --> 0:03:12.919 more pipelines, bringing in way more diversity of perspectives, backgrounds 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.720 at all levels of the industry and as a lot 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:17.720 of people, a lot of companies were grappling with this 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:20.040 in the last couple of years. Amazon really put some 0:03:20.120 --> 0:03:24.160 things down in black and white on paper. It's the 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:26.000 and we you know, we have covered that. We covered 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:29.200 that extensively. At the time it's been one year. Tell 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:32.040 us what some of the biggest takeaways from this process 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:34.359 have been in the short time that it's that it's 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:39.200 that you've really been formalizing it. You know, I appreciate 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:43.160 the question, because we have had some really interesting learnings 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:46.360 in this first year. Um, you know, we expected, of 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:49.640 course that we would see some uptick um, but we 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:51.880 knew we weren't going to solve all the problems in 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:55.800 one year. I think we've been pleasantly surprised with what 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:59.000 you can do with intentionality and and just by really 0:03:59.040 --> 0:04:02.760 being focused in giving people resources. I think is it 0:04:02.880 --> 0:04:06.600 s exceeded our expectation for year one. The second thing 0:04:06.640 --> 0:04:12.400 I think that we've learned, which was also a pleasant surprise, is, UM, 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:15.640 you know how much diversity we have below the line, 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:20.560 particularly people with disabilities, UH, the lgbt Q community. I 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:24.760 don't know that that community below the line community if 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:29.080 if that's been captured UM in a way that really 0:04:29.120 --> 0:04:33.920 gives uh insight into the breath and depth of diversity 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:37.719 that's happening below the line. And and I'm so pleased 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:42.200 to see how many people from those communities are actually 0:04:42.200 --> 0:04:44.920 working on our sets every day, and like it's it's 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:48.599 so encouraging, UM and I'm so excited about that. But 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:53.360 it's also making it smarter because we're thinking through things differently, 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:57.640 specifically around accessibility. Right, how do you make sure that 0:04:57.920 --> 0:05:01.920 everyone has the necessary avery tools to be productive in 0:05:01.960 --> 0:05:05.120 their role every day? And there's so many disabilities that 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:08.880 are unseen that you shouldn't assume someone doesn't have it. 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:11.320 And if you think about the impact COVID has had 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:14.800 and people with long haul COVID like, I think we're 0:05:14.800 --> 0:05:16.800 going to see an increase in that over the next 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:19.640 couple of years, and how we think through accessibility and 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:24.400 productivity tools for people with hidden disabilities. We see the 0:05:24.480 --> 0:05:28.560 stats every year when the guilds and industry institutions put 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:32.960 out their diversity numbers, and it's still staggering, and we 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:35.240 know that a lot of it is a pipeline, the 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:38.840 pipeline to opportunity. The talent is there, but the pipeline. 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:41.839 What have you done things? Have you taken steps to 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:45.240 open those pipelines to bring more people into the mix, 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:47.800 to even be considered for those below the line roles, 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:51.840 the the very junior rung roles, the executive roles, all 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:55.159 all of the support systems. Have you taken steps to 0:05:55.320 --> 0:06:00.000 bring just to open that pipeline. Absolutely, And I think 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:02.159 the one thing when I hear the word pipeline, I 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:07.080 think people automatically think, um, you know, training programs and 0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:11.360 apprenticeships which are super important and relevant and we all 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:14.680 should be engaged in doing those. But then there's also, 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:17.480 you know, the shorter ramp pipeline. There are a lot 0:06:17.520 --> 0:06:20.680 of talented and trained people in the world today that 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:24.479 just don't have access and exposure to our industry. UM. 0:06:24.760 --> 0:06:28.120 You think about simple things like you know someone to 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:30.680 lead transportation on is said to be the head of transportation. 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:33.960 How often are we going into local communities and looking 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:40.000 for our entrepreneurs have chauffeur companies right or car service 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:43.440 companies and and helping them understand how to get into 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:45.760 our business. So I think there's when we talk about 0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:50.120 pipelines for us, it's about long term for sure, like 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:53.800 Howard Entertainment, which is my pipeline program and its third year, 0:06:53.880 --> 0:06:57.320 where we are training HBCU students to be studio executives 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:01.360 UM so that they understand the power of you know, 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:05.360 the green light power from a creative development standpoint, from 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:09.760 a marketing standpoint, a pr standpoint, finance standpoint, a legal standpoint, 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:13.480 like helping them understand how you green light projects, how 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:17.440 you separate them through development to execution UM and making 0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:22.040 sure that you do it in in an authentic way. Right. 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:25.000 But then there's shorter pipelines that were also working with 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:29.760 with around identifying talented writers who we think have an 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.000 amazing voice and they don't need to go through a 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:35.760 diversity program, they just need to be high right. We 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:38.320 are seeing. I'm seeing in in in a lot of 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:41.680 industry sectors, a lot of programs that a lot have 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:46.280 been identified that filmmakers, for example, that you can sometimes 0:07:46.440 --> 0:07:48.800 get a lot of heat on that first film. You 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:51.680 do everything, you max your credit cards, you make that 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:55.760 first film, you get a festival splash, and you you 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:58.640 get that first wrong. But then your second film is 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:02.320 just you just the phone doesn't ring, and you know 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:06.239 every door is a no and you can't you know, 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:08.640 every story is different, but when you look at the 0:08:08.680 --> 0:08:12.000 sweep of things, there's a consistency as to who gets 0:08:12.040 --> 0:08:15.800 that second chance, that that that that boost from the 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:18.240 first movie gets you the second movie, and who and 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:21.480 who is still struggling to get attention even after a 0:08:21.520 --> 0:08:24.160 buzzy first movie. And so I've seen, I've seen a 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:26.480 lot of things that are that are meant for that, 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:31.760 you know, professional or even mid career professional. Have you 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:34.320 how do you do that kind of stuff, especially when 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:38.439 you mentioned vendors, that's another huge opportunity, vendors for everything 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:43.360 from you know, this industry needs literally everything from elephants, elephants, 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:47.520 you know, trained elephants, to lumber to water bottles. How 0:08:47.520 --> 0:08:50.120 do you do that? Kind of stuff with intention and 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:54.280 make sure that your vendors are represent diversity. Yeah, and 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:56.920 that's the purpose of the playbooks. So the policy you know, 0:08:57.040 --> 0:08:59.960 really articulates. You know, here's what we based on the 0:09:00.040 --> 0:09:02.000 you know that's available to us in terms of market 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:06.760 availability and you know, roles on television and film sets 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:09.160 um either above the line or below the line. Here's 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:11.720 what we think good looks like right here here the 0:09:11.720 --> 0:09:14.000 ways in which we think we should be intentional about 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:18.959 not causing harm through harmful stereotypes and tropes and right, 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:21.640 So we talk about that in the policy, what good 0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:24.520 looks like. But the playbook is meant to be a living, 0:09:24.640 --> 0:09:28.520 breathing resource, so that as you're trying to accomplish the 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:33.240 very um specific aspects of the policy, you have a 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:36.880 resource in the playbook that helps walk you through how 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:39.320 do I do that intentionally? How do I do that 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:42.800 without creating harm? You know what vendors and partners are 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:44.720 out there that I can tap into if I don't 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:47.360 know how to do this particular thing. Yes, I agree, 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:49.480 I should be hitting this number or I should be 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:52.240 doing this thing on my on my show or my film, 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:54.280 but I don't know where to get started. So the 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:57.400 playbook is meant to codify some of those resources, um 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:00.000 and help people with that. And it's one of the reasons, 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:02.240 you know, people were surprised that we put it up 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:05.240 on the website, you know, with no restrictions. So we 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:07.360 put it out there. You don't have to put your 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:10.600 email address into downloaded or anything like that. And the 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:14.240 reason why we did that was because we understand that 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:18.360 we one, we don't have all the answers right too. 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:21.360 You know, we're not saying, you know that we're the 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:23.679 we don't ever get it wrong and we're the best 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:26.400 at it. Like, no, we made it public because it's 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:30.320 a it's a mechanism to hold ourselves accountable. And then three, 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:35.160 we're asking not only our creative partners, but our industry, 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:37.280 you know, like hold hands and do this with us. 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:39.440 And oh yes, by the way, if you find a 0:10:39.480 --> 0:10:42.600 better way of doing you know, any aspect of this 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:44.880 policy or playbook, will you please share it back with 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:47.640 us so that we can continually update it, you know, 0:10:47.679 --> 0:10:50.559 and we all can benefit from the learning. And so 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:53.200 you know, that's one way in which we're trying to 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:56.920 to do this and just by making it open, you know, 0:10:57.280 --> 0:10:59.200 and not just open but hopefully a little bit open 0:10:59.240 --> 0:11:03.080 source open source. And just to be clear, the playbook 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:08.280 is is a true database with like individual company listings. 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:11.160 This company provides this service. This is a black owned company, 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:13.680 this is a woman owned company. This is a and 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:17.360 that is available Scott free, no email at, no emails 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:19.719 or anything at at. Can you give the u r 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:23.000 L where that is available? Absolutely, Both the policy and 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:27.120 the playbook can be found at d e I. So 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:30.760 it's Diversity Equity Inclusion d e I dot Amazon Studios 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:36.719 dot com. Great, And that is and hasn't grown. I 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:39.720 would imagine that that database probably has grown significantly in 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.520 the years since you've put it up. It has and 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:46.200 and what's really exciting too is UM we launched this 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:49.640 as a u S policy for wholly owned UM productions 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.520 that we were doing, but our co pros are now 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:56.319 you know, taking advantage of it and and following it 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:59.000 as well and trying to hit you know, the goals 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:02.680 and the policy, which super excited about. Our international locations. 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:06.600 UM have started adapting and adapting it locally. So that's 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:08.840 gonna be a big push for us next year to 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:11.800 to localize the policy and playbook in different regions around 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:15.480 the world. Um, and they you know, shared that like, hey, 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:17.800 I took what you did and then this is what 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:20.199 I learned, and so then I created this other thing 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:23.120 to make it even more robust. Here added to the 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:24.839 to the playbook if you want. And I'm like, oh 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:28.040 my god, this is amazing. And so we're not just 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:31.800 learning from our industry pears, we're learning from from all 0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:35.280 of our colleagues around the world. Do you have any 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:39.559 anecdotal sense from some of these individual companies that now 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:42.360 have been listed on on this document, in this data base, 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:45.160 if you heard any stories of of you know, what 0:12:45.200 --> 0:12:46.959 it's been like to have people have the phone ringing. 0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:50.520 Now you know, there was there's a Latino woman who 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:54.520 owns a transportation company, and um, you know, she had 0:12:54.559 --> 0:12:58.800 expressed to our production team that typically she had only 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:03.760 been called to be a driver. But she was so 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.839 happy to say that She's like, you guys continue hiring 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:10.280 me to be head of transportation. Which is great because 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:13.000 she owns her own business, she has her own fleet apart, 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:16.199 she has her own drivers. Right. And so now that 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:18.679 we have said, you know, we want at least at 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:21.559 least of our department heads to be women of color, 0:13:22.040 --> 0:13:26.400 like she's getting those calls now, which is so great 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:29.040 because it's not Yeah, she can drive, but but she 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:33.720 also provides jobs and opportunities for other people in her community. 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:39.600 It's a ripple effect. Let me ask you, is it 0:13:39.679 --> 0:13:44.200 hasn't been hard at all? You know, production producers, showrunners 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:46.720 can be It's a very intense job. There's you know, 0:13:46.720 --> 0:13:50.760 it's a very specialized job. Have you had any resistance 0:13:50.840 --> 0:13:54.560 or any hurdles on the purely creative side in the 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:59.520 hiring of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers that those that kind 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:03.680 of in the kind of that purely creative field. Our 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:07.680 creative partners have been, you know, great allies and co 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:11.719 conspirators in this work. So that's that's that's a great thing. 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:14.600 I haven't run into anyone who who says, I don't 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:17.120 think this is right, we shouldn't be doing this, you know, 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:20.320 I don't want any parts of it. However, the devil 0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:22.840 is in the nuance and the details, right, So I 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:27.920 have run into creators who had good intentions right of 0:14:28.040 --> 0:14:33.160 telling a story a certain way without fully understanding the 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:37.640 harm that they could have potentially been doing. Without understanding 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:40.960 the harm that they could potentially be causing based on 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:44.200 the way they wrote the story or the particular character. 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:48.960 And so you know, a creation is someone's baby, right, 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:54.040 so you never call someone's baby ugly. You do have 0:14:54.120 --> 0:14:57.880 to help them understand that. Listen, I understand your intention 0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:01.160 because we all measure ourselves by our attend but others 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:04.280 measure us by our impact. And so if you're gonna 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:08.080 tell this story, and you're gonna tell this particular character art, 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:10.440 we have to make sure we get it right. So 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:13.520 if you're gonna tell a trans story, then you should 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:16.200 either have that lived experience or somebody in your writer's 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:19.040 room needs to have it. If you're gonna tell a 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:22.920 specific story centering a woman of color, then there needs 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:26.520 to be women of color in your producing team and 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:29.560 then your writing team. Right. You need to make sure 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:33.320 that story is coming across authentically in a way that 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:37.240 centers the story you're trying to tell the character, uh, 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:39.240 and not from a point of view that doesn't have 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:42.440 that authenticity, And so you could be doing more harm 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:45.640 than good that way. So I appreciate the attention of 0:15:45.680 --> 0:15:47.800 wanting to center those communities, but you have to do 0:15:47.840 --> 0:15:50.320 it right so that they come out as fully nuanced 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:55.640 characters and not caricatures, right, and so giving people that 0:15:55.720 --> 0:16:01.160 hard feedback sometimes hasn't been easy. Um. And you know, 0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:04.920 because no one wants to No one starts off with 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:07.440 bad intentions and no and no one wants to do 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:10.760 harm or thinks that they're doing harm. Uh. And they 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.680 definitely don't want to be a scene as someone who 0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:18.080 um is not inclusive, right, And so there's this fear 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:20.000 that because they didn't get it right, they're gonna be 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:22.360 perceived that way. And and and my team is here 0:16:22.600 --> 0:16:24.360 to support you. We don't want you to be seen 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:28.040 that way either, which is why we're here to help you. Latasha, 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:30.080 I can tell you you definitely know how to talk 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:33.640 to writers, because you're absolutely right. Everybody every the words 0:16:34.080 --> 0:16:36.360 that every writer wants to hear. The first words out 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:39.160 of anybody's mouth after reading a script is great script. 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:41.760 So I think, I think you've got it, but I 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:44.360 can but I can absolutely see where that is. You know, 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:47.480 that's where the you said, the nuances and the details, 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:49.680 and that is where the hard work. And I'm just thinking, 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:52.800 like it is so significant that accompany the size and 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:57.400 scale of Amazon is investing in this at that granular 0:16:57.480 --> 0:17:02.840 level of transportation heads. It's really it's significant. Are there 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:05.360 any in the in the things that you do? Obviously 0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:08.200 the voice that that you can speak with corporately is immense, 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:11.480 but is there any aspects of Amazon And it's incredible 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:16.000 you know, data gathering and analyzing capability that helps you 0:17:16.080 --> 0:17:21.880 in this work. Sure, um. And I'll say this, um, 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:26.520 the success of our ability to get this granular um 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:32.159 comes from one Jennifer Saki has been intentional in word 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:37.720 and action from day one the president of Amazon Studios. Yeah. Yes, uh, 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:41.040 and she she has been amazing in terms of not 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:44.000 just what she says, but what she does, and that 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:45.680 has been a pleasure to work for her. So I 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:48.920 think leadership matters. And then the second thing is my colleagues. 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:51.680 I work with a group of people who are who 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:54.680 we report up to Jennifer, who are just stop full 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:57.440 incredible leaders. People like Tim Claussen, who is the head 0:17:57.440 --> 0:18:01.080 of worldwide production and an extremely busy the man, especially 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:03.919 when you're trying to do productions around the world during COVID, 0:18:04.359 --> 0:18:06.600 who is one of who has been one of my 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:10.439 professors from the beginning in my Howard Entertainment program, Like 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:14.760 he teaches Howard students every semester on the fundamentals of production, 0:18:15.040 --> 0:18:19.400 like like, this is incredible, right, So it's not surprising 0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:21.359 that we can get down to that level of detail 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:23.440 when you have those kind of leaders and the data 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:27.200 piece is so critical, and I love that. Um there's 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:31.199 two things about Amazon that make my job better or 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:35.159 or somewhat easier is that one, we we absolutely are 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:41.720 data driven company. And then to um, we are customer obsessed. Right. 0:18:42.280 --> 0:18:45.240 So for me, in in creating this inclusion policy and 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:47.560 playbook and and the work that my team does in general, 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:51.800 we started from the perspective of how are we equitably 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:56.640 obsessing over customers? Right? So it's not about you know, 0:18:57.119 --> 0:19:00.240 whether or not you know we think one particular show 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:02.120 is good or bad, but it's asking ourselves, are we 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:05.919 equitably obsessing over all customers in a way where they 0:19:05.920 --> 0:19:09.440 see their lived experience portrayed in an authentic way and 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:12.960 or they get a window into someone else's um lived 0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:16.240 experience right through our through our content. And so that 0:19:16.320 --> 0:19:22.359 customer obsession helps us frame it around um it. The 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:25.320 customer obsession helps us frame it in a language that 0:19:25.400 --> 0:19:28.280 we have all bought into because customer obsession is our 0:19:28.359 --> 0:19:31.920 number one leadership principle. So everyone understands that there's there's 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:34.199 no debate. It's not a more moral issue. It's not 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:36.640 a right or wrong thing issue. It's a well, if 0:19:36.680 --> 0:19:39.000 you come to work for Amazon, you've signed up to 0:19:39.080 --> 0:19:42.320 be customer obsessed, and so that helps. And then the 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:44.040 second problem with the data then is we use the 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:47.760 data to help us understand are we being customer obsessed? 0:19:47.760 --> 0:19:50.600 Like you look at the numbers, like is it showing up? 0:19:51.119 --> 0:19:54.480 Are we putting out enough content that's appealing to historically 0:19:54.520 --> 0:19:59.320 marginalized communities? Who are we empowering to tell those stories 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:03.520 of historically marginalized communities, because I think that's also very important, 0:20:04.080 --> 0:20:06.560 um right? And then who are we getting to work 0:20:06.640 --> 0:20:08.920 on those stories, whether it's above the line or below 0:20:08.960 --> 0:20:11.679 the line, to make those stories come to life? And 0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:15.680 so the data, you know, we men, men live, women live, 0:20:15.920 --> 0:20:20.600 data doesn't and are you able to see you know, 0:20:20.720 --> 0:20:24.040 if you if you make gains in an area of 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:27.600 you know, representation or a different kind of storytelling, can 0:20:27.640 --> 0:20:31.239 you see does the data follow the content? Can you 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:34.760 see an audience come to a show that that represents 0:20:34.760 --> 0:20:38.119 people that maybe weren't as circulating on the Amazon on 0:20:38.200 --> 0:20:41.399 the Prime platform as they were before. Yeah, we do 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:43.560 have data that tells us when people come to the 0:20:43.600 --> 0:20:46.359 service for a show. We also have data that tells 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:49.359 us like if people finish the show right and so 0:20:49.560 --> 0:20:51.520 you know, and and those kind of things are super 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:55.720 and helpful because what we're finding is when the content 0:20:56.000 --> 0:21:01.000 is very good and specific and authentic, it resonates far 0:21:01.040 --> 0:21:04.320 beyond that community. Marvelous Mrs Maisel is a very good 0:21:04.320 --> 0:21:08.000 example of that very Jewish show that a whole lot 0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:12.000 of people love and bene who are not Jewish, so right, 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:14.760 but everybody can kind of see their own family in 0:21:14.800 --> 0:21:17.439 her story or see their struggle to break out and 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:20.280 follow their dreams in her story. And I think the 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:23.879 more that we lean into that authenticity, the more you 0:21:23.960 --> 0:21:28.720 see it resonate with global audiences. And I do mean 0:21:28.760 --> 0:21:31.560 global because I think some of our best shows are 0:21:31.600 --> 0:21:34.160 shows that that weren't even created in the US. Right, 0:21:34.359 --> 0:21:36.439 we have some great shows coming out of India like 0:21:36.880 --> 0:21:40.520 Made in Heaven and Padda Loock that are doing extremely well. 0:21:40.560 --> 0:21:44.320 September Mornings, which is a black trans woman's story, but 0:21:44.359 --> 0:21:47.680 it's actually not about her being a black trans woman. 0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:50.720 It's about she finds out she has a kid who's 0:21:50.760 --> 0:21:54.040 ten years old that she never knew existed, that she 0:21:54.200 --> 0:21:58.119 fathered before her transition, right, and so like, it's just 0:21:58.200 --> 0:22:01.679 a compelling story that people, you know, get hooked on 0:22:01.720 --> 0:22:05.120 and bite watch. And so I think it's it's those 0:22:05.200 --> 0:22:08.240 kind of things that actually, you know, make you so 0:22:08.320 --> 0:22:11.680 excited about how how that content is resonating with people 0:22:11.720 --> 0:22:17.880 around the world. Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back 0:22:17.920 --> 0:22:21.280 with more insights from Amazon's D E and I playbook 0:22:21.359 --> 0:22:32.480 after this break, and we're back with more from Amazon 0:22:32.560 --> 0:22:38.320 executive Latasha Gillespie. Where do you think the sort of 0:22:38.600 --> 0:22:43.760 biggest opportunities and biggest need to advance the industry's larger 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:46.200 d E and I goals? Where do you think where 0:22:46.200 --> 0:22:51.600 are the biggest sort of roadblocks for advancement and greater diversity? 0:22:51.600 --> 0:22:53.320 Do you think is is it in production? Is it 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:55.080 in the executive side? Do you have a Do you 0:22:55.119 --> 0:22:57.199 have a sense after you know, spending a lot of 0:22:57.280 --> 0:23:00.080 the last four or five years really digging into to 0:23:00.119 --> 0:23:04.240 this for Amazon, Yeah, I do. I think, Um, I 0:23:04.240 --> 0:23:06.199 probably think the two things that stick out to me 0:23:06.320 --> 0:23:10.439 most are definitely executives, which is one reason why the 0:23:10.480 --> 0:23:14.080 Howard Entertainment Program was so important to us because there's 0:23:14.119 --> 0:23:16.400 a lot of talent, you know, that has come out 0:23:16.400 --> 0:23:20.479 of Howard University, specifically, whether it's Chadwick Boseman, you know, 0:23:20.720 --> 0:23:24.360 Felicioper Shod, Debbie Allen's roj p Henson did he like, 0:23:24.520 --> 0:23:26.280 there's been a lot of talent that's come out of 0:23:26.320 --> 0:23:30.720 that university. Um, but there's not always people in the 0:23:30.840 --> 0:23:33.080 room when you come to pitch. There's not always people 0:23:33.080 --> 0:23:36.520 in the room who who have your lived experience or 0:23:36.560 --> 0:23:40.000 a different lived experience to help understand whether a particular 0:23:40.040 --> 0:23:42.760