Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively mark Group Effort Initiative five-year milestone

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are marking the fifth anniversary of their Group Effort Initiative, the Hollywood training and mentorship program they founded to expand access for people from underrepresented communities. In an interview with Variety’s Marc Malkin, the couple reflected on the program’s beginnings, rapid growth and its next phase.

The initiative launched with eight trainees on the Vancouver set of Reynolds’ 2020 Netflix film The Adam Project, with Group Effort covering each participant’s salary and housing. Reynolds said he originally worried the concept might falter, admitting he entered the effort with both optimism and caution. Lively also recalled concerns about starting with a relatively large first group, but said the program found its rhythm within days.

According to figures shared with Variety, Group Effort has facilitated more than 1,000 paid placements across film, television and corporate settings over the past five years. The initiative has also supported hundreds of hires at studios and production companies, as well as on-set production assistant roles for more than 200 film and TV projects. Its formal mentorship program, launched three years ago, has matched 640 mentors with mentees, while also hosting a range of virtual and in-person learning events.

Now operating in 20 cities, Group Effort works with over 550 partners, including Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Hollywood CPR and Manifest Works. To commemorate its five-year milestone, the organization released a new video detailing its accomplishments and upcoming goals, including an Adobe-backed Mid-Level Bootcamp designed to help participants advance from assistant-level positions into managerial and directing roles. In the video, Reynolds says the initiative is continuing to "level up even more."

Both founders emphasized that their long-term goal is to help make behind-the-camera representation standard practice across Hollywood. Lively told Variety she hopes to see a future in which access and mentorship are embedded into how productions operate, and where graduates of Group Effort eventually become the decision-makers shaping the industry. Reynolds added that inclusion should be treated as an integral part of creative work rather than an afterthought, arguing that it strengthens the entire filmmaking process.