Rising Voices

The Issue

Indeed exists to help people get jobs. And while we know talent is universal, opportunity, especially for people in the film industry, is not. Data shows that BIPOC filmmakers remain critically underrepresented as directors, helming only 14.4% of the U.S. theatrical films released in 2019 (42% of the U.S. population is non-white).

The Idea

Rising Voices was born out of the question “What would happen if Indeed took the production budget for a national TV spot and instead invested it in 10 BIPOC directors to create short films?” To do this, we partnered with Emmy Award–winning writer/actress Lena Waithe to launch Rising Voices. We also teamed with top filmmakers to provide mentorship. Each director received a $10,000 script payment, and $100,000 in production funds to create their films, which would go on to premiere at Tribeca Film Festival. 

The Impact

Following the Tribeca Film Festival premiere, many of our filmmakers signed with agents, sold their films, and got hired to direct feature films and series. Their projects created over 1,000 industry jobs–many going to BIPOC creators. Ultimately, this became far more than a simple corporate diversity initiative to create diverse videos and quietly release them on our social channels. Rising Voices embodies Indeed’s mission to help people get jobs, and is firmly rooted in the belief that the right opportunity can change a person’s life. 

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