Nielsen Launched A New System To Help Black Talent Get Quickly Discovered And Hired For Media Projects

Inclusive media representation changes the way we think, feel and celebrate ourselves. Unfortunately, the battle for this is still an uphill one despite research suggesting entertainment equity can strengthen brand loyalty, increase engagement and drive growth. Fortunately, Nielsen is aiming to raise visibility on diverse talent with an industry-shifting new system.

Gracenote, the content metadata business unit of Nielsen, has partnered with leading groups that amplify equitable representation in media on a new Studio System feature, Diversity Spotlight. It leverages dat from IllumiNative, Gold House, RespectAbility, National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) create pathways to new casting, funding and partnership opportunities.

“In conversations with the industry, we’ve heard repeatedly that difficulty finding diverse creators to work with and inclusive projects to bring to screens is slowing the transformation everyone agrees is needed,” said Trent Wheeler, Chief Product Officer, Gracenote in a news release. “The expertise of our advocacy group partners combined with the unmatched scale of Gracenote data and the reach of Studio System hold the promise to accelerate representative content creation and bring real change to Hollywood.”

For example, a 2022 study shows that Black talent comprise 12.9% of leading roles in cable-scripted shows.

“Gold House is excited to partner with Gracenote to launch Diversity Spotlight during Sundance,” said Bing Chen, CEO and Co-Founder of Gold House in a statement. “The discovery of diverse talent is critical for impactful Asian American Pacific Islander representation on screen, and resources, such as Diversity Spotlight, are important for casting agents, producers, and executives to connect the right talent with the right story.”