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Equality, Inclusion & Diversity in Advertising: Are we really making progress?

November 17, 11:10AM PST

Based on two decades of personal experience.

Rondell Wescott, Creative Production Lead, Google Cloud, will share his personal experiences as a Black man who has worked in the advertising industry for 20 years. He will explain why, in his opinion, we need to make a bigger push to help our industry become even more diverse.  

Rondell’s view: There has been some progress, but there is a need to increase the momentum - there is much more work to be done.  

Rondell’s rhetorical question: How, in our business, do we tell truthful stories with an authentic feel, to diverse audiences, if the people creating the work are not themselves diverse? 

In this thought provoking analysis, Rondell will draw on the film, 'Widen The Screen', which he produced for Procter & Gamble, to explore how Black stories in the media are very often stereotypical, and why we need creators from targeted audiences to tell their stories as they experience them. 

Rondell will conclude by sharing resources that are both available to everyone and provide the tools to ensure “we don’t know where to look to find diverse talent” is never a valid excuse. 

An important opportunity to appreciate how we can, collectively, do better and achieve more – diversity really is the engine of creativity.

What others say

The HS Creative Production event introduced me to new ideas and the suppliers who could help bring them to life.

Claire Piipponen
Haleon

Creative Production provided a great platform for learning, exchanging ideas and networking.

James Levin
Stony Brook University

HS Creative Production events provide me with the opportunity to meet creative minds from different fields, facing similar everyday working process realities.

Robert Kot
Electrolux