TORONTO — The new industry-wide initiative HireBIPOC.ca has already surpassed 2,300 members in its first week of operation, co-founding partner Bell Media announced today.
HireBIPOC.ca is a web portal which provides an online roster of Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) media and entertainment professionals who work as creatives and crew in Canada’s screen-based industries. When the web portal launched on October 5, it had 500 members signed up.
“We are inspired and heartened by the feedback and response we have received from the Black, Indigenous, and people of colour creative community, the industry, and the public. The numbers are a testament to how much change is needed. The industry is ready to engage in a process of shifting status quo and we are honoured to be a part of that change with the support of our partners,” said Nathalie Younglai, founder of BIPOC TV & Film, which along with Bell Media is co-founder of the HireBIPOC initiative.
Other Canadian broadcasters who have announced their support for the initiative include CBC/Radio-Canada, Corus Entertainment, and Rogers Sports and Media. The private broadcasters (Bell, Corus and Rogers) have committed to making the use of the HireBIPOC online roster a specific condition for greenlighting original productions.
HireBIPOC is designed to facilitate and increase BIPOC hiring in Canada’s screen-based industries, whether Canadian or shot-in-Canada, in roles at all levels, across all areas of the industry, including production, behind the scenes, executives, communications and marketing, and on-air, says a Bell Media press release.
For more information, including a list of the 20-plus Canadian media organizations who are supporting the HireBIPOC initiative, please click here.
