The entertainment industry as a whole has room to improve when it comes to gender equality. During the 2014-15 TV season, only 23 percent of HBO’s directors weren’t white men, according to the Director’s Guild of America’s findings. HBO decided to change that. Just three years later, that number has more than doubled: During the 2017-2018 season, 57 percent of HBO’s directors were women of color, men of color, and white women. HBO wanted to highlight the creative impact of these women in particular as they continued to push to improve female representation and diversity behind the camera.

During the time of our campaign, diversity and gender representation in the entertainment industry was—and continues to be—extremely relevant. In the era of “Oscars So White,” and “Time’s Up,” people weren’t just talking about inclusion—they were demanding it. As a groundbreaking network, HBO had acknowledged the gender disparity behind the camera and were actively working to change that statistic. And inspire others to do the same.

When it comes to HBO, many people are aware of the women who star in roles in front of the camera. But what they may not know is that there are amazing women in crucial roles behind the camera, too. From directors to writers to cinematographers and producers, women are a fundamental part of making HBO the quality programming that we all know and love. Stories come to life Because of Her. Through this campaign, we wanted to shine the spotlight on these women who are changing the game in the entertainment industry.

We wanted to create a powerful statement that reinforced HBO’s commitment to gender equality, pay parity, and inclusion. A lot of companies talk about empowering women, but we saw this campaign as an opportunity to champion them by highlighting their creative impact.

Through #BecauseOfHer, we wanted to reach entertainment consumers everywhere. In addition, we wanted to inspire other content creators to champion—and hire—women who bring incredible stories to life.

In each piece of content, we see an iconic scene from an HBO show. We then reveal the contributions of each woman behind each unforgettable moment—proving that HBO stories come to life Because of Her.

In Ballers, we see Dwayne Johnson’s character, Spencer, behind bars. But as he speaks, we hear a woman’s voice. We cut to reveal director Chloe Domont in the editing bay requesting a take. We realize that it was her voice the entire time.

In Insecure, we find Issa and Molly discussing an encounter with Issa’s ex. Molly probes a question, but Issa seems stuck—unable to answer. We cut to writer Amy Aniobi typing a script. She types Issa’s next line, allowing Issa to finish her thought onscreen.

This campaign had no paid media buy. Instead, these videos were aired on owned channels like HBO’s viewing platforms, and on their social media platforms.

Without a dollar spent on paid media, the campaign garnered over 219 million impressions. Celebrities featured in the spots took to their own social media channels to spread the word—even Dwayne Johnson organically posted content with sentiment of love and support of the campaign. In a world where attention spans are shorter than ever, the 3 million completed views is a testament to how engaging these stories are and how powerful this campaign is.

Due to the overwhelming response, HBO is continuing the Because of Her campaign, further highlighting their commitment to diversity and gender inclusion. As the campaign continues to evolve, it has helped position HBO as a key leader in the gender equality movement, providing strong women with opportunities to thrive both on and off screen. By creating a platform for women to stand behind, HBO continues to change the status quo and drive conversations that matter.