Fall 2021 Influence Fellowship

Hear from our 1st fellow:

As storytellers, we influence culture and drive public dialogue. However, our stories often don't reflect the diversity of voices that exist in society. The PR industry in the U.S. is almost 88% White, 8.3% Black, 5.7% Hispanic-American, and 2.6% Asian-American. Meanwhile, BIPOC communities make up over 36.5% of the total U.S. population, demonstrating a disparity in representation that continues to overshadow their voices throughout the media.

Transparency and self-reflection are necessary for the pursuit of racial equality. VSC itself is BIPOC-led and founded, and while in 2019 19% of our team identified as being part of under-represented groups, in 2021 we are proud to say that we have hit 45%. But this doesn't mean we can stop making this a priority.  We can and will do better. We’re committing to hiring and promoting under-represented groups including senior consultants, account managers, and our yearly summer intern class.

To achieve this, we’ve generated a plan to make lasting change within VSC and the broader communications and tech industries through the continued empowerment of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students. Despite their efficiency, referrals and national job boards don’t expand the pipeline of qualified applicants, so we’re creating our own. Here’s how:

VSC Influence Fellowship: Continuing last year's inaugural success, VSC is seeking fellows for its 2nd annual, paid, 12-week fellowship for under-represented college Juniors and Seniors interested in the intersection of technology and communications. Through hands-on client work, VSC fellows will receive a springboard into the tech communications industry.

The LAGRANT Foundation Partnership: To improve diversity in hiring, VSC has entered a partnership with The LAGRANT Foundation, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to increase the number of BIPOC identifying professionals in the fields of advertising, marketing, and public relations through scholarships, career & professional development workshops, mentors and internships.

Externally, we’re dedicating our time and resources to work with founders from under-represented groups, continuing to meet our benchmark of having this group represent at least 30% of our agency business.

These preliminary actions are the first of many that we will continue to implement towards creating a more inclusive team, industry, and society. We welcome feedback and conversation from our peers, colleagues, and beyond.