Hollywood is taking steps to diversify behind the camera. How is it going?
Sarah Cho knew that she wanted to be a writer from the age of 3. But after completing her studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 2017, Ms. Cho had no connections in Hollywood, and no idea how to get into the industry.聽
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if I鈥檇 ever get a chance to be a writer,鈥� she says. Then in 2019, the yearlong writers program from NBCUniversal聽鈥� part of its Global Talent Development & Inclusion initiative (GTDI) 鈥� set her up for success. 鈥淣ear the end of the program, they send your samples out. I got a manager who helped shepherd me through the next steps.鈥�
Ms. Cho was soon hired as a writer on the upcoming Hulu drama series 鈥淭he Girl From Plainville,鈥� and currently has projects in various stages of development. To her, it鈥檚 clear why diversity programs being created by some studios are so important.聽
鈥淲hen you look at the industry, it is a business of relationships. When you鈥檙e from a population that hasn鈥檛 traditionally been included, ... these diversity schemes are really the only chance,鈥� she says.聽
Hollywood鈥檚 aim to be more inclusive, behind the camera as well as in front of it, is being pushed along by its own efforts and by younger audiences for whom the issue is nonnegotiable. The results are sometimes uneven: Few Black or Indigenous people were nominated for directing or writing at this year鈥檚 Emmys, for example.聽
As they find their footing, entertainment companies are starting to invest in equity overall and to launch programs meant to help the industry shake loose from its past.聽
NBCUniversal this year added an animation writers program to its roster of writing, directing, and composing initiatives that have debuted or been revamped in the past four years. (Parent company Comcast made a multiyear commitment in 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, to spend $100 million to fight inequality.) Netflix has also announced new initiatives, including one earlier this month, in conjunction with advocacy group IllumiNative, that will offer a fellowship to Indigenous producers to develop film and TV projects.
鈥淥ur job is to look at the current situation and think about what we want the future to look like. ... We discovered that everybody had to put on an inclusion lens,鈥� says聽Vern膩 Myers, vice president of inclusion strategy at Netflix.
In March, a report by McKinsey & Co. revealed that Hollywood loses out on more than $10 billion a year in revenue because it undervalues projects by Black creators, for example. Audiences are demanding such changes, says Yalda Uhls, founder and executive director of the University of California, Los Angeles-based Center for Scholars and Storytellers. 鈥淓specially younger audiences, who are more multicultural. It鈥檚 a business imperative.鈥�
Moderate improvements have been mostly driven by the streaming platforms, says Darnell Hunt, co-author of UCLA鈥檚 annual Hollywood Diversity Report. 鈥淪treamers don鈥檛 care about ratings as much,鈥� explains Dr. Hunt. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e more influenced by subscribers. So they can take risks on new shows from creators of color, like [Netflix鈥檚] 鈥楽quid Game鈥� and so forth, that would never get a shot on broadcast networks.鈥�
When Ms. Myers was hired in October 2018, Netflix had already established inclusion as one of its core values. But it needed a strategy to really progress.
The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative conducted Netflix鈥檚 first comprehensive study of diversity and inclusion in February 2021. The analysis of original, live-action film and TV series across 2018-19 showed that the studio surpassed the industry standard for women in front of and behind the camera. Improvement was made overall with including underrepresented groups in programming. But the study noted specific groups that are still not featured as often compared with their populations in the United States, including characters from the Latinx (the gender-neutral term) and LGBTQ communities, and people with disabilities. The number of Latinx directors, writers, producers, and series creators was similarly low.
In February, Netflix announced it will spend $100 million over the next five years to fund organizations that help underrepresented communities find jobs in TV and film. In September, the studio announced it will also spend 拢1.2 million ($1.59 million) on a new program that will help develop and support the careers and training of up to 1,000 people, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, across Britain.聽
Ana-Christina Ram贸n, co-author of the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, says studios need to communicate what they are doing and be self-reflective. 鈥淩ecently there have been a lot more programs from the studios for the behind-the-camera positions,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n the past they鈥檝e been solely aimed towards historically Black colleges and universities. But they鈥檙e also understanding that they need to broaden their approach and they need to make sure that they鈥檙e more transparent about what kind of outreach they鈥檙e doing.鈥�
After various media companies approached Craig Robinson, NBCUniversal鈥檚 chief diversity officer, for tips on how to improve in May 2020, he immediately gave them everything he and the company had learned and used. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a company secret that we want to keep to ourselves. We鈥檙e trying to improve diversity, equity, inclusion for the entire industry,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f we can break in a new, diverse writer, director, or producer and keep them on our projects, that鈥檚 great. If they get their first credit with us, but that enables them to make a big deal with one of our聽competitors, that鈥檚 great, too. It鈥檚 not a competition. The work is too important and too large.鈥�
Since the 2017 launch of the company鈥檚 GTDI effort, 30% of alumni from the writing, directing, and composing initiatives have secured credits on NBCUniversal TV shows and films. Mr. Robinson also says the industry needs to do more to get underrepresented groups into top management 鈥� and into situations where they can be heard. At NBCUniversal, the chief diversity officer reports directly to the CEO, he says.聽
鈥淚f you look at Hollywood right now, yes, there鈥檚 a lot of diversity happening at lower-ranking positions. That鈥檚 because of these diversity programs,鈥� says Ms. Cho, the writer. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 still so much more work to do.鈥�
