Back in March, at the Oscars, Frances McDormand introduced the “inclusion rider” to non-Hollywood types during her Best Actress acceptance speech when she said, “I have two words for you: inclusion rider.” It became a much-discussed term as people learned that it’s essentially a contract clause, used by those both in front of and behind the camera, that stipulates there should be a certain amount of diversity in the film or project for which the contract has been created.

Since then, though, the amount of big companies adopting these inclusion riders has been limited. But now, in a big move that could have far-reaching implications, Warner Media (the parent company to Warner Bros. and HBO, among other media entities) is instituting a company-wide diversity policy.

https://twitter.com/WarnerBrosEnt/status/1037386660722475008

“It is essential that our content and creative partners reflect the diversity of our society and the world around us,” the company said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “Together with other production companies, networks, guilds, unions, talent agencies and others in the industry, we all must ensure there is greater inclusion of women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, those with disabilities and other underrepresented groups in greater numbers both in front of and behind the camera.”

Their partner in bringing this vision to light? Actor Michael B. Jordan. His next film (about to start production), Just Mercy, will be the first made under the new guidelines.

“Inclusivity has always been a no-brainer for me, especially as a black man in this business,” Jordan said. “[But] it wasn’t until Frances McDormand spoke the two words that set the industry on fire — inclusion rider — that I realized we could standardize this practice. It allowed me to formally pledge my production company, Outlier Society, to a way of doing business.”

While there are not super-specific steps laid out in the Warner Media policy, the company says that it will work with writers, directors, and producers it the early stages of the process to “to create a plan for implementing this commitment to diversity and inclusion on our projects, with the goal of providing opportunities for individuals from under-represented groups at all levels.”

Diversity is something that the Hollywood powers-that-be have long struggled with, despite the public’s obvious hunger for more. Just look at the blockbuster success of films like Girls’ Trip, Black Panther, and Crazy Rich Asians and television shows like Orange Is the New Black, Insecure, and Atlanta.

But the concept of an inclusion rider certainly isn’t foreign to all creatives. As Glamour highlighted in a recent story, many female-led sets work hard to include a diversity of voices. Still, it can’t be left to women and people of color alone to carry the weight, which is why it’s good to see a giant corporation stepping up. After all, more voices always make for better stories.

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