#AutisticOutLoud aims to deliver new visual content depicting
the resiliency and diversity of the autistic community.
NEW
YORK, June 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hiki,
the world's largest friendship and dating app for the Autistic
community, has partnered with Getty Images (NYSE: GETY),
a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace, to
launch #AustisticOutLoud, a Custom Content initiative to increase
authentic representation of autistic people through the lens of the
community.
Today, about 15-20% of the population worldwide is considered to
be neurodivergent, spanning different genders, ages, races,
and more.[1] Bringing in content creators and
photographers who identify as autistic, the #AutisticOutLoud
campaign features a curated gallery of images and videos that show
the diversity and resilience of the community. The creators will
also become part of Getty Images' global contributor network.
"The autistic community is not a monolith," says Jamil
Karriem, Founder and CEO, Hiki. "Yet in media and entertainment,
they're often infantilized or stereotyped as savants with a voice
that typically centers the experience of white males. At Hiki, our
mission is to connect all people across the autistic community, and
give them a place where their identities and lived experiences can
be honored and validated. A crucial part of that is for the
autistic community to be seen for all of their tremendous
differences and nuances as unique individuals."
Hiki is working with a cross-agency WPP team, led by global
media agency network Mindshare, who has led the partnership with
Getty Images. The WPP team also includes agencies VMLY&R and
Set Creative working on creative branding, strategy, and more.
"Working in media and as someone who is autistic, I was tired of
seeing the regressive, disempowering images of autistic folks in
mass media that are at odds with the community I know – one that is
highly expansive and creative," says Rachel
Lowenstein, one of the autistic content creators featured in
this campaign and a lead on this project as Global Head of
Inclusive Innovation, Mindshare. "I'm proud of this project as an
opportunity for our industry to reshape media to be more
representative to a community that has long been spoken over and
for, by centering our own expressions. That's why we called it
#AutisticOutLoud."
Building on the work Getty Images has undertaken to accurately
represent the disability community at large, content created as
part of this initiative will live on Getty Images' Disability
Collection and Unsplash, and will be available for
commercial use by media platforms and publishers worldwide to help
drive awareness in the industry. At launch, ten autistic Getty
Images' Custom Content photographers and videographers will create
content as part of the brief.
"We're excited to be a part of this initiative and bring in new
perspectives from talented creators who very much represent the
diversity of the autistic community," said Dr. Rebecca Swift, Global Head of Creative Insights
at Getty Images. "This content is another step in our ongoing work
of visualizing disability and our aim is to emphasize to content
creators, brands and agencies the true nature of our global
community."
Getty Images and Mindshare are also working to bring the content
from #AutisticOutLoud to supportive partners and publishers
including the Unstereotype Alliance, convened by UN Women, and
others.
About Hiki
Hiki, established in 2019 and headquartered in New York, NY, serves as the global digital
unifier for the Autistic community. Crafted by a team of
Neurodivergent adults, this mobile app provides a safe, digital
space for Autistic adults to find friendship, love, and community.
It is a space where Neurodiversity is embraced and being atypical
is celebrated.
For more information, visit www.hikiapp.com.
About Getty Images
Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a
preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace that
offers a full range of content solutions to meet the needs of any
customer around the globe, no matter their size. Through
its Getty
Images, iStock and Unsplash brands, websites
and APIs, Getty Images serves customers in almost every country in
the world and is the first-place people turn to discover, purchase
and share powerful visual content from the world's best
photographers and videographers. Getty Images works with over
527,000 contributors and more than 310 content partners to deliver
this powerful and comprehensive content. Each year Getty Images
covers more than
160,000 news, sport and entertainment events
providing depth and breadth of coverage that is unmatched. Getty
Images maintains one of the largest and best
privately-owned photographic archives in the world with
millions of images dating back to the beginning of photography.
For company news and announcements, visit our Newsroom.
About Mindshare
Mindshare is a media services company that accelerates Good
Growth for its clients in the age of
transformation. Good Growth is business growth
that is enduring and sustainable whilst also helping to shape
society and the world for the better. We accelerate it for our
clients by using media as a multiplier to drive
sales and maximize marketing investments. We use Precisely
Human Intelligence that combines data science and
behavioral science to understand consumers and their motivations
better and we act on that intelligence by planning media
with intention to connect brands with consumers around
their shared values. We were the first purpose-built company
created by WPP and today our 10,000 people operate in 116 offices
in 86 countries, helping to drive Good Growth for our clients, our
people, the industry and the world.
Visit us on our website or on the Mindshare LinkedIn page.
APPENDED QUOTES:
Sara Denby, Head of the
Unstereotype Alliance Secretariat at UN Women: "People living
with a disability are hugely underrepresented and often
misrepresented in advertising content around the world. Having
autistic creators and contributors at the helm of #AutisticOutLoud
is so important to reshape the stereotypes and visual narratives
attached to this community. We look forward to seeing this
exemplary initiative come to life and help change perceptions
around the world."
Gillis Williams, Autistic
Content Creator: "I wanted to be a part of this project
because I realize there needs to be more realistic autism
representation in the media and while this project won't completely
solve the issues, it is a good stepping stone for it."
Eddy Herty, VP and National
Creative Director at OUTFRONT Media: "OOH provides one of
the largest and most impactful stages for important messaging. We
are proud to feature content generated by the autistic community to
bring broader visibility in communities across America."
[1] Source: Doyle, N. "Neurodiversity at work: a
biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults."
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SOURCE Mindshare; Hiki