Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively‘s Group Effort Initiative has partnered with Netflix to expand access to below-the-line career opportunities for members of underrepresented communities.
The new initiative calls for participants to secure access to on-set production training, as well as job placements on multiple Netflix productions throughout the United States and Canada this year.
Group Effort Initiative is financed by Reynolds and Lively, who launched the organization via their respective production companies, Maximum Effort and B for Effort. GEI first brought a group of eight trainees up to Vancouver to work on the set of Reynolds’ hit Netflix movie The Adam Project, where they served as entry-level production assistants in various departments including camera, construction, costume, makeup, production design, production office and VFX.
Following the success of the GEI program on the set of that Shawn Levy movie, Netflix partnered with the org once again on productions including Noah Baumbach‘s White Noise, Kenya Barris‘ comedy You People, and Sam Esmail‘s pandemic drama Leave the World Behind.
“We started the Group Effort Initiative a little less than two years ago to create a pipeline for underrepresented voices in our industry. Its growth has exceeded our wildest expectations and it could not have succeeded as it has without the unwavering support of Netflix,” Reynolds and Lively said in a joint statement. “What started on The Adam Project will now expand to many more Netflix productions. We thank Scott Stuber and the entire team for their commitment to inclusion. We won’t let you down.”
“At Netflix, we believe more people deserve to have their lives reflected on screen and that starts with the important people behind the camera,” added Stuber, who serves as Head of Global Film at Netflix. “We are thrilled to partner with Ryan and Blake to create opportunities for the next generation of creatives who will shape the future of the entertainment industry.”
Netflix’s partnership with GEI is part of its Fund for Creative Equity, which is intended to help create more behind-the-camera opportunities for underrepresented communities within the TV and film industries.
