Britta Wilson, who in 2016 was named Pixar’s vice president and inclusion strategist, on Sunday presented a short tutorial at NAB show in Las Vegas about identifying bias in the workplace, while asserting that “at Pixar, there’s great desire to create an inclusive environment.”
She continued, “But we don’t know what we don’t know. We started by creating awareness of that type of environment. We are trying. We are not there yet … but we are certainly very excited about that.”
Wilson added that bias, as well as fear, are the biggest obstacles toward more diversity and inclusion in the workplace, both in and outside of Hollywood.
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Underscoring this message, the exec reported that findings suggest five percent of employers are making hiring decisions within the first minute of a job interview, 30 percent in the first five minutes and 52 percent within five to 15 minutes.
“Inclusion in hiring practices starts before you start hiring,” Wilson asserted. “It starts with creating an inclusive workplace. It starts at the top. Those are the seeds that companies need to be planting.”
During the recent awards season, which saw Pixar’s Coco win the Oscar for best animated feature, Coco helmer Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson (who recently departed the studio) also talked about diversity and inclusion as a studio priority.
During her presentation, Wilson made no mention of Pixar’s recent headlines. Last fall, Pixar’s chief creative office John Lasseter took a leave of absence from the company, citing “missteps” amid allegations of misconduct.
Also, Rashida Jones, a writer on Toy Story 4 who left the project, said the studio fosters “a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice.”
Wilson’s session was held as part of the National Association of Broadcasters’ Future of Cinema conference track.
