At Innovative Artists, we aim to achieve and uphold a community that fosters diversity, equity and inclusion. We strive to maintain an environment in which everyone in a protected class is safe including but not limited to race, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, genetics, disability, veteran status or age. We believe we are responsible to our family of employees, clients and industry partners to continually educate ourselves and others about bias and equality in the workplace and beyond. As allies, we strive to uplift the voices of those who have been muted and marginalized and provide equal opportunities to all.
Through a variety of programs and initiatives, we provide a platform for education, discussion, dialogue, and action. Utilizing speakers, consultants, and leaders in the field, we strive to maximize our ability to work together respectfully and inclusively and on behalf of our clients in a way which emphasizes fairness and equity.
Our DEI Exchange affords us a quarterly forum in which historic and topical materials are shared for the purpose of reading, viewing, and listening to the issues which challenge us to stay true to our resolve of understanding and improving our relationships and our workplace.
DEI Exchange 1st Quarter 2025
In response to the recent crisis in Los Angeles and the influx of staff seeking ways to volunteer, we will be bringing back our Innovative Volunteerism Program. The Volunteerism Program is an initiative that highlights our ongoing commitment to social responsibility and our mission to positively impact the communities around us.
As part of this program, we are excited to offer all employees four (4) hours of volunteer-related leave. We encourage our LA team to utilize this time to help support a non-profit or community organization working with the LA Fire recovery efforts and our NY team are encouraged to support a non profit or community organization close to their hearts.
DEI Exchange 4th Quarter 2024
In our final quarter of the year, the DEI Exchange focused on the upcoming 2024 elections in November. This READ WATCH HEAR includes strategies for effectively navigating local and state propositions while also examining the motivations and methodologies behind our voting practices. Reminder if you have not already, please ensure you have registered to VOTE!
READ
Elections and Voting
The White House
Ballotpedia
BALLOTPEDIA
History of Voting by Mail
National Postal Museum
Voting Rights Act: Major Dates in History
ACLU
WATCH
How does the U.S Presidential Election work? – Explained in 10 Minutes
Knowledgia
Current Events
C-SPAN
A crash course in making political change
TED
How to understand power
TED
HEAR
The Run Up
NYT
BALLOTPEDIA
Spotify Podcast
America’s Constitution: Akhil Reed Amar
Apple Podcast
2024 Voter Registration
If you have not already, please ensure you are registered to vote!
The State of California – Voter Registration deadline is October 21, 2024
CA Register Here
The State of New York- Voter Registration deadline is October 26, 2024
NY Register Here
Voter Registration information for ANY STATE
Any State Register Here
DEI Exchange 3rd Quarter 2024
For Q3, the DEI Exchange will focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as it relates to mental health. This exploration will look into how different aspects of identity—such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and disability influence individuals’ mental health experiences.
READ
Admitting the heterogeneity of social inequalities: intersectionality as a (self-)critical framework and tool within mental health
National Library of Medicine
Can the legacy of trauma be passed down the generations?
BBC
WATCH
There’s no shame in taking care of your mental health
TED
Mental health for all by involving all
TED
HEAR
Crying, Relationships, and Therapy: A Man’s Journey to Healing with Anthony Ramos
The Man Enough Podcast
A Call To Action For Men: Abortion and the Fight for Women’s Rights with Giacomo Gianniotti
The Man Enough Podcast
DEI Council June Events
LOS ANGELES
Meet up in WEHO for the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 2nd
WEHO Pride
Juneteenth Celebration at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday, June 19th
Hollywood Bowl
NEW YORK
Juneteenth Celebration at Carnegie Hall
Healing of the Nations Foundation
Meet up in NY for the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 30th
NY Pride
DEI Exchange 2nd Quarter 2024
The Homemade Heritage Feast
The Homemade Heritage Feast will be a potluck lunch where you can bring a dish/ beverage/ snack from your culture or heritage to share with everyone!
Innovative Volunteerism Program
In participation with National Volunteer Month in April, the Innovative Volunteerism Program grants all employees 4 hours of volunteer-related leave to be utilized during the month of April. Employees can volunteer at any organization of their choosing, whether it be one you’ve supported before or a new cause you’re passionate about. #innovativeforgood
DEI Exchange 1st Quarter 2024
The DEI Exchange Presents a Q & A with Marissa Jo Cerar!
DEI Exchange November 2023
As we draw this year of DEI Exchange meetings to a close, we cannot help but reflect on the stark realities of the world around us. Additionally, it’s disheartening to observe the rising instances of Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in our own communities and all across America. In our final post, we will shift our focus to a topic that has had a profound impact on society and greatly magnified global bigotry: social media. We’ll explore strategies for coping with the challenges presented by the digital landscape, emphasizing how to engage in constructive ways while managing the pitfalls.
READ
Using Social Media in Positive Ways
eSafety Commissioner
To Mute or Unfollow? Experts’ Tips for a Mindful Approach to Social Media
The New York Times
Your internet life needs a Feeds Reboot — here’s how to do it
The Verge
WATCH
How To Meditate For Beginners
Mitch Manly
Train for any argument with Harvard’s former debate coach | Bo Seo
Big Think
How to be happier in 5 steps with zero weird tricks | Laurie Santos
Big Think
HEAR
How to handle the ups and downs of social media (with Aparna Nancherla)
How to be a Better Human || TED
8 Ways to deal with Negativity: News, social media, people and reduce stress in your life
Jay Shetty
DEI Exchange October 2023
READ
What is Health Equity?
CDC
Is our healthcare system broken?
Harvard Health
Implicit Bias and Its Impact on Palliative Care
CAPC
WATCH
Bias In Medicine: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
HBO
Anatomy of Healthcare | The U.S. Healthcare System Explained
Med School Insiders
Hospital Greed Is Destroying Our Nurses. Here’s Why.
NYT Opinion
Health care: America vs. the World
PBS NewsHour
HEAR
Not someone else’s problem: Advocacy on gender inequity in healthcare
CODA
How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare
Freakonomics Radio
DEI Exchange September 2023
For Hispanic Heritage Month, the DEI Exchange will be hosting a panel with agent Melisa Spamer and our clients Robin de Jesus & Francisco Ramos to talk about their personal journey and experience in the entertainment industry.
DEI Exchange August 2023
READ
The Six-Sector Solution to the Climate Crisis
UN Environmental Program
UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner: Climate Change
UN Information Materials
Los Angeles: Here are a few resources to help you plan your commute to and from work to help lessen your environmental impact of driving alone.
CommuteSM
METRO Trip Planner
WATCH
The fastest way to slow climate change now | Ilissa Ocko
TED Countdown
What One Person Can Do About Climate Change | Ella Lagé
TEDxHamburg
How to Find Joy in Climate Action | Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
TED
HEAR
Climate Change goes to Court
What Next
Minneapolis’ Bold Plan To Tackle Racial Inequity And Climate Change
Short Wave
Why are Women more Affected by Climate Change?
The Climate Question
DEI Exchange July 2023
For July the DEI Exchange will be hosting our very own Debbie Haeusler and Gary Gersh who will be speaking to us about unions within the industry and the WGA/ SAG strike.
DEI Exchange June 2023
For June the DEI Council will be hosting meet up events and providing reimbursements towards supporting business in the community that align with this months celebrations.
Event Suggestions For Your Consideration
New York
14th Annual Juneteenth NYC 3-Day Event in BKLYN
Roof Top Cinema Club – Love & Basketball
New York Public Libraries Celebrate Juneteenth
NYC PRIDE
Los Angeles
LA PRIDE
Juneteenth Festival Leimert Park
Juneteenth Festival El Segundo
Los Angeles Public Libraries Celebrate Juneteenth
Virtual
National Museum of African American History & Culture
Smithsonian Celebrating National Pride Month
DEI Exchange May 2023
READ
Asian Pacific Heritage Month
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.
AANHPI MONTH INFO
What to Read for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023
Shondaland
WATCH
Are You “AAPI” or “Asian American”? It’s Complicated. | A People’s History of Asian America
PBS Voices
ASIAN | How You See Me
Participant
HEAR
The Fallout of a Callout
Code Switch
CIVIC COMMONS: AANHPI Heritage
We Belong Here
DEI Exchange April 2023
READ
‘As We See It’ Is Not a Typical Portrayal of Autism
NYT
Neurodivergence in Adulthood: The Case of the Undiagnosed
Psychology Today
WATCH
Children of Color with Autism Face Disparities of Care and Isolation
PBS
The World Needs All Kinds of Minds | Temple Grandin
TED TALK
HEAR
Identity with Clem Bastow
The Neurodivergent Woman
Cast Of “As We See It” Discusses Autism in Adulthood
The Takeaway
DEI Exchange March 2023
READ
I Know The Power A Young Girl Carries In Her Heart: The Extraordinary Life Of Malala
VOGUE
WATCH
He Named Me Malala
This inspiring documentary tells the story of teenager Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban attack in Pakistan to emerge as a global voice for the education rights of children.
PRIME
Stranger at the Gate
A Marine plans a terrorist attack in a mosque in a small American town. His plan takes an unexpected turn when he comes face to face with the people he is trying to kill, forcing him to confront his own actions.
SHORT FILM
HEAR
Malala Yousafzai: What is Your Defining Moment
Oprah’s Super Soul
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos: Malala on Burnout, Guilt and How to Disagree Better
PUSHKIN
DEI Exchange February 2023
The Exchange will be hosting a Q & A with client Guy Torry about his documentary Phat Tuesdays!
PHAT TUESDAYS
DEI Exchange January 2023
READ
Revisiting ‘How The Other Half Eats’
CODE SWITCH
WATCH
DESCENDANT
NETFLIX
HEAR
Lectures in History Martin Luther King, Jr.
CSPAN
DEI Exchange November 2022
Discussion
Dr. Renee Smith- Maddox from the USC School of Social work will be joining us again, as we discuss media triggers and ways to cope.
USC School of Social Work
DEI Exchange October 2022
Task Force Speaker Event
Milagros Phillips: Healing Racism from the Inside-Out
Milagros Phillips
DEI Exchange September 2022
READ, WATCH & HEAR
Unidos: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage for a Stronger Nation
PBS
DEI Exchange August 2022
READ
White Terrorism Shows ‘Stunning’ Parallels to Islamic State’s Rise
New York Times
How the ‘replacement’ theory went mainstream on the political right
NPR
White Terrorism Is as Old as America
New York Times
WATCH
The Far-Right Is Trying to Blame the Climate Crisis on Immigration
VICE
January 6th Investigation
CSPAN
HEAR
Midday Edition Special: Rooting Out White Supremacy In The U.S. Military
KPBS PUBLIC MEDIA
Erin L. Thompson, “Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America’s Public Monuments” (Norton, 2022)
UNDISTRACTED with Brittany Packnett Cunningham
New Books in African American Studies Podcast
DEI Exchange July 2022
READ
Women of color will be most impacted by the end of Roe, experts say
Washington Post
With Roe v. Wade overturned, disabled people reflect on how it will impact them
NPR
Essential Politics: Is it OK to invoke ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ at abortion rights protests?
LA Times
WATCH
The End of Roe v. Wade — and What Comes Next | Kathryn Kolbert
TED
How the Supreme Court’s Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade Affects the LGBTQ+ Community
Human Rights Campaign
HEAR
Capehart and Gerson on the end of Roe v. Wade
PBS Newshour
Michelle Colón is Living Through The Last Days of Legal Abortion in Mississippi
UNDISTRACTED with Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Apple Podcasts
DEI Exchange June 2022
WATCH
Juneteenth: What You Need to Know
History Channel
YouTube
Imagine a Body: The Second Puberty of Trans Men
The New Yorker
READ
What Is Juneteenth? Here’s Why We Honor the Federal Holiday
Oprah Daily
Black History Is American History: How Juneteenth Highlights the Necessity of Critical Race Theory and Anti-Racist Teaching
The Educational Trust
The Anatomy of Fashion: Dressing the Body from the Renaissance to Today
by Susan J Vincent (Bloomsbury Press 2009)
The Anatomy of Fashion
HEAR
The History and Meaning of Juneteenth
New York Times
The Daily
Questlove: A Celebration of Soul
(in celebration of our NY Juneteenth event, listen to Questlove talk about his film: Summer of Soul)
Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
Questlove
Alok Vaid-Menon: The Urgent Need for Compassion
The Man Enough Podcast
Alok Vaid-Menon
DEI Exchange May 2022
WATCH
LAAPFF Virtual Showcase: HBO APA Visionaries Roundtable Conversation
HBO – YouTube
LAAPFF
Standing Together
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Standing Together
READ
Chloé Zhao on Making Oscars History and How She Stayed True to Herself Directing Marvel’s ‘Eternals’
Variety
Chloé Zhao
HEAR
15 Best Podcasts From AAPI Creators to Add to Your List
Good Housekeeping
15 Podcasts
David Henry Hwang and 20 Years of Asian American Playwriting
The May Lee Show
David Henry Hwang
DEI Exchange April 2022
WATCH
VICE News
VICE
READ
NPR
HEAR
New York Times
The Daily
DEI Exchange March 2022
WATCH
Online Exhibits: Explore our collection of virtual exhibits and learn about trailblazing women, past and present.
National Women’s History Museum
READ
5 Facts About the State of the Gender Pay Gap
US Department of Labor
HEAR
How COVID-19 Is Setting Working Women Back
At Liberty Podcast
DEI Exchange February 2022
For Black History Month, the DEI Task Force and DEI Exchange want to focus on what has and has not changed in our industry.
WATCH
THE HARDER THEY FALL | Cast Roundtable Discussion
HARDER THEY FALL
THR Full Comedy Showrunner Roundtable: Judd Apatow, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Kenya Barris & More!
Comedy Roundtable
READ
UCLA Diversity Report 2021
UCLA College of Social Sciences
2021 Hollywood Diversity Report: Audiences showed up for diverse films in theaters, online
Hollywood Diversity Report
Stop Saying “Diverse” When You Mean Something Else by Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar
Harvard Business Review
HEAR
Beyond the Screen: Race and Diversity in Hollywood
Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
Diversity in Casting: Actors and Casting Directors Reflect
The Artist Inclusive Podcast