An Unprecedented Opportunity for Change in Media

This electric moment of upheaval presents a rare opportunity for media companies to transform themselves, and avert disaster. So, why aren't they?

The explosion blew up the city, killing 135, injuring 5,000, forcing hundreds of thousands into homelessness and crippling the country for decades to come. Beirut port authorities had been warning the courts, asking authorities for guidance on the removal of 2750 tons of high-density ammonium nitrate, waiting to be disposed of in a ship abandoned since 2013, but corruption, mismanagement and a failure of leadership led to the inevitable detonation.

What lessons does this tragedy have for corporate America? A failure to act in time invariably leads to disaster.

Heed the Warning Signs to Avert Disaster

Since June, with the backdrop of the biggest protests against racial injustice the country has ever witnessed, the media industry is finally being called out for its various transgressions including systemic racism, pay inequities (or in some cases no pay at all for people of color), abuse, discrimination, harassment, misogyny, classism, sexism, and harassment. Still, most media are failing to act decisively, and despite the warnings, risking implosion.

 From Paper and New York Magazine to icons like the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, ESPN, Warner Media (home of The Ellen DeGeneres Show), and the Hearst Group, a firestorm of stories of dysfunctional management, toxic work environments, and editorial prejudices have lit up social media. It's glaringly apparent what we are seeing is not just a cascading effect from the murder of George Floyd, but decades of pent-up rage against the genocide of Native Americans, the enslavement and exploitation of Blacks upon whose backs the wealth of the United States was created, and the degradation of immigrants (Latin, Asian, Muslim) who give this country its vitality.

 Businesses demonstrate a failure of leadership and a failure of imagination, creating a crisis of inequity, exclusion, and exploitation. To make radical, systemic changes, you have to go beyond hiring a few more people of color, sensitizing yourself to their issues, or contributing to a fund supporting Black initiatives. You have to evolve your mission, rethink your entire strategy, and execute a top-down and bottom-up overhaul of your organization and its practices. 

So far, most companies in the cross-hairs have shown banal responses, put out reactionary press-releases, about "the need for more diversity and inclusion" and other vague missives about corporate soul-searching. CEO's seem immobilized like deer in headlights, dazed, and unable to rise to the urgency and magnitude of the situation, reluctant to inspire and lead their teams through the turbulence, and blind to the opportunity it presents for reincarnation. 

On the positive side, streaming services are tapping into the need for education that has crept into the global mainstream about racial injustice. Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and HBO are all prominently featuring (and often waiving fees) on Black-themed content and documentaries about racism such as Ava DuVernay's "13". Netflix has an inspiring "Black Lives Matter" collection for American audiences, and its CEO, Reed Hastings, and his wife, philanthropist Patty Quillin, announced a $120 million donation to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Recently, Netflix also hired Bozoma Saint John, an African-American, and previously Chief Brand Officer at Uber, to its key Chief Marketing Officer position. A sagacious move since Netflix also wants to grow its subscriber base from black and white audiences, especially from outside the USA. 

 A Golden Opportunity for Leadership

Under scrutiny, companies often scramble to announce initiatives without proper strategic consideration because they are under pressure to respond to criticism about their lack of diversity. At MTV Networks (now Viacom/CBS), where I worked for two decades and launched "MTV World," a division devoted to globalizing pop culture, and also chaired its Diversity Council for a couple of years, I used to cringe at the term "diversity initiative" being casually tossed around. I learned that for many folks in corporate America, "diversity and inclusion" are a senior management mandate they have to follow because it's a formality or a legal requirement- a sort of tax they have to pay to keep out of trouble while continuing to function in their exclusive, airtight monoculture that leaves out or trivializes the rest of the world. 

In fact, the premise for the launch of MTV World was to dispel the imperialistic notion that western, white-dominated pop culture was the world's default culture. With the advent of the internet and social media, we tapped the opportunity to celebrate music, film, fashion, and art from the rest of the planet and introduce new voices. In the years I worked there, Viacom took the task of inclusion very seriously, even if a lot more work is required in hiring and promoting executives of color to top positions. 

Many well-intentioned creatives and senior executives I know in the media industry fail to see the innovation and business opportunities of having true diversity at the core of their strategy. Not just of color, race, and gender, but also age, sexual orientation, physical ability, nationality, language, standards of beauty, life experience, economic status, and perspectives.

Authentically representing the world and its demographics on your team and its heat and color, chaos, inequities, joy, and sorrow in your story-telling should be the priority of business today. That is how you will attract the maximum audience, even if you're interested in a subset of the mainstream. 

Magic occurs in the kaleidoscopic content and programming a diverse team generates. Not every movie needs to be written and directed from a white male point-of-view of someone who attended Dartmouth, Duke, or Bennington. Amazing women and artists of color are abundantly available: writers, directors, cinematographers, and every other talent needed in the industry whose backgrounds, narratives, and worldviews will add new perspectives and audiences to your eco-system. I took pride in the fact that my team was referred to as "the United Nations of MTV." We could not have created any impact if not for their varied ethnicities, talents, and passion. 

At MTV World, we created a documentary series called "Rebel Music" about young activists, which drew the attention of the Obama White House. Its critically acclaimed Native American episode told the story of young Native musicians reclaiming their destiny. It became a viral hit because we let the artists control their narrative, and Billy Luther, an indigenous filmmaker, directed the action. Similarly, the Turkey episode provided a bracing perspective of their revolution. It garnered millions of views because we empowered a crew consisting mostly of talented young Turkish women helm the episode. This approach saturated all our productions and was the reason our stories were fresh and revolutionary.

Audiences are Hungry for Change

Even before the current uprising following the recent murders of black people in America, youth across the world were up in arms, demanding change from politicians, bureaucrats, and businesses. 2019 saw millions of ordinary young people, supported by the masses from Europe to Africa, from the UK to Ukraine, protesting racism, misogyny, climate change, inequality, and corruption. 

Instead of harnessing this youthful awakening, governments and corporations have largely squandered the opportunity, laughing at the naiveté of the young, and humiliating and brutalizing them in many countries. This movement for change is not a desire from fringe groups. A Monmouth University poll dated June 2020 referenced in the New York Times found that 76% of Americans consider racism and discrimination a "big problem," up 26% since 2015. 

These are the same people reading your magazines, watching your shows, and engaging your brand. Is your business in touch with the zeitgeist, and how are your brands responding to the political, social, and cultural factors your audiences are revolting about? Did your strategy and organization change as a result? Did any of that angst or exhilaration seep into your editorial content? Were you too scared to act, afraid of upsetting a segment of your customer base, or an influential group within your company? Are you part of the system creating inequality?

"No Standing Above the Conflict on Olympian Heights"

Actor, singer, activist, and icon Paul Robeson said this in the 1930s: "Every artist, every scientist must decide now where he stands. He has no alternative. There is no standing above the conflict on Olympian heights. The artist must take sides. He must elect to fight for freedom or slavery. I have made my choice. I had no alternative." Slavery ended, but not enough has changed since then, and Paul Robeson could be speaking to us in the here and now. 

Businesses that have genuinely aligned themselves to a purpose have been showered with goodwill from their consumers and seen revenue upsides. Nike supported NFL's Colin Kaepernick, featuring him in their 2018 ads, and their market value shot up 5% to $6 billion, its highest ever. Sales increased 10% even if a lot more work needed to be done in diversifying its team. Patagonia's pro-environment philosophy has earned the company the highest brand loyalty in outerwear and quadrupled its sales since 2014. Chobani's founder and CEO, Hamdi Ulukaya, created the Tent Partnership for Refugees in 2016, and 30% of its 2000 employees are legally resettled, refugees. Its pro-social initiatives have resulted in double-digit sales increase despite a shrinking yogurt market.

There are many examples of positive outcomes from hiring a talented senior executive of color, or a media house taking a chance on an idea from an underrepresented minority. At Conde Nast, Lindsay Peoples-Wagner has made Teen Vogue a vital voice for young women, and Edward Enninful at British Vogue has brought currency and a powerful new charge to the publication as editor-in-chief. 

On television, HBO and BBC One placed a calculated bet on the young and talented Michaela Coel (who is black) as a director with the critically acclaimed "I May Destroy You," an edgy series dealing with sexual assault that seems to leap off the front page of today's newspapers. "Ramy," an award-winning show about the trials and tribulations of a young man in New Jersey, is critically acclaimed for its stereotype-busting portrayal of American Muslims and is one of Hulu's most-watched titles. It won its creator Ramy Youssef, a Golden Globe, a first for an Egyptian-American. One reason for this success is its cast diversity, which is an authentic slice of America and the world. Ramy cast his life-long friend Steve Way, who has muscular dystrophy, in the role of his best friend. Steve, a stand-up comic, substitute teacher, and actor, turned out to be a highlight of the series.

Young audiences, in particular, are hungry for change. But they are also savvy consumers who will call BS on brands superficially and hypocritically exploiting the Black Lives Matter movement or the uprising against inequality in general. YouTube recently committed a meager $1M to initiatives against social injustice while being a platform that amplifies extremism under the guise of "hearing a broad range of perspectives." The once invincible Facebook has seen its relevance eroded, lost $7 billion in advertising revenue in June, and millions of subscribers because it failed to control hate speech, fact-check political ads, and Marc Zuckerberg's perceived closeness to President Trump. Sooner or later, stasis, hypocrisy, and inauthenticity negatively impact a business. 

Changing is Hard, but It's Not Rocket Science

I survived twenty years and launched several successful initiatives within a rigid, risk-averse corporate environment. I know a little bit about how company culture can be transformed through a solid diversity strategy while avoiding the pitfalls of empty commitment to change. Navigating legacy infrastructures, egos, arrogance, bad actors, and laziness lurking within most big media businesses is no easy task. Still, it can be done if your intentions are good and your strategy robust.

 Here are some suggestions from my experience:

1.  Understand the moment. Corporate life is isolating, especially on top. Many senior executives are insulated from their own teams and lose touch with the real world their audiences inhabit. A thorough understanding of the changes impacting your audiences and brand partners, and their broader implications on the planet, is vital. Beyond the Town Hall meeting to address a crisis, deeply dialoguing with your teams at every level, especially people of color, will reveal what is needed. 

2.  Undertake a thorough inventory. It is imperative to examine every aspect of a business through the lenses of equity, cultural relevance, inclusion, and challenge/opportunity. An assessment of the current mission, its significance today, and how the organization is doing against its goals, is critical. Analysis of the content being created, and by whom, and the processes involved is vital. Scrutinizing the composition of the organization itself, including the C suite, identifying inequities in pay, access to opportunity, and sources of toxicity are also crucial. 

3.  Articulate a new (or tweaked) mission and strategy. Whether it be an evolution or a total change of purpose, it is crucial to communicate this clearly, and a new plan to the entire organization. Regular, meaningful interaction with teams about change is more important than most executives realize. Employees feel and perform better when their work is contextualized within a larger purpose. In my consultancy practice, one of the most significant issues I encounter is that team members have no idea of the strategy they are working towards and feel disconnected from leadership, which can be devastating, especially in times of crisis.

It is also essential to demonstrate why a change in direction is necessary or the relevance of a new initiative. For example, while overseeing MTV World, I kept trying to convince the "mothership" of K-Pop's rising importance in pop culture, but few took it seriously until we started producing K-Pop showcases in the Times Square studio. Thousands of fans (black, white, brown, and Asian) would scream their lungs out, trying to catch a glimpse of stars like 2NE1 at the Viacom headquarters' entrance, reminding MTV of its glory days. Gaining support for anything related to K-pop was never a problem again. 

4.  Re-imagine the organization. Aligning an organization to the mission is challenging. Removing sources of negativity is essential. Finding talented people of color without a pre-existing network requires a concerted effort. It is crucial to retrain and diversify your staffing teams to do this and invest the time and resources to look beyond conventional sources of talent. 

Accurately representing the world by hiring more women, people of color and other underrepresented groups are the single most crucial steps to success, and it includes reconfiguring your C suite and board. Training and empowering new hires and motivating the existing team is a close second. Many organizations have a different set of (unwritten) standards for success and failure when it comes to people of color. We are expected to succeed immediately on arrival, and our projects return a profit or create an impact overnight with no room to fail. These are unrealistic expectations, and smart organizations provide support, latitude and runway for their new hires, and development plans for others.

5.  Take calculated risks and place strategic bets. Loss of relevance in the media business is often directly correlated to a lack of risk-taking. If MTV did not take a chance on the Real World, Beavis and Butthead, The Osbournes, or Jersey Shore, they would not have become massive hits. Radical new ideas (for example, "Ramy," on Hulu), will usually have no precedent and little research to support their viability and are unlikely to pass AI-based "scalability" tests. This does not mean they won't succeed or change the culture. 

Premeditated risk-taking is the lifeblood of any creative enterprise, and rather than the tried and tested (and anemic), boldly investing a chunk of your resources in the new and unseen might be your gateway to the future. 

Senior executives who can step-up to this pivotal moment and lead from the front with courage, audacity, and imagination will make the world a more equitable place and win today and tomorrow for their businesses. And avert disaster.