Exposing Anti-White Harassment + Discrimination in US Media Companies
FAQs
SPCSHP
FAIL
spcshp.com
TYPE: Advertising Agency
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS: One Equity Partners (OEP), LDC (Lloyds Development Capital), et al. (via parent company MSQ)
OWNER: MSQ
SUBSIDIARIES:
2022 REVENUE: $31.5 million
HEADCOUNT: 140
1 Willoughby Square
235 Duffield Street, Suite 1701
Brooklyn, NY 11201
info@spcshp.com
+1 718 222 0281
SPCSHP, now a subsidiary of MSQ backed by private equity firms One Equity Partners and LDC, publicly emphasizes its commitment to DEIB, led by Black woman Apryl Gordy (VP, Social Media and Sr. Manager, Impact) who reports to CEO Ranae Heuer, with oversight from Founder Michael Lebowitz and likely HR head Kristin Daversa. Lindsay Molsen, prior to her departure in September 2024, held the role of Managing Director, with responsibilities explicitly including overseeing the agency's DEI strategy. The agency’s asserts that DEIB is "ingrained in our DNA" and a “fundamental organizational priority”. SPCSHIP’s commitment was further formalized in August 2024 with the launch of an "Impact" offering, explicitly designating DE&I as one of its four foundational pillars. Apryl Gordy’s professional background centers on creating standardized DEI processes to ensure “equitable outcomes”*. At Huge agency, she was the DE&I Global Affinity Lead, building their global DE&I deparment while founding RGB (Red, Black, and Green), a global Black affinity group, which has directed over $300K to Black-owned businesses. At SPCSHP, Gorgy aims to "eradicate boxes of a status quo," a stance that, given her DE&I background, may suggest an equity-focused approach potentially perceived as antagonistic to Whiteness. Job site listings for SPCSHP sometimes list "Bias Training" as a potential perk. DEI bias training risks being seen as harassment of White employees under EEOC and NYSHRL (§ 296) standards if it fosters a hostile environment or implicitly targets them racially through discussions that frame Whites as inherently privileged or complicit in systemic inequality. The profile of SPCSHP's clientele has significant implications. Major corporations like Google, JPMorgan Chase, Starbucks, and PepsiCo typically possess their own comprehensive internal DEI policies and increasingly implement robust supplier diversity programs. These programs often require vendors and partners, such as advertising agencies, to meet specific diversity criteria, demonstrate inclusive practices, and provide related data reporting as a condition of engagement. Consequently, SPCSHP's own approach to DEI may be substantially shaped by the need to comply with the explicit requirements and implicit expectations of its major clients.
SPCSHP owner MSQ’s Diversity Council and 9 D&I Commitments are likely to influence SPCSHP by providing a structured framework, resources, and accountability for advancing DEI. Referring to the nine D&I commitments, MSQ CEO Peter Reid wrote, “All employees are responsible for the promotion and advancement of this policy. And it is held to account by a DEI Council, made up of MSQ employees from across the group, and overseen by the MSQ Chairman. Behaviour, actions or words that are not in line with the policy will not be tolerated and should be escalated to the HR team for appropriate action to be taken...This policy is applicable to all employees, secondees, agency staff, clients, communities, suppliers and contractors, whether permanent or temporary and applies to all processes relating to recruitment, onboarding, training and relationships with customers and clients.” MSQ's nine DEI policies commit to tracking diversity data, increasing minority hiring, eliminating the gender pay gap, enhancing diversity at all levels, fostering an inclusive and equitable culture, providing anti-bias training, developing minority-focused programs, ensuring inclusive work, and increasing DEI partnerships. The policies, particularly those focused on increasing minority hiring to match population levels, boosting ethnic and gender diversity with specific targets, and creating programs exclusively for minority individuals**, raise significant legal concerns under US federal law and the NYSHRL because they could be interpreted as discriminatory practices that prioritize protected characteristics over individual qualifications, potentially leading to unlawful disparate treatment and violating the principles of equal opportunity by explicitly favoring certain groups based on race, ethnicity, or gender in hiring, promotion, and program access. The lack of transparency makes it impossible to ascertain whether SPCSHP’s DEI initiatives, under the leadership of Gordy, Heuer, Lebowitz, Daversa, Molsen, and parent company MSQ and CEO Peter Reid, adhere to non-discriminatory practices and avoid creating a hostile work environment based on race.
Institutional investors like One Equity Partners (OEP) and LDC (Lloyds Development Capital) increasingly emphasize Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, including diversity and inclusion metrics, in their investment stewardship and proxy voting guidelines. This external pressure from major parent company shareholders likely serves as a significant driver for SPCSHP's public commitments and strategic focus on ESG and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). Consequently, accountability for the design and impact of DEI initiatives rests primarily with the company's leadership and board, who must navigate these influential investor expectations.
*DEI "equity" involves prioritizing certain racial, gender, or identity groups with targeted resources or opportunities to ensure equal outcomes at the cost of fairness and individual merit. DEI’s equity focus shares some similarities with communism and socialism in its group-based, redistributive approach, and with totalitarianism in ideological coercion.
**In 2025, non-Hispanic Whites are a minority in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Georgia, with several other states like Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Arizona approaching majority-minority status. At an estimated 12.6% of the global population, White people are a global minority. Despite this, MSQ CEO Peter Reid intends the use of the word “minorities” to be understood as non-Whites.
This information is based on publicly available information, including websites, case studies, and news articles from a recent period. To ensure you have the most accurate and current information, please refer to the company's official announcements. The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice; consult a licensed attorney for specific legal guidance.
DieDEI.co is waiting on internal materials for a fuller picture of SPCSHP’s DEI program. Follow us on social and subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
NOTE: Client lists are subject to change. This information is based on publicly available information, including websites, case studies, and news articles from a recent period. To ensure you have the most accurate and current information, please refer to the company's official announcements.