By CultureBanx Team
- Vernā Myers hired as VP of Inclusion Strategy
- Netflix has 125 million subscribers spread across 190 countries
As Netflix (NFLX -0.89%) continues to ramp up on its diverse programming, they are also looking to shake things up internally to become more inclusive. The streaming giant hired Vernā Myers for a brand new role as Vice President of Inclusion Strategy.
Why This Matters: Netflix has been pushing further into black content creation so internally they need to align their priorities. Myers is now tasked with integrating cultural diversity, inclusion and equity into all aspects of Netflix’s operations worldwide. She will need to tap into her prior experience of advising major organizations on removing diversity barriers in the workplace.
Back in June, Netflix fired its chief communications officer Jonathan Friedland after he used the N-word in a meeting. An internal memo from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings actually highlighted Friedland used the racial slur on multiple occasions, “his descriptive use of the N-word on at least two occasions at work,” led to his ouster.
In the spring the Obama’s inked a multi-year storytelling contract with Netflix to produce series and films under their company Higher Ground Productions. Netflix also has a multi-year content deal with award-winning showrunner Shonda Rhimes for reportedly $100 million.
Actors Tiffany Haddish, Spike Lee, and director Ava DuVernay are among the other black people who have worked with Netflix. Also ABC’s “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris has officially joined the team with a three-year deal potentially worth $100 million. Notably all of these people have developed black related content.
Situational Awareness: Netflix being the major player in the streaming space has 125 million subscribers spread across 190 countries. The company is investing up to $8 billion in original content this year, as it looks to expand its subscriber number. New subscriptions for Netflix during the first quarter included more than 2 million U.S. users, which represents a growth increase of 50% compared to 2017.
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