GroupM’s Motion Content Group has announced the launch of Positive Impact production funding.

The funding initiative will support stories – blue-chip documentaries, high-end TV drama, landmark series, and films – that inspire positive change in areas including diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability.

Motion will collaborate with media owners, producers, networks, platforms, and creatives to identify and develop eligible projects, empowering talent from underrepresented backgrounds alongside more established voices. Content considered for investment is unlimited to any format, genre, or media platform.

The first local deployment of Motion’s Positive Impact production funding, the Diverse Voices Accelerator, launched in May 2021 in the United States with GroupM North America CEO Kirk McDonald. The U.K launch with Karen Blackett, GroupM & WPP U.K CEO, will be followed by further markets around the world to be rolled out in 2022.

Simon Willis, Chief Investment Officer, GroupM UK, says, “As part of our ambition to shape the next era of media, we want to invest in content that elevates the cultural conversation. This project is closely aligned with our wider ‘Responsible Investment’ buying framework, which focuses on five important areas — Brand Safety, Data Ethics, DE&I, Responsible Journalism, and Sustainability — to signal a new media era where scale serves clients through a commitment to make advertising work better for people.

Richard Foster, CEO of Motion Content Group, adds, “GroupM and Motion understand the influence that entertainment and advertising have on cultural perception and behaviour. Narrative content is so ubiquitous today that we can easily forget how much power it holds. It shows us places we’ve never been and people we’ve never met. It gathers us into shared experiences and shapes how we see the world. Our intention with this initiative is to provide a platform for stories and storytellers of all backgrounds, particularly those from underrepresented communities, to help enable a more equitable, sustainable and inclusive future for everyone.”

As part of the global launch, Motion has also recently announced the hiring of Deep Sehgal as its new Global Head of DEI. Sehgal will help champion the project and coordinate the ongoing international rollout.

Research shows us that human beings have the ability to face and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles when we are told the right stories. At this truly remarkable moment in world history, Positive Impact production funding represents a unique opportunity for us to engage with and inspire global audiences with the aim of creating real, sustainable change.” says Sehgal.

 

Jon Creamer

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