Ryan Reynolds has just added another side venture to his already busy schedule. The Deadpool actor has just announced Creative Ladder, a nonprofit that aims to introduce more diversity to the creative marketing field. This includes jobs in design, advertising, and video production.
The mission statement on the Creative Ladder website reads “to connect, inspire and elevate an inclusive new generation of creative industry leaders.” In a welcome video he posted on Twitter Reynolds explains how this nonprofit will differ from Group Effort Initiative, his last diversity inclusion program created with his wife Blake Lively.
“Almost two years ago we started the Group Effort Initiative to increase inclusion in the entertainment industry amongst BIPOC and underrepresented communities and it’s just been hugely rewarding. That’s why I’m proud to be co-founding the Creative Ladder. Creative Ladder is to marketing what Group Effort Initiative is to the entertainment industry. It’s a new non-profit to make creative careers accessible to everyone.”
According to the Creative Ladder website, “92% of creative professionals of color say standard recruiting practices are keeping the workforce from becoming more inclusive.” Creative Ladder aims to bridge that gap by connecting new talent with employers.
Reynolds co-founded Creative Ladder with Dionna Dorsey Calloway and David Grine, with a board of directors that come from Snapchat, Omelet, and Vayner Media. Later in the video he details a bit more on what people can expect from their organization.
“We’ll be talking to students. We’ll be connecting talent with mentors, providing training opportunities, and just a whole lot more.”
The official Twitter account for Creative Ladder says the non-profit is “coming soon.” You can watch the full introduction video in the tweet above.
