Encouraging Diverse Candidates to Pursue Careers in Technology with Electronic Arts

Challenge

Global interactive entertainment leader Electronic Arts (EA) believes in creating games and experiences for its player community that reflect our diverse world. Inclusion is a central pillar of the company’s outreach platform and EA studios across the world are committed to supporting gender equality.

In 2017, the EA Tiburon studio tapped Curley & Pynn to boost its local diversity and inclusion efforts, with a focus on increasing the number of women in technical roles and enhance its reputation as an ideal workplace for women in technology.

With several programs already underway to reach primary school and college students, we worked with the client to identify opportunities for EA Tiburon to reach high school students. The client zeroed in on students with coding experience, citing the studio’s need to foster next-generation, highly skilled female software engineers. This was emphasized by third-party data, which suggested the shortage of women in technology stems partly from a shortage of women pursuing related college degrees.

The Strategic Firm^® Approach

We conducted extensive research to understand the high school computer science curriculum in surrounding school districts, including interviews with subject-matter experts and local students. As well, we identified key factors that influence a students’ decision to pursue their chosen degree program in college. Understandably, real-world experience and role models weigh heavily on this decision.

Knowing this, we planned to host an in-person event – “Get in the Game” – where students would receive hands-on training and mentorship from the Women’s Ultimate Team Employee Resource Group – one of the EA Tiburon studio’s voluntary, employee-led groups that unite around a common affinity, experience or interest to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace.

On our recommendation to incorporate unique elements into the curriculum that would attract potential student and media interest, EA guaranteed an internship interview to every participant and allowed students to bring home the laptops they used to complete project work throughout the week. These elements helped us market the program to secure an inaugural class of 10 students from four local high schools.

The pursuit of meaningful media coverage included distributing an alert strategically driving media to cover the program’s kick-off, where they experienced a studio tour and presentation by an EA executive that showcased key messaging about careers in the video game industry and diversity/inclusion efforts. During the week, we continued pitching targeted outlets to cover the program in person or conduct phone interviews. On the last day, our final push for coverage included a news release distributed with tailored pitches and photos specifically highlighting the participants relevant to each outlet.

Results

“Get in the Game” experienced tremendous success in its first year, marked by continued relationships with several participants who became interns or employees with the company. The program has since become a signature STEAM outreach initiative for EA Tiburon. It annually supports career exploration for 16 high school students who identify as female or non-binary, building on the initial framework for programming and coding education established in partnership with Curley & Pynn.

Each year, EA receives an average of more than 50 applications from Central Florida students. Through word-of-mouth, students as far away as Tampa and Ocala have learned about and applied for the program now hosted at EA’s studio in downtown Orlando’s Creative Village since 2022. Student feedback continues to reflect remarks from the first post-event survey, in which one student said, “Please keep doing this. LIFE CHANGING.” Most students leave the program feeling somewhat or extremely likely that they will pursue a career at EA and agree it enhanced their coding skills.

Along with direct impact, Curley & Pynn has also elevated EA’s profile as an advocate for STEAM outreach through media relations. Media coverage reaches millions of potential camp participants and supporters each year with stories about the inspirational students who participate and their continued relationships with EA after the program. Highlights include:

• Spectrum News 13: EA Sports Camp inspires girls to go into tech

• Orlando Tech News: EA summer camp helps address oncoming tech workforce shortage

• WESH-TV NBC Orlando: Girls code toward future in tech in EA’s camp

• Orlando Sentinel: Electronic Arts summer camp helps grow girls’ interest in creating video games

Perhaps the best indication of success is EA’s continued engagement of Curley & Pynn to support program management and lead media relations each year. In 2023, we saw a record number of applicants from 57 students representing 22 different Central Florida high schools. In the same year, our media outreach resulted in 11 placements with a potential reach of 24 million people.