How can we make our sets more inclusive?

It’s no secret that the work of an actor can involve intense emotional labor. But for some actors, that tension, unfortunately, can also come from their work environment! How can we ensure the culture on film sets will be rooted in mutual respect — and inclusive of all actors? (Hint: Inclusivity should never be an afterthought!) In this Lunch&Learn, Gretchen Wylder (These Thems) and Nike Imoru (Nike Imoru Casting) will share their insights on fostering safe, supportive, inclusive sets for their cast.

Building an Inclusive Set for Your Cast is the first event in our Ethical Set Series. We hope to see you at future events, where together we’ll focus on building an industry with inclusion at the forefront of our work!

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Nike (PR: NEE-kay) Imoru (she/her) is a British-Nigerian casting director, producer, actress of stage and screen, and actor’s coach. She is the president and co-founder of Rebel Kat Productions, a female-led film finance company. Her producerial debut with Rebel Kat All Those Small Things, had its world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival (dir Andrew Hyatt and starring James Faulkner). She is the owner of The Actor's Way studio, a psychotherapeutic approach to actor training. Her diversity casting zoom room , set up during the pandemic,was an invitation to diverse actors around the world to audition and be seen by a CSA casting director. Check out Nike's website and facebook.

Gretchen Wylder (she/they) is a multi-disciplinary artist and the creator/writer/actor of award-winning queer comedy series These Thems. Gretchen has a vast theatre and comedy background, having performed internationally, regionally, and in Chicago and NYC theatres for the past 15 years before recently relocating to LA. She trained in sketch and improv at UCB and Second City and developed a successful Burlesque persona, competing at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. Gretchen is currently writing her first novel, a supernatural hero's adventure story with a female protagonist. They are the sole owner of intersectional feminist production company, Wylder Womyn Productions LLC, which makes art for and in community with other marginalized people, with the intention of making the world a slightly better place through a radically loving and empathetic lens. Watch These Thems on Outfest Now, free for the month of June! Follow Gretchen on Instagram and Twitter.

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This event is supported by WeTransfer.

Having made its name in the game of quick and simple file-sharing, WeTransfer has grown into an end-to-end suite of digital solutions with more than 70 million monthly active users in 190 countries. WeTransfer’s set of tools are specifically designed to enable creative professionals to inspire, conceive, share, and deliver their work. The company celebrates and inspires its global creative community on WePresent, WeTransfer’s editorial platform to 4m monthly readers. As a certified B Corporation WeTransfer strives to use business as a force for good. Since the beginning WeTransfer has donated up to 30% of advertising real estate to raise awareness for artists, creative work, and the world’s most pressing issues such as climate change and gun control. This amounts to more than $300 million to date and has led to partnerships with artists and organizations like Marina Abramovic, Björk, FKA twigs, Ryan McGinley, Solange Knowles, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and the UN Development Program. Follow WeTransfer on Instagram and Twitter.

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