FREDIE

Our Approach

1. Purpose

At Dante Media, we believe communication has the power to create change. That same belief guides how we work as a team and how we engage with our clients, partners, and communities. This FREDIE Policy sets out our commitment to building a culture of Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement – ensuring every person we work with feels valued, heard, and empowered to contribute their best. This policy reflects our mission to create impact through communication and our vision to lead the transformation towards an impact-driven creative industry. It also aligns with broader best practices in Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) underscoring our dedication to using business as a force for good.

2. Our Principles

We integrate FREDIE into everything we do – from how we hire, collaborate, and create, to the work we deliver for our clients. Our core principles include:

Fairness

We make decisions based on merit, transparency, and integrity. Everyone at Dante Media – from employees and freelancers to partners and clients – is treated with impartiality and given equal consideration and access to opportunities. We are committed to fair processes in all aspects of our work, including upholding justice and consistency in how we reward, recognize, and promote talent.

Respect

We cultivate a culture of openness, empathy, and active listening. We value different perspectives, experiences, and voices. All interactions – whether among team members or with clients and suppliers – are approached with professionalism and kindness. We maintain zero tolerance for disrespect, harassment, or bullying.

Equality

We ensure that all individuals, regardless of gender, ethnic background or otherwise identity, have equal access to roles, development, and recognition within the organisation. This means proactively identifying and removing systemic and unconscious biases in our processes and communications. We comply with all relevant equality and non-discrimination laws and go beyond mere compliance to actively level the playing field by conducting regular internal training and survey audits. Decisions regarding hiring, pay, promotion, and rewards are made objectively.  

Diversity

We embrace difference as a strength. Our creativity and innovation thrive when collaborating across various cultures, genders, languages, abilities, and lived experiences. Our team has always been completely multicultural with everyone not only from a different country but also often living in a country they are not from as immigrants. We strive for our team to be truly representative of the diverse communities we serve. This includes actively seeking to recruit, retain, and partner with people from underrepresented groups in the creative industry. We also aim for diversity in our leadership and decision-making bodies, believing that inclusive governance yields better decisions and outcomes .

Inclusion

We aim to create an environment where everyone feels safe to express themselves authentically and belong. Being inclusive means ensuring our workplace, meetings, and creative outputs are accessible and considerate of different needs and cultural contexts. This is especially important to us as an agency serving global organisations that represent various cultures, geographies and demographics. Everyone’s voice is encouraged, and we foster an atmosphere where feedback and dialogue are welcome so that all feel involved in shaping our culture and campaigns.

Engagement

We view FREDIE as an ongoing engagement and dialogue, not a one-time initiative. We continuously involve our team, clients, and collaborators in meaningful discussions, education, and reflection on these principles. Engagement also means empowering everyone to take part – whether it’s contributing ideas to improve workplace inclusion or co-creating solutions with clients that advance social impact. We recognize that maintaining an inclusive culture requires ongoing effort, curiosity, and willingness to learn from one another.

3. Implementation

To put our FREDIE principles into practice, Dante Media commits to the following actions and initiatives:

• Inclusive & Equitable Hiring: We use fair, transparent, and bias-aware recruitment practices to attract diverse talent across geographies, genders, backgrounds, and experiences. This includes writing inclusive job descriptions, broadening our outreach to diverse job boards and communities, and using structured interviews to minimise bias. We seek to build teams that bring a wide range of perspectives. All candidates are given equal consideration for employment and advancement, and we do not unlawfully discriminate on any basis (such as age, disability, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation) .
  
  
• Equitable Work Practices: We ensure fair pay, benefits, and growth opportunities for everyone. Dante Media is committed to providing at least a living wage compensation to all employees and freelancers,  and we periodically review pay and promotion processes to uphold equity (addressing any gender or ethnicity pay gaps). We support flexible and inclusive work arrangements (e.g. remote work, flexible hours) to accommodate different needs and responsibilities. We also make learning and development accessible to all, so that each team member has an equal chance to develop skills and advance in their career.
  
  
• Safe & Respectful Workplace: We maintain a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and discrimination. All individuals – whether staff, client, or vendor – are expected to treat others with respect. We also recognise that harassment can have legal consequences; we are committed to protecting our team and upholding all laws related to workplace safety, anti-discrimination and dignity at work. Managers are trained to handle concerns promptly and sensitively, and to foster a culture of respect in their teams.
  
  
• Representation in Communication: We review all creative and strategic output to ensure ethical, inclusive, and responsible representation of people and issues. This means our client campaigns, content, and imagery are vetted for diversity and cultural sensitivity. We avoid harmful stereotypes and seek to tell authentic stories that empower and inspire. We are mindful of accessibility in our communications – for instance, considering readability, providing alternative text for images, and ensuring content is inclusive for people with disabilities. In essence, what we create for the public reflects our FREDIE values. If a piece of work or a brief does not meet our ethical standards (e.g. it perpetuates bias or exclusion), we will address it or refuse it.
  
  
• Continuous Learning & Development: We provide regular opportunities for awareness-building and upskilling around FREDIE principles. This includes training sessions on topics like unconscious bias, inclusive language, cultural competence, anti-harassment, and accessibility. All employees and managers are educated about their rights and responsibilities under this policy . We commit to hosting at least one all-team Diversity & Inclusion training or workshop per year (often more), and encourage participation in external seminars, webinars, or courses to broaden our understanding. Through continuous learning, we aim to evolve our understanding and stay proactive in embedding best practices.
  
  
• Supplier and Partner Diversity: Our commitment to FREDIE extends to our supply chain and partnerships. We prefer to work with vendors, freelancers, and partner organisations who share our values. Wherever feasible, we seek out suppliers owned by underrepresented or marginalized groups and include diversity criteria in our vendor selection as well as vendor lists. We believe in using our purchasing power and collaborative projects to advance equity beyond our own company. This might include partnering with social enterprises, minority-owned businesses, or B Corp certified suppliers that uphold high standards of social and environmental performance.

4. Our Commitments as a Creative Agency

Our role as a creative agency comes with an opportunity – and responsibility – to drive positive change through the work we do. As part of initiatives like the Creatives for Climate and Clean Creatives networks, we extend our FREDIE principles beyond our internal culture to our industry practices and client engagements. In practical terms, we refuse to participate in communications or projects that promote discrimination, environmental harm, or social injustice. We recognize that the messages we craft and amplify have real impact, so we choose to use our creative skills to challenge inequality, foster empathy, and empower authentic representation in media and marketing.

We actively seek projects and partnerships that align with our mission of impact. Our campaigns and creative strategies are designed to uplift diverse voices and tell stories that might otherwise go unheard. We also leverage our platform to advocate for causes aligned with fairness and inclusion – whether that means supporting non-profits through pro bono work, running awareness campaigns, or collaborating with other agencies and B Corps to improve industry standards. By staying true to these commitments, we aim to lead by example and show that creative communication can be a force for equity and sustainability, not just profit.

5. Responsibility and Review

The overall responsibility for implementing and upholding this policy rests with Dante Media’s leadership team. Leadership will champion FREDIE values in strategic decisions and allocate resources to these efforts. However, every employee, contractor, and partner has a role in making this policy a reality. Managers at all levels are expected to promote fairness, respect, and inclusion within their teams – for example, by being vigilant against bias in day-to-day decisions and ensuring team members feel safe and included. A designated FREDIE Champion or committee may periodically be appointed to coordinate initiatives, gather feedback, and recommend improvements, but ultimately everyone on the team is empowered to speak up and contribute to our inclusive culture.

We treat this policy as a living document. It will be formally reviewed annually to ensure it remains relevant, actionable, and aligned with both our internal evolution and the broader ethical landscape of the creative industry. As laws change or new best practices in Diversity & Inclusion emerge, we will update our approach accordingly.Any updates or changes to the policy will be communicated openly to all team members (and clients or partners as needed) to maintain transparency. By regularly reviewing and reporting on our FREDIE commitments, we hold ourselves accountable and demonstrate that these values are more than words – they are integral to how we do business.