Netflix Joins Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively’s Initiative To Expand Hiring Pool

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively launched and funded Group Effort Initiative in August 2020. Through their companies, Maximum Effort and B for Effort, Reynolds, and Lively founded the company to create a pipeline for members of underrepresented communities to get real jobs in the entertainment industry. The couple has now partnered with Netflix to expand their hiring options.

According to Variety, Netflix has partnered with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s Group Effort Initiative to hire people from underrepresented communities for film and television production jobs. The partnership, which focuses on below-the-line career opportunities, aims to provide marginalized communities in the United States and Canada with training and entry-level job opportunities.

In 2022, the program will provide on-set production training and placement for GEI participants on several Netflix productions in North America.

“We started the Group Effort Initiative a little less than two years ago to create a pipeline for underrepresented voices in our industry. Its growth has exceeded our wildest expectations and it could not have succeeded as it has without the unwavering support of Netflix. What started on ‘The Adam Project’ will now expand to many more Netflix productions. We thank Scott Stuber and the entire team for their commitment to inclusion. We won’t let you down.”

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Its first group of trainees worked as entry-level production assistants (PAs) on the set of Netflix’s science-fiction adventure “The Adam Project” in Vancouver, in departments such as camera, construction, costume, makeup, production design, and production office, and visual effects.

Netflix and GEI collaborated on other projects after finding the collaboration to be successful, including Noah Baumbach’s next film “White Noise,” director Kenya Barris’ star-studded comedy “You People,” starring Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and the Obama-produced dystopian adaptation “Leave the World Behind,” starring Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali.

“At Netflix, we believe more people deserve to have their lives reflected on screen and that starts with the important people behind the camera,” said Scott Stuber, Netflix’s head of global film. “We are thrilled to partner with Ryan and Blake to create opportunities for the next generation of creatives who will shape the future of the entertainment industry.” Netflix and Group Effort Initiative have already begun hiring for productions on Long Island and in Los Angeles.

This collaboration is part of Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, which aims to increase behind-the-scenes opportunities for underrepresented groups in the television and film industries. To get the latest updates, keep an eye on Thirsty.

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