The Show Must Be Paused
During 'The Show Must Be Paused’ that took place in June, Epidemic Sound committed to playing our part in fighting racial inequality. Today, we want to begin sharing our progress with you.
During the campaign 'The Show Must Be Paused’ that took place in June, Epidemic Sound committed to playing our part in fighting racial inequality. We shared that we’d ‘level up’ this work internally with a Diversity & Inclusion strategy. Today, we want to begin sharing our progress with you.
We refuse to take shortcuts or make shallow gestures when it comes to important topics like diversity and inclusion. When we took part in ‘The Show Must Be Paused,’ we pledged to stand up against discrimination, and today, we’d like to begin sharing some of the actions we’ve taken over the past few months.
We stand with Black communities everywhere
‘The Show Must Be Paused’ was a critical moment in time for Epidemic Sound and the music industry as a whole. As an industry that profits from Black art and talent, it’s essential we stand up against injustice and stay dedicated to empowering Black communities.
On the day of ‘The Show Must Be Paused,’ Epidemic employees were asked to pause their day-to-day tasks and use the time to share resources on topics like Black history and police brutality. Equally important, the day was spent listening to empowering talks and powerful music from Black speakers and artists.
We recognize this work must be sustained, so we'll continue to share our progress with you. Today, we'll be giving you insight into some of the basic but important steps we are taking to ensure Epidemic is a workplace that fosters diversity and inclusivity at its core.
Internal diversity and inclusion strategy
We’re starting off by establishing a strong foundation for this work from within Epidemic Sound by developing a Diversity & Inclusion strategy. We are currently undertaking a diversity data mapping project and will use the findings to form our strategy, working alongside our Executive Management Team and employee-led Advisory Board.
Employee training
All of Epidemic Sound’s employees will attend unconscious bias training in 2020. The purpose of this is to allow us all to face our stereotypes, prejudices and reflect on how our previous experiences (or lack of experiences) feed into our feelings and fears.
Employee Resource Groups
These groups are spaces for employees who share a common identity or interest, sometimes from underrepresented groups, to connect and support each other in building their sense of belonging at work. An Employee Resource Group for our Black employees was introduced in summer 2020; the group is supported by a Sponsor from our Executive team and will always be a safe space for employees to connect and speak up.
We believe authentic change starts from within; that’s why our focus has been on getting our internal approach to diversity and inclusion right first. There is still a lot more to be done, and we’ll keep working on creating a balanced and inclusive space for our employees first.
We hold ourselves accountable for this, and we’ll continue to share updates on our progress during the coming months. Next in our diversity and inclusion updates will be the lowdown on what we’re doing within our music department.
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