A Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit: Interactive Digital Media Industry

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
Ontario has no statistics on IDM industry diversity, which the document attributes partly to no agreed definition of diversity and little funding for research.See it on page 3
02
Female employees made up 25% of the workforce in Interactive Ontario's Measuring Success study, and 20% of Ontario IDM companies had no women staff.See it on page 4
03
Producers said inclusion has to be led by studio leadership, since leadership commitment keeps diversity programs persistent through business ups and downs.See it on page 8
04
Emerging professionals said many employers relied on equal opportunity statements in job ads, which were seen as insufficient for signalling an inclusive workplace.See it on page 15
05
Producers recommended funding that is not tied to specific categories, such as financial incentives to find and retain talent from underserved communities.See it on page 12
06
The document recommends reviewing job ads for biased wording and being open to evidence of skills rather than formal qualifications that can act as barriers.See it on page 19

Summary

Interactive Ontario, a not-for-profit trade association representing over 330 Interactive Digital Media (IDM) companies in Ontario, commissioned this toolkit, conducted by consultant Kelly Lynne Ashton. The study used three phases: roundtables (four with industry representatives, one with academics, and one with emerging professionals), ten one-on-one interviews, and a review of third-party literature. The document notes that no statistics exist on the diversity of Ontario's IDM industry. It cites Interactive Ontario's Measuring Success study, which assessed female employees at 25% of the workforce, with 20% of IDM companies having no women staff. The document notes strong anecdotal evidence, acknowledged by members of the Ontario IDM industry, that the industry is to a large extent made up of white able-bodied men. Producers described diversity broadly, covering neurodiversity, age, country of origin and socio-economic status, and described inclusion in terms of giving everyone in a project a voice.