With brands rushing to incorporate generative AI despite reports of racial bias, in addition to recent criticisms of shallow advocacy in some campaigns, companies are at a crossroads when it comes to meaningfully reaching historically underrepresented communities.
That’s why AT&T nurtures the intersection of connectivity and culture through ongoing, multilayer DEI initiatives.
Its Dream in Black platform, created in 2018, is the telecom brand’s signature platform that supports and empowers the Black community to envision a better tomorrow. The AT&T Presents: Untold Stories program connects emerging and underrepresented filmmakers to greater opportunities through funding and mentorship.
This year, AT&T’s team brought together Essence Fest and Tribeca Festival for the first time, both of which have been historical brand partners through Dream in Black and Untold Stories, respectively. Essence Fest is an annual three-day celebration of Black culture and community in New Orleans.
The brand’s multicultural team saw an opportunity to connect the dots for 2023 Untold Stories winner David Fortune to its Essence Fest partnership. Despite it not originally being within the scope of Untold Stories and never before merging the two initiatives, AT&T thought it was important to show Fortune’s film to Essence Fest attendees.
The multicultural leads for the Black segment of AT&T consumers added a panel and screening into its programming, a move that not only ladders up to the brand’s overarching long-term DEI strategy but bolsters its mission of empowering the Black community.
Connecting the dots
AT&T, together with Tribeca Festival, is entering its seventh installment of the Untold Stories partnership. The pitch competition awards one filmmaker $1 million to bring their feature film to life and premiere it at the following year’s festival, including mentorship and assistance throughout the film’s development, production and marketing. Past films from Untold Stories have gone on to appear on all major streaming platforms and at more than 95 festivals globally.
As the 2023 Untold Stories winner, Fortune wrote and directed Color Book, a film that follows a devoted father learning to raise his son with Down syndrome as a single parent after his wife died. The two embark on a journey through Atlanta to attend their first baseball game, navigating a series of events along the way. The reception from Essence Fest attendees was overwhelmingly positive, praising the multiple layers of inclusivity in the story.