Hallmark Fosters Diversity in Entertainment Industry

Thanks to partnerships with organizations committed to advancing the careers of talented individuals with a wide range of backgrounds, capabilities and experiences, Hallmark’s collective Kansas City-based businesses saw a 20 percent increase in full-time diversity hires in salaried positions during the last year.

“It’s imperative that we have a diverse workforce to create the diverse set of products our consumers expect from us,” said Fred Wise, human resources director, global talent acquisition. “It’s why we invest time and resources in partnerships to attract and hire diverse talent at all levels of the company.”

One such partnership with Management Leadership for Tomorrow  (MLT)  began three years ago. The organization helps to equip African-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans with skills, coaching and connections to become leaders in organizations. Hallmark has received acceptances from more than 50 percent of its total offers to candidates from the group, including three hires in 2017.

“It has been one of the best partnerships we’ve had to broaden our intern and entry-level hiring pools,” noted Wise.

Another relationship opening doors to a diverse set of young people across the United States is with Enactus. The organization held its national conference in Kansas City, Missouri, where college students shared project results and competed in business and entrepreneurial events. Hallmark sponsored the 2017 conference and is increasing its level of support the next two years while the event remains in the company’s hometown.

Two additional organizations Hallmark is working with are the Network of Executive Women, to help recruit executive-level talent, and Hiring Our Heroes, which recruits military veterans for key supply chain, logistics  and technical skill positions.

Download and read more from our full 2017 “Caring In Action” Social Responsibility Report here.