Project Description
IN AN AGENCY OWNED BY A BLACK MAN AND A GAY MAN, DEI HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN OUR DNA.
We are an anti-racist company committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As a minority owned and led agency, inclusion is our instinct, not a reflex. We strive to create an environment where individuals can bring their whole selves to both the agency and their work.
ETHNICALLY
DIVERSE
GENDER
IDENTITY:
50% FEMALE
50% MALE
0% NON-BINARY
0% TRANSGENDER
OF OUR NEW HIRES OVER THE LAST YEAR HAVE BEEN BIPOC TALENT
Our President Chris Witherspoon is a founding board member of 600 & Rising, a Black advocacy group promoting equity in the agency world. As a supporter of this initiative, DNA has committed to transparency in our diversity and inclusion practices, holding ourselves accountable by making our DE&I data public.
BLAC is a national internship program committed to bringing more young Black people into the advertising industry prepared to thrive and lead. As founders of and contributors to this group of independent agencies, DNA is part of a collective seeking to recruit and empower a new generation of Black talent.
In an effort to narrow the diversity gap in our industry, DNA offers a diversity scholarship in partnership with UW, WWU, and WSU, for students seeking future careers in the advertising and marketing field. The scholarship includes $1,500 and a one-time paid internship opportunity with DNA.
As a creative agency, we’re in the business of ideas. The kind of ideas that have the power to influence culture. So we wanted to make sure we’re using that power thoughtfully by creating an internal team appropriately named I.D.E.A. Its goal is to continually empower Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and above all, Accountability.
In America, we vote with our dollars. That’s why we’ve worked with VCU Brandcenter to come up with Black Black Friday, an initiative that encourages consumers to show support for local Black-owned businesses on, you guessed it, Black Friday.
DNA created and launched an automated AI technology platform in partnership with Stolen Youth that intercepts predatory social media posts as an effort to deter would-be sex offenders from preying on underage youth.