Ears on Tim McNeal: Walt Disney Television Exec Discusses Diversity

McNeal is empowered to expand Disney39s pool of diverse creative talent and champion their careers companywide As a former programming executive he brings a unique understanding of the inherent challenges and best practices required for solving for diversity and inclusion DampampI within the entertainment industry where women and people of color are significantly underrepresented McNeal is a champion of otherness and a quotgatekeeperquot encouraged to infuse the creative talent pipeline with qualified diverse candidates His strategies have yielded powerful resultsThe following is an abridged version of the deepdive conversation Listen here to the full interview Subscribe or listen to the Advancing Diversity Podcast onampgt Apple Podcasts Stitcher or watch on YouTube or listen to the entire podcast hereEB Moss What39s your diversity and inclusion mission at Walt Disney TelevisionTim McNeal My remit includes the company39s Television Writing and Directing Programs the National Latino Media Council and more I39m also the primary liaison for Walt Disney Television39s diversityrelated coalitions nonprofit arts institutions and entertainment industry guildsOn a grand scale it is to impact the content and programming that Walt Disney Television produces to ensure they are inclusive and reflective of the real world On a more granular scale it39s about talent development and closing the gap for diverse creatives in this space so they can connect to jobs within our companyGinger Conlon What was the genesis of your current talent development strategyMcNeal When I arrived at Walt Disney Television in 2006 I saw that the talent development team was engaged in career development which is educating people on what it takes to have a career in this business Coming from my background as a creative executive working with diverse talent I knew that there was a vast population available with the skill set to write produce and direct programming amp8230 yet they weren39t connecting to our job opportunities So the first thing I did was shift our focus to staffing this act transformed the landscape as it allowed us to identify qualified candidates within our professional development pipeline who we may have otherwise missedConlon What ignited your career directionMcNeal When I was a little kid I saw a movie called The Idolmaker amp8230 I knew at that moment that I wanted to work in the entertainment business I embraced the idea of being the person behind the scenes that propped others up to go after their dreams That39s what drew me to HollywoodMy career took off when I became amp8230 one of five people of color in the agency talent representation business in the 1990s Almost every person of color came through my office at one point or anotherNext amp8230 at WB Network amp8230 I became the highestranked African American male in programming at the time It gave the ability to empower people who I believed had a voice or a unique perspective that should be shared My subsequent move to Walt Disney Television allows me to impact the lives of many diverse talents in the creative realmConlon As a storyteller tell us a story of someone who your work has impactedMcNeal There are so many amp8230 and I39m so proud of each One example is a young man that I met just as I was coming into this position He had recently moved to Los Angeles as an aspiring writerI encouraged him to apply and he was accepted to our Television Writing Program Initially he was staffed on a show that quotwasn39t his voicequot but became an opportunity for him to learn the craft and build relationships Today he is the executive producer of a show that we39ve just launched called Mixedish a spinoff of Blackish The show is about people who are of mixed race who are just now coming into their own As he is of mixed race himself it39s also an opportunity for him to tell his own story in the framework of this show This is an example of the impact of our Writer39s Program which has guided over 250 individuals to dateConlon With such a big remit any misconceptions about what your organization doesMcNeal The biggest misconception is that we39re about checking the diversity box by recruiting emerging talent We know that there are thousands of credentialed diverse and qualified writers directors and performers who are not being identified for competitive positions within entertainment They39re experienced and when they39re heard they can make a difference not just in content which is the end game but also in the hiring of other diverse talents That39s the start of real transformationMoss Where do you see opportunities to expand inclusion within the companyMcNeal We need to do better on ageism and for people with disabilities There is a systemic problem around ageism as industry veterans don39t seem to be valued by the Industry We can learn from them which will help to elevate our workOn the other end of the spectrum we launched our intern and production assistant program this year and have already hired 15 production assistants who are working on shows under the Walt Disney Television umbrella Our goal is to hire five to 10 individuals on each of our television studio platforms in year one As each show gears up for production we reach out and share that we can deliver qualified diverse individuals that they can considerConlon Are you seeing an increase in the number of seniorlevel positions dedicated to diversity and inclusion across the industryMcNeal Diversity and inclusion has gone from being something that people ran from to a concept that entertainment companies have embraced as an imperative I can only speak for The Walt Disney company but every position and every executive position that comes available especially on the creative side we have a commitment to identifying diverse candidates for those positions We still have some work to do in terms of going beyond the intention and actually following through with hiring those individuals but it39s very important to us to do soMoss Can you talk about your role with Color Entertainment McNeal I39m on the board of Color Entertainment a volunteer organization of diverse creative executives that started when there were very few of us in the business Over time we formalized the organization which is composed of over 400 diverse creatives Each member is committed to fellowship and comraderyPart of our strategy is to build relationships with corporate leaders and their direct reports on the creative side through a signature dinner that we host quarterly We don39t actively recruit at the event instead we plant the seed of a relationship so when opportunities come available that hiring executive can say quotI met someone at Color Entertainment at that dinner who I think would be right for this rolequotMoss It sounds like you activate on those personal connectionsMcNeal The success of my job has been inspiring people to think differently one person at a time And I attribute my success to that frame of mind It39s about being an ambassador and having people see me as a peer amp8230 and as a reference point of how they39re going to perform and deliver and fit into their environmentI do get some pushback from my community Why do we always have to be the ones who have to make other people feel comfortable To make change sometimes that39s what you have to doMoss What put you on this path to help othersMcNeal It39s a little clichamp233 but my parents were incredible role models I was one of six kids my mom was a stayathome mom my dad was a physicianamp8230 They led by example They were always kind and giving I learned to share and make sure that the people around me were not suffering or struggling because if they are then you are I always wanted to make sure that I help to elevate othersConlon What39s been most rewarding working in talent developmentMcNeal My day starts with gratitude I have an amazing team I think about what my legacy will be and it39s the people As I continue to lead this team I want the people to move on and excel beyond what they39ve done here I39m so proud when I see thatWeaving diversity and inclusion into the fabric of your company is good for business And we have proof In this podcast series our Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors 2020 inductees each discuss the many ways their organizations champion diversity equality and inclusion as well as examine the benefits to their company constituents and community Each episode features one inductee39s strategies and best practices that others can adapt to help their organizations accelerate the move from advocacy to activismThe 2020 Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors inductees include Jill Baskin chief marketing officer The Hershey Company J Michael Haynie PhD vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation Institute for Veteran and Military Families Tim Jones chief executive officer Publicis Media Americas Tim McNeal talent development Walt Disney Television Sue Obeidi director Muslim Public Affairs Council The Hollywood Bureau Tony Rogers chief member officer Sam39s Club Tiffany R Warren founder and president ADCOLOR and senior vice president chief diversity officer Omnicom and Shelley Zalis chief executive officer The Female QuotientClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Ears on Tim McNeal: Walt Disney Television Exec Discusses Diversity

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We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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Mary Ellen Holden

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