Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is a global entertainment and media company established as a result of the 2022 merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery. WBD is a powerhouse in the entertainment, media, and technology industries. Owning iconic brands such as HBO, CNN, Discovery Channel, and many more. As a corporate entity, WBD is dedicated to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Guided by three CSR pillars of helping vulnerable communities, creating career pathways, and protecting the planet.
Entertainment has the power to inspire, educate, and connect people. WBD takes this belief one step further by using its reach to support those in need. The company has partnered with organizations that focus on issues like food insecurity, mental health, and youth empowerment.
Some initiatives include:
- Wonka and No Kid Hungry: Inspired by the film Wonka, WBD teamed up with No Kid Hungry to provide meals for children facing food insecurity.
- Where to Turn: A hub that connects viewers with mental health sources.
- Godzilla x Kong and the Red Cross: A partnership with the American Red Cross to help end national blood shortages.
By leveraging its huge media influence, WBD goes beyond raising awareness by actually helping fund and drive change in communities that need it most.
Joining the entertainment industry doesn’t come easy, but WBD addresses this by offering career pathways for aspiring talent through training, mentorship, and job opportunity programs.
Key programs include:
- CrewHQ: Provides hands-on training for film and TV production, helping the next generation of crew members get a foot into the industry.
- WBD Access to Action: Offers individuals a chance at below-the-line jobs on film and television productions.
- CNN Academy: An international training program that offers aspiring journalists with the skills and experience needed to thrive in the world of news.
- Warner Bros. Discovery Story Lab: A comic-book-inspired in-school program in partnership with Young Storytellers that helps students find their voices through storytelling.
At the major media forefront, WBD understands its responsibility to minimize its environmental impact. From sustainable production practices to encouraging audiences to take action, the company is committed to making a difference. One of Warner Bros. Discovery’s notable CSR initiatives is its commitment to protecting the environment and spreading environmental awareness. The company uses its voice to inspire others to actions.
Key programs include:
- Earth Day: WBD employees around the world volunteer to environmental projects that benefit local communities every year.
- Encore: WBD donates food and surplus items to local nonprofits to help give back and reduce food waste in locations where production is done.
- Environmental Storytelling and Content: WBD integrates environmentally-friendly themes into its programming, using its content to inspire audiences to take action for the planet.
By providing programs like this, WBD is proving that entertainment and environmental responsibility align with one another.
In order for these programs to be effective, WBD ensures the word gets spread and communicates CSR efforts through multiple channels. Utilizing its own properties to spread awareness about its social impact initiatives is key. Different TV networks like CNN and Discovery Channel to streaming platforms like Max.
As well as staying active online. Social media and digital engagement enables WBD to be part of a conversation with its audiences. WBD makes an effort to share updates on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube, but storytelling is at the core. WBD incorporates meaningful narratives around its CSR efforts, making the impact feel more personal and relatable. It has been able to increase awareness of its environmental and social goals, particularly in the entertainment industry, where sustainability and diversity are becoming important topics for consumers.
The CSR initiatives of WBD align with the company’s overall brand and values. As a company known for delivering unique, high-quality content that entertains and informs, WBD’s commitment to helping vulnerable communities, creating career pathways, and protecting the planet is a natural extension of its identity. The integration of these CSR initiatives helps the company not only fulfill its corporate responsibility but also differentiate itself. WBD is using its influence to make a real-world impact.
To learn more about Warner Bros. Discovery’s CSR efforts, read: https://www.wbd.com/esg/our-community/#:~:text=Committed%20to%20protecting%20the%20environment,positive%20impact%20on%20the%20environment.
Watch the Wonka and No Kid Hungry PSA here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJbeixyNDtY
Natalie Thomas 