As promised, WarnerMedia has published its internal diversity and inclusion data as part of its industry-first Production Diversity Policy.
In September 2018, the company — which comprises Warner Bros., HBO and Turner — announced its commitment to increasing the number of people from underrepresented backgrounds in its ranks and pledged accountability and transparency via an annual report on its progress.
The company is close to gender parity among employees, with a 53-47 percent male-female ratio in the U.S. and 54-46 worldwide. This proportion is fairly consistent at all levels, with women representing 43 percent of vice presidents and above and 50 percent of new hires and promotions.
WarnerMedia examined racial representation only among its U.S. workforce, where white people represent 61 percent of all employees and 80 percent of vice presidents and above. Approximately 13 percent of WarnerMedia employees are black, 11 percent are Latinx and 11 percent are Asian. More people of color were hired or promoted in 2018 (41 percent) than currently exist at the manager or executive level, signaling that those ranks will grow more inclusive over time.
Qualitatively, the company recognized its 28 employee affinity groups, which include Black Professionals @ Turner, HBO Alianza, Women of Warner U.K. and the military veteran-focused HBO Salute, which curate programming, networking and mentorship opportunities for its members.
The report also examined representation in its content, both onscreen and behind the scenes. Here, women lagged farther behind men, representing just 34 percent of actors in scripted television and 28 percent of those in film. Behind the camera, the numbers were lower — 23 percent and 24 percent, respectively. White actors were featured in 76 percent of roles in scripted TV and 84 percent of movie parts, while white crewmembers represented 77 percent and 80 percent of those mediums, respectively.
WarnerMedia’s report touted several case studies across the company as examples of inclusive triumphs in content creation and marketing, including Warner Bros.’ Crazy Rich Asians (despite a pay parity issue between its two screenwriters); HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness and Insecure; CNN’s on-air talent; TNT’s Claws; The CW’s Supergirl; HBO Latino’s Sr. Avila; Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe; and TBS’ Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.
“Diverse content is what connects both creatively and commercially with our audiences, and we know the only way we can put the best content out there is to not only have the most diverse and inclusive workforce, but to work with the most diverse and inclusive group of stakeholders,” WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey said in a video accompanying the report’s release. “We’re proud of the work we’re doing, and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we know we have much more to do.”
