Raising our voices
A blog series featuring personal stories from women and people of color as they have navigated their careers, the streaming industry, and the world around them.
Standing Strong
My name is Maria Rua Aguete and I am Senior Research Director at OMDIA. As I look back on my career, I realize one thing: I got to where I am by speaking loudly…and not taking “no” for an answer. I completed my MBA in Cardiff when I was 21 years old. As a woman … Standing Strong Read More »
Reflections On An Industry
As a black entrepreneur in the media and entertainment space, I feel like I’m in a unique position to really reflect on the state of diversity within the streaming world. Let me start out with my first hat: black entrepreneur. I have seen a lot of progress in the startup ecosystem throughout the last few … Reflections On An Industry Read More »
it's time for change
Most technical industries, such as streaming video, have long been dominated by white men. Women and other under-represented groups have historically had to fight for the right to just participate, to get engineering degrees, and to prove they are just as capable as anyone else. And although it has improved marginally over the last decade, there is still a tremendous amount of work to do for the streaming video industry, and other technology sectors, to embrace diversity, support inclusion, and emphasize equality.
From Black Lives Matter to #MeToo, movements to bring awareness to systemic racism and discrimination have continued to grow. And although the point of those movements may not have been to develop equality in technical fields and industries, they are very applicable to doing just that.
Many of our member companies have established diversity and inclusion programs or initiatives. But the Streaming Video Alliance and other organizations are in a unique position because we represent a cross-section of the industry: many companies and many voices working collaboratively and collectively to drive technical change.
We believe it is our duty to leverage that platform to bridge the gap between social movements and industry equality. We hop you will join us, as we connect organizations and elevate marginalized voices within the streaming video industry.
Because, only together can we create lasting change.
Our commitment to inclusion
01.
— Leadership
We actively seek out members of under-represented groups to lead working groups and projects. We are also looking to diversify our board of directors.
02.
— SEGMENTS
When we launch our public conference in 2022, we are focused on ensuring that the speaker line-up is as diverse as possible.
03.
— Grant Memberships
There are many minority-founded and owned business in the media space. We are committed to actively seeking out startups for our Grant program started by under-represented groups.
04.
— Industry Awareness
The Alliance hosts a number of events each year, ranging from meetups to webinars. In addition, our Executive Director is asked to moderate panels at many events. We are committed to including diverse voices and perspectives in those events to elevate people from minority groups.
05.
— New Programs
Through new member programs, like “Raise Our Voices” and the Technical/Industry Fellows, we will showcase the industry from the perspective of under-represented groups and, in some cases, provide them a platform to share their experiences.
06.
— Partnerships
We will actively seek partnerships with minority-focused organizations, like AfroTech, to support businesses founded and owned by under-represented groups.
