The roar of a stadium, the anticipation builds, and the crowd goes wild! One could argue that the most important special effects in movies are the background sounds that bring realism to each unique shot.
In the recent Sony Pictures Animation sports film, “GOAT,” those sounds also created meaningful employment opportunities for nearly two dozen voice over actors with disabilities. This represents a generative shift in Hollywood, as creators change the game with intentional inclusion in entertainment. Score! In L.A., the entertainment industry drives both culture and jobs. Impact-driven decisions are happening, not just in terms of showing more representation on screen, but also who is getting employed to create the work. On its new film “GOAT,” Sony has formed some powerhouse collaborations that create new meaningful pathways for social impact that electrify arenas behind the scenes, on screen and for young fans from coast to coast.
To start, L.A.-based Sony and “GOAT” producers – including NBA superstar Stephen Curry and Michelle Raimo Kouyate – partnered with the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge and its founder Nic Novicki to assemble the world’s first all-Disability Loop Group. The Loop Group employed nearly two dozen voice over actors with disabilities. With one in four Americans living with visible and invisible disabilities, and only about 22% of them employed, this push to create pathways for employment is an example of real change we need to – and are starting to see – more of.
“GOAT” is built around a radical idea of inclusion. At its center is a small goat named Will, an unlikely hero who competes in the film’s fictional sport named Roarball. With no weight classes and no restrictions, anyone can compete in Roarball based on skill, determination and teamwork. Our protagonist Will proves his mighty tenacity can outweigh his perceived limitations, rewriting expectations for what’s possible. Sure – the film boasts bigtime voice actors including Jennifer Hudson, Jelly Roll, Steph Curry and “Stranger Things’” Caleb McLaughlin as Will, but behind the scenes, the Disability Loop Group is a global cinematic first, and may just be the real Roarball VIP Allstars.
Rarely seen by audiences but essential for production, loop groups create the background sounds that bring scenes to life and are one of the most scalable entry points for inclusive hiring. Skills-based voice over work represents a high-demand category for actors across productions, with several training pipelines specifically focused on preparing adults with disabilities with expertise for various entertainment industry jobs, including special effects, animation, voice over, production roles, acting, comedy and more. Training programs like L.A.-based Spectrum Laboratory, Autism in Entertainment, Easterseals Disability Film Challenge and others provide access for studios to find talent, and vice versa.
Sony found a way to strengthen its creative workforce, and it was not just a one-off. A few years ago, Sony announced its Talent Development Program, which aims to bring underrepresented talent into the animation industry, and tapped Novicki to voice Lego Spider-Man in the “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” movie.
Advocates and allies like Novicki, and autism workforce development changemaker Marlene Sharp realize there’s no end to the impact adults with disabilities can contribute to the entertainment industry if given a ticket to the arena. Sharp works with several workforce development groups that empower neurodiverse adults with skills-based training and to create opportunities to showcase their talent. They include Autism in Entertainment, Love on the Spectrum’s Dani Bowman, Danimation Autism Positive animation studio, and the Spectrum Laboratory in Hollywood.
Inclusivity taking shape
The shift is taking shape across Los Angeles. At Laugh Factory in Hollywood, President David Fuhrer has been working with Sharp to create space for comedians with disabilities as they build their careers, connect with audiences. This year, a show called “Netflix is A Joke Presents: Laughs on the Spectrum” produced in partnership with Autism in Entertainment and The Spectrum Laboratory is set to open the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival on May 4.
Inclusive hiring practices aren’t just a nice thing to do; disability workforce and training pipelines are powering real opportunities for businesses and society overall. Not only do they unlock incredible pools of talent for the studios, but according to the World Economic Forum, in the U.S., working-age adults with disabilities control about $490 billion in buying power. So, creating jobs for them increases economic advancement for a whole group of talented folks and the overall economy.
Back to Sony, the studio seems to realize their commitment to impact must not just be surfacy. As such they’re extending Will and “GOAT’s” inspiring impact beyond the screen. They partnered with another NBA superstar, Kevin Love and the Kevin Love Fund, to bring a program called GOAT: Beyond the Game, to students nationwide. It is a free curriculum created to help students normalize mental health struggles, build confidence, navigate their emotions and develop a growth mindset; and Sony further extends their impact beyond the screen. From expanding pipelines for workforce inclusion to connecting with kids over important causes in schools, this is what it looks like to drive change across the entire playing field.
Impact activist and executive director of the Kevin Love Fund, Regina Miller said, “When superstar athletes like Stephen Curry and Kevin Love lead with intention, it creates real openings to connect with young people in ways that feel honest and accessible. At its core, the story told through GOAT and this collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation does just that.”
A rising tide lifts all ships. In today’s world and especially in Los Angeles, the global capital of storytelling, we each have access to play with purpose in ways that can impact people’s lives and widen playing fields instead of narrowing them. Let the next chapter be truly transformative, defined not just by the stories we tell, but also who gets to create them, and how we inspire the ripple effect of change along the way to be the Greatest of All Time.
Genna Rosenberg is the founder of L.A.-based global licensing and product agency GennComm and the Play with Purpose Platform. She writes, speaks, and mentors companies, students and professionals on social impact and purpose-driven leadership.
