How Strong Black Lead became a key part of Netflix's brand

Fast Company

The Strong Black Lead initiative has "organically evolved from a simple suggestion to elevate Netflix’s catalog of Black programming into a deeper conversation and relationship with Black audiences through podcasts, video content, and campaigns that coalesce around the idea that there’s not a monolithic Black experience or single way to be Black," says KC Ifeanyi. Strong Black Lead, he notes, is actually what Netflix’s Black employee resource group called their recruiting events. “They had these shirts and these notebooks and people didn’t even care to get our business card. They were like, ‘But where can I get that shirt, though?'” says Maya Watson, director of editorial and publishing at Netflix.. “If you wear it, then that says something. You identify with that. So that’s how we came up with the name Strong Black Lead—shoutout to our HR partners!” Strong Black Lead went public with the now famous “A Great Day in Hollywood” spot that aired during the 2018 BET Awards. “How do we start to do something that feels artful and impactful? And it’s not just like a sizzle spot,” says Watson. “What we were trying to show is the depth and breadth of the talent that we had on the Netflix service. A lot of Black audiences, we had found in research, didn’t understand that we are one of the biggest producers and creators of Black content in entertainment. We hadn’t really shown the full tapestry of what we had.”