Achieving representational diversity in TV entertainment is a challenge with which many TV executives struggle and it’s one that can be conquered not by looking in front of the camera, but behind it.

A panel of experts at the 2016 Diversity Discussion in Television & Video hosted in New York City on Monday discussed how producers can tell more authentic stories and why it matters not only to their audiences but to marketers and advertisers.

The panelists agreed that achieving a diversity of voices, faces and experiences in front of the camera stems from an inclusive cast of professionals—writers, directors, showrunners—working behind the camera.

“I started as a writer and producer in scripted,” said DMA, president of Planet DMA, a media and technology consulting company.

“I was very often, as some of us say, the only chip in the cookie: sometimes the only person of color, almost always the only woman while I was writing,” she said. “So my point of view for diversity on screen is diversity off screen.”

Sports media and entertainment faces similar challenges, said Benjamin Spencer, director of communications for Relevent Sports. “It is an industry dominated by people of color on the field, but not necessarily off it,” he said.

“We’ve seen an increase of reporters who are of color or who have unique cultural experiences, but how many of their editors are?” he asked.

While the panelists noted that both broadcast and cable channels have a long way to go in terms of reflecting the real world in their programming, they agreed that Amazon and Netflix are two content providers that are getting it right and they’re reaping the rewards.

The streaming content seems to be running away with it,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, an organization that advocates for the LGBTQ communities in media.

“They have a different business model, so you’ve got to be honest about that part of it, too,” Ellis said, “but definitely Netflix and Amazon are the biggest risk-takers.”

It’s a strategy, said Adam Moore, national director for EEO & Diversity at SAG-AFTRA, that starts “at the top.”

“There’s a certain amount of intentionality about it…when the head of a network or studio says, ‘this is what I need to see, and your job depends on it,’ that’s when people start to react differently,” Moore said.

DMA noted it’s also important for TV executives to move beyond lip service in hiring practices when it comes to diversity.

“I think that the way that we approach diversity and inclusion in our industry now is very much a process oriented experience and not an outcome oriented experience,” she said.

“Our job in leadership is not to say, ‘well, we cast a wide net’ or to fall back on ridiculous platitudes,” she added. Instead, she said, we need to ask: “Have we actually achieved an experience of parity?”

Promoting diversity in TV entertainment goes beyond just doing the right thing, though.

SAG’s Moore said executives need to pay attention to diversity and inclusion if they want to attract more advertising dollars.

“All the numbers report the same thing – more money and more eyeballs follow those authentic stories. Period. Audiences and advertiser dollars and all the rest are going to places that are about intentional inclusivity,” he said.

The reason? Diverse voices lead to richer, more interesting stories.

“This is the best business decision that people can make,” said Moore. “Think about it: these are stories that no one has told before, these are the untapped stories, the untapped talent.”

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