Michael B. Jordan's Inclusion Rider Is Spreading Diversity in Hollywood

Back in 2018, actor Michael B. Jordan announced he would be adopting an inclusion rider policy across all projects attached to his production company, Outlier Society. Over a year later, the actor’s moves to promote diversity are reshaping Hollywood.

Inclusion riders, like the one Jordan implemented across his production company, are stipulations industry professionals can include in their contracts that legally require diversity in a project’s cast and crew. The actor recently spoke to Highsnobiety about his promotion of the policy and the effect it’s had on diversity in Hollywood.

“Representation is a big deal,” he told the magazine. “Now it’s becoming more of a popular thing.”

When Jordan first made inclusion riders universal across Outlier Society’s projects, the production company was one of the first to do so. “In support of the women & men who are leading this fight, I will be adopting the Inclusion Rider for all projects produced by my company Outlier Society,” Jordan wrote in the Instagram caption accompanying the announcement. “I’ve been privileged to work with powerful women & persons of color throughout my career & it’s Outlier’s mission to continue to create for talented individuals going forward.”

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In support of the women & men who are leading this fight, I will be adopting the Inclusion Rider for all projects produced by my company Outlier Society. I’ve been privileged to work with powerful woman & persons of color throughout my career & it’s Outlier’s mission to continue to create for talented individuals going forward. If you want to learn more about how to support the cause – link in bio. #OutlierSociety #AnnenbergInclusionInitiative

A post shared by Michael B. Jordan (@michaelbjordan) on Mar 7, 2018 at 3:03pm PST

Since then, other studios have followed in Jordan’s steps, adopting similar companywide diversity policies. In September 2018, WarnerMedia announced it was partnering with Jordan to institute a diversity and inclusion policy across its properties, including Warner Bros., HBO and Turner.

“I applaud them for taking this enormous step forward,” Jordan said. “I’m proud that our film, Just Mercy, will be the first to formally represent the future we have been working toward, together. This is a legacy-bearing moment.”

While Jordan’s inclusion rider policy has had a notable influence on recent shifts toward a more inclusive Hollywood, he noted that he’s following in the footsteps of industry trailblazers before him. “There were so many people doing it before I was: the Sidney Poitiers, Robert Townsends, and Tyler Perrys,” he told Highsnobiety. “I’m building off of what they’ve been doing.”

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