Wade has proven instrumental to Velocity, Viacom’s branded content studio. Her team is responsible for developing and delivering Velocity’s IP and day-to-day development of creative strategy. “The industry should be taking a hard look at mobility/retention. It’s one thing to hire people of color, but often times mobility has a negative impact on retention,” she says.
How can diversity be better incorporated into the recruiting process?
The best recruiting processes start with companies that value diversity and demonstrate that the organization is interested in diverse candidates. There is a difference between organizations looking to fill one slot and others that are proud to embrace differences plentifully. This can be represented through diverse representation at the board level, recruiting staffs with diverse backgrounds, corporate sponsored affinity programs, and investment in diversity centered organizations. Candidates with diverse backgrounds are assessing their fit and potential growth within an organization throughout the entire hiring process, so diversity across roles at varying levels is a significant measure. Also, it’s important to ensure that candidates are interviewed by employees with diverse backgrounds each time they come in.
What questions is the industry not yet asking in its efforts to be more diverse and inclusive that it should be?
The industry should be taking a hard look at mobility/retention. It’s one thing to hire people of color, but oftentimes mobility has a negative impact on retention. Also, the industry should be thoughtful about how people of color are portrayed in programming. Diverse communities are concerned about the monolithic representation of its people.
Which current television show/s best embrace diversity?
“Orange is the New Black,” “Power” and “Being Mary Jane” are shows where I believe diversity feels organic to the plot and where the relationships between characters feel real.
