AKA NYC Will Launch Initiative to Help Emerging Black Producers

There is work to do on Broadway and AKA NYC knows it. The award-winning, entertainment advertising agency has announced the donation of 500 hours of creative, strategic, and marketing work to emerging, independent Black producers to help build the vital tools needed to bring their vision to life. The goal is to help open doors for new, diverse, and necessary storytellers on Broadway stages and in arts and performance spaces across the country. Those wishing to participate should visit aka.nyc/black-producer-initiative/ for application information.

This new initiative is part of a larger commitment by the agency to be an anti-racist company and a change leader within the arts, entertainment, and culture industry and the community at large.

Following extensive, honest conversations led by the agency's leadership team and existing diversity task force, AKA NYC is also undertaking changes to its talent pipeline and recruitment practices with a goal of better reflecting the diversity of the New York Metro Area. AKA NYC will also lead a high-level audience research study to better understand existing barriers to diversifying audiences. The agency will share its progress with transparency and regularity and also continue to announce additional diversity initiatives.

"Racism and inequality are deeply systemic and destructive in ways both seen and unseen-both far-reaching and too close to home," says Managing Partner Elizabeth Furze. "The only way forward is action by being actively anti-racist as individuals and as a company." Managing Partner Scott Moore adds, "Changing ourselves without changing the world outside our office isn't enough. Black voices and talent aren't being supported as they deserve to be."

Vice President of Business Intelligence Cher Nobles adds, "I've known AKA NYC to be a place of diversity and inclusion as well as a place where employees have been encouraged to have honest and personal conversations about their experiences. During one of those conversations, our Director of Content, Jamaal Parham, suggested that our agency use its resources to amplify the voices of Black producers. We look forward to supporting this initiative and other values that have made and will continue to make AKA NYC an agent and agency of change. We collectively celebrate that this is only the beginning."

Director of Content Jamaal Parham says, "We hope this small contribution can create a chain reaction of diverse talent and creativity filling arts and performance spaces nationwide. And that goes hand-in-hand with our commitment to breaking down any and all barriers that are preventing more diversity among audiences."