Amazon Studios’ Head of Diversity: Inclusion Playbook Boosts the Bottom Line and Appeals to Broader Audiences

thewrap.com:

inclusion playbook in June of 2021. Since then, the streamer launched its biggest, most expensive series, “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which was met with great acclaim and, sadly, with social media furor over the epic fantasy series’ diverse casting.

And body-positive reality show “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” was nominated for six Emmys, winning three, including one for Outstanding Competition Program and one for director Nneka Onuorah.Gillespie recently spoke to TheWrap about how she and her team, and various creatives like Viola Davis and “One Day at a Time” co-creator Gloria Calderón Kellett, came up with the playbook, how’s it’s been implemented, and how embracing diversity in front of and behind the camera benefits Amazon’s bottom line, even if a certain segment of the population is actively trying to shout it down. “I don’t do diversity work for the sake of diversity,” said Gillespie.

I understand the business aspect of this. At the end of the day, no matter what industry you’re in, you have KPIs or business metrics that you are accountable to, that your company is accountable to – either its board or its shareholders or whoever else, its customers.