A DAUNTING ROAD FOR WOMEN

No matter how many times this has come up, the question always ignites memories of my early years in the business when the disparity was significant and there were only a limited number of production-related jobs women were expected to fill. They included: script supervisor, hair stylist, makeup artist, costumer, casting director and assistant to a producer, director or studio exec. Production coordinator was another one of those positions, and that’s what I was for many years. I loved my job, but often did the work of the people I worked for, earning a fraction of the salary and recognition. I had to fight harder for raises and had fewer opportunities than my male counterparts. Looking young and being rather short didn’t help matters much, as my abilities were sometimes called into question. I cringe when remembering comments such as: “You’re just a little girl. What can you do?”

There are many women I greatly admire who fought tremendous odds to pursue their dreams. Cinematographer Loren Yaconelli (Shameless, Animal Kingdom, House of Lies, etc.) is one of them. When Loren was eight years old, her dad was the camera operator on The Blues Brothers. She watched him work one day and thought to herself, “That’s what I want to do!” There were many who told her that the camera department wasn’t for women, but she was stubborn and determined to prove them all wrong. She was so sure of the career she wanted, she didn’t feel the need to go to film school. Instead, she went off to college and majored in psychology, which she says she uses every day. When she was 21, her dad helped her get onto her first show. She became a camera loader on the non-union film Cabin Boy—a show that turned union while she was on it, meaning that once she had 30 days under her belt, she was able to join the union. She only worked with her dad a few times before branching out to prove that she could make it on her own.

It was an uphill battle for Loren, who faced open sexism and prejudice at just about every turn. The assumption was that women didn’t know what they were doing. She was told time and again that women aren’t strong enough and that the men she was up against had families to support. Loren is 5’10”, not terribly fragile looking and naturally strong. So the argument that women aren’t strong enough to carry camera equipment didn’t deter her, and she learned to carry heavy equipment her own way. And although there were times when the obstacles in her way were daunting enough to make her doubt that she’d make it, her stubbornness kept her going.

Twenty-two years after she got her first job as a camera loader, Loren became a director of photography. She’s incredibly proud of how she got there after over two decades of hard work and the fact that she didn’t change who she was or have to become less feminine to advance her career. She told me she can bring what she is to work each day instead of letting work change her. And because she’s a woman, she believes she brings something unique to the sets she works on.

Loren is the first to admit that this is still a male-dominated business, with the caveat that it’s getting better. She claims it’s a good time to be a woman in this industry, because more is being done to further gender equality than ever before. But when she was coming up through the ranks, the only way she could succeed was by being better than most. She’s now working on a show that includes women electricians and grips and a young women camera assistant. When asked for advice from the younger generation, she flat out tells them: “Never take ‘no’ for an answer! And decide your own path in life. Don’t let anyone else decide it for you.”

My response to my young female students is to explain that while the industry is still largely white and male-dominated and is still far from the level playing field we’d like it to be, the situation is better than it used to be—and getting better all the time. With a well-documented diversity problem and an ever-growing awareness of the need to create a more inclusive industry, great efforts are now being made to balance the scales —for women as well as for the underrepresented members of our industry.

THE NEED FOR A MORE DIVERSE INDUSTRY

In February of 2016, USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism released a comprehensive report on diversity in entertainment by Stacy L. Smith, Ph.D., Marc Choueiti and Katherine Pieper, Ph.D.: ann­enb­erg.u­sc.ed­u/p­ages­/~/me­dia/­MDS­CI/­CARD­Repo­rt%25­20FIN­AL%2­5 2022­216.­ashx. The report revealed a consistent pattern demonstrating that women and people of color were underrepresented in the entertainment industry—on screen and behind the camera.

The study found that girls and women were less than one-third of all speaking characters and comprise a small percentage of directors and writers of the major studio and art house releases of 2014. Television/digital series are more balanced. Girls and women comprise 37.1 percent of characters and 42 percent of series regulars. Females also work more frequently behind the camera as directors and writers. Few women fill top leadership roles in media companies, though they are more prevalent in EVP (executive vice president) and SVP (senior vice president) positions. Thus, as power increases, female presence decreases.

They further determined that no platform presents a profile of race/ ethnicity that matches proportional representation in the U.S. Over 50 percent of stories featured no Asian speaking characters, and 22 percent featured no African American characters. Just 2 percent of speaking characters were LGBT-identified and a mere seven transgender characters appeared in the sample of content—four of whom were in the same series.

This study also disclosed the following:

• Of characters 40 years of age and older, the ratio was 74.3 percent men to 25.7 percent women.

• In film and scripted series, the total ratio of male to female directors: 5.6 to 1.

• In film and scripted series, the total ratio of male to female writers: 2.5 to 1.

• Of TV show creators by gender, 77.4 percent are male to 22.6 percent female, or 3.4 to 1.

In another study, Professor Martha Lauzen of San Diego State University reported that in 2014, 95 percent of cinematographers, 89 percent of screenwriters, 82 percent of editors, 81 percent of executive producers and 77 percent of producers were men.

I could go on and cite more statistics, but you get the picture. You know the bad news. The good news is that in this day and age, unless you’ve been buried under a rock somewhere, you’re conscious of these issues and aware that steps are being taken to create a more inclusive industry.

IMPLEMENTING CHANGE

What most people don’t know is just how many programs and resources are now available for the underrepresented in our industry—as well as for those just starting out. The following are some of the many resources, programs, fellowships, workshops, initiatives and competitions that serve an incredibly wide range of diversified interests. Most are based in the Los Angeles area, and some, New York.

Here’s a selection of programs created by various studios and networks:

• (The) CBS Diversity Institute

– Writers Mentoring Program—cbscorporation.com/diversity/diversity-institute/writers-mentoring-program: the focus of this six-month program is to provide opportunities to build relationships with network executives and showrunners; to support new and emerging writers in their efforts to improve their craft; and to develop the interpersonal skills necessary to break in and succeed.

– Writers Fellowship—cbscorporation.com/diversity/diversity-institute/writers-fellowship: the USC School of Cinematic Arts, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the CBS Television Network united to create the NAACP/CBS Master Writing Fellowship, a partnership that supports, encourages and educates new voices within the industry.

– Directing Initiative—cbscorporation.com/diversity/diversity-institute/directing-initiative: this initiative selects directing candidates for episodic network television and matches them with directors of CBS Television Network drama and comedy series. The goal is to bridge the gap for those talented directors attempting to break into network television.

– Talent Showcases—cbscorporation.com/diversity/diversity-institute/talent-showcases: CBS Diversity Institute Talent Showcases are attended by senior level CBS Entertainment executives and talent agents as well as showrunners and casting directors from series on CBS as well as other networks.

– Daytime Initiative—cbscorporation.com/diversity/diversity-institute/daytime-casting-initiative: this initiative enhances access for diverse actors who are 18 years and over to the talent pool for the daytime dramas, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.

• Disney | ABC Talent Development Programs—abctalentdevelopment.com: ABC provides a variety of programs to help aspiring individuals in the fields of acting, writing, directing and production.

– Writing Program—abctalentdevelopment.com/writing_program.html: this is the only program of its kind sanctioned by the Writers Guild of America, West.

– Directing Program—abctalentdevelopment.com/directing_program.html: the two-season Disney | ABC Directing Program is one of the longest-running programs of its kind in the television industry.

– Acting Program—abctalentdevelopment.com/programs_acting.html: Disney | ABC Television Group’s highly coveted Casting Project identifies/develops culturally- and ethnically-diverse talent and actors with disabilities by hosting a talent showcase each year in New York and Los Angeles.

– Production Program—abctalentdevelopment.com/programs_production.html: The ABC Studios Production Associates Program is an on-the-job training program in the television industry. The one-year program offers access to entry-level positions within television production. Candidates work closely with ABC Studios personnel and executives who mentor the associates and take a personal interest in their progress.

• Fox Audience Strategy

– Fox Writers Intensive—foxaudiencestrategy.com/articles/fox-writers-intensive: this intensive program introduces experienced writers with unique voices, backgrounds, life and professional experiences to a wide range of Fox showrunners, writers, directors, screenwriters and creative executives. These collective individuals work with the selected writers in a series of master classes to build on both their general craft and further their skillsets in the business of writing for television, feature films and digital content.

– Fox Global Directors Initiative—foxaudiencestrategy.com/articles/global-directors-initiative: this program is dedicated to cultivating emerging and established directors with diverse voices, backgrounds and life experiences and perspectives.

• HBO Access—hbo.com/hboaccess:

– Writing Fellowship: this program provides mentorship for up to eight diverse, emerging storytellers. Following a one-week intensive of master classes, participants are immersed in eight months of mentoring by HBO creative executives, as each participant develops a script suitable for HBO® or Cinemax®.

– Directing Fellowship: this program selects diverse directors to participate in master classes, which focus on pre-production, production and post production. Each participant is paired with an HBO development executive who serves as his/her mentor throughout the process.

• NBCUniversal Diversity Programs

– Writers on the Verge—nbcunitips.com/writers-on-the-verge: this is a 12-week program focused on polishing writers and readying them for a staff writer position on a television series. They are looking for writers who are “almost there” but need that final bit of preparation with their writing and personal presentation skills. Writers of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

– Writer’s Assistant Program—nbcunitips.com/writers-assistant: NBC Entertainment funds a writer’s assistant position on three NBC primetime scripted shows. These positions are chosen by the showrunner of the respective show and provide the selected writer(s) the opportunity to be in a television writers’ room and assist in any ways necessary.

– Diverse Staff Writer Initiative (LA & NY)—nbcunitips.com/diverse-staff-writer-initiative: NBC encourages diversity among their writing staffs by funding select staff writer positions for all scripted NBC Primetime Series.

– Emerging Director Program—nbcunitips.com/emerging-director-program: this program provides opportunity for experienced directors to make the transition to television.

– Late Night Writers Workshop (NY)—nbcunicareers.com/late-night-writers-workshop: this is a multi-day program focused on exposing talented sketch and comedy writers to NBCUniversal’s late night and alternative line-up and readying them for a staff writer position. They are looking for writers with diverse backgrounds who are “almost there,” but need that final bit of preparation and exposure to key industry players.

– Short Film Festival—nbcunitips.com/short-film-festival: this festival seeks the next generation of writers, directors, producers and actors, while celebrating innovative storytelling from diverse and inclusive backgrounds.

– Casting Apprentice Program (LA & NY)—nbcunitips.com/nbcuniversal-casting-apprentice-program: this program represents a career development opportunity for individuals pursuing a career in casting. It’s designed for individuals with diverse backgrounds who aspire to become a casting manager within a network or studio or a casting associate or director on a production. Depending on the assigned division, apprentices are given an opportunity to work at a network with executives or in a freelance casting office with a casting director.

– StandUp NBC—nbcunitips.com/stand-up-nbc: each year, NBC selects three to five cities across the country and holds both auditions and live showcases of the top diverse talent from that area. At the end of the search, a handful of comedians are brought back to Los Angeles to showcase for key industry players at NBCUniversal and industry-wide. The winner of the showcase gets a talent holding deal with NBC.

• Sony Pictures Television Diverse Directors Program—sec­ure.­sonyp­ictur­este­levis­ion.c­om/di­rect­ordive­rsity­/#&pa­nel­1–2: this program pro vides access for highly qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds to potential episodic directing opportunities on scripted one-hour and half-hour Sony Pictures Television series.

• Viacom Media Networks Spectrum Director Development Program—vmnspectrum.com/program-details: participants in this program get to “shadow” DGA directors on one or more episodes from prep to post on dramatic and non-dramatic series and/or programs during a one-year period.

• Warner Brothers

– Emerging Film Directors Workshop—filmworkshop.warnerbros.com

– Writers Workshop—writersworkshop.warnerbros.com

– Television Workshop—televisionworkshop.warnerbros.com

Here are some other programs and resources (in alphabetical order). There are more, but this is a pretty good selection.

• (The) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Academy Gold Program—oscars.org/education-grants: this is an internship and mentoring program for young professionals from under-represented communities.

• AFI Directing Workshop for Women—afi.com/dww: this hands-on training program is committed to increasing the number of women working professionally in screen directing.

• CAPE New Writers Fellowship—capeusa.org/2013/04/cnwf-cape-new-writers-fellowship: this program champions diversity by connecting, educating and empowering Asian American and Pacific Islander artists and leaders in entertainment and media.

• (The) Directors Guild of America Student Film Awards—dga.org/Awards/Students.aspx: each year the DGA holds its annual Student Film Awards for African-American, Asian-American, Latino and women filmmakers. The awards are designed to honor, encourage and bring attention to outstanding minority and women film students.

• Emma Bowen Foundation—emmabowenfoundation.com

– The Emma Bowen Fellows: the Emma Bowen Fellows Program provides multi-year internships to students of color at media companies across the country.

– Innovative Program Tracks: the New Media & Technology Program (NM&T) includes nearly 40 students, each working in technology roles at corporate partners.

– Link 2.0 Mentoring Initiative: this program provides an intensive leadership development experience for Emma Bowen Fellows who are assigned mentors to give them perspective on career decisions, workplace dynamics and media industry trends.

– The Summer Conference: each summer, current Emma Bowen Fellows gather with media industry leaders and Emma Bowen Foundation stakeholders for networking and professional development. The conference includes a career fair that gives fellows direct access to human resources staff at top media companies.

• Film Independent’s Project Involve—filmindependent.org/programs/project-involve: this is a free, intensive, nine-month annual program that offers 30 up-and-coming film professionals from under-represented communities the opportunity to hone skills, form creative partnerships, utilize free or low-cost production resources and ultimately gain the industry access necessary to succeed as working artists.

• (The) Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media—seejane.org: this is the only research-based organization working within the media and entertainment industry to engage, educate and influence the need to dramatically improve gender balance, reduce stereotyping and create diverse female characters in entertainment, targeting children 11 years of age and under.

• Global Media Makers—prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-department-of-state-and-film-independent-launch-global-media-makers-program-300206396.html: Film Independent has partnered with the U.S. Department of State to launch an international film exchange program called Global Media Makers. This is an innovative mentoring initiative that connects visual storytellers from around the world with leading U.S. entertainment professionals through specially tailored mentorships, workshops and master classes.

• Half Foundation—(at the time of this writing, there was no web address): created by producer/director/writer Ryan Murphy, and in conjunction with 20th Century Fox, this foundation is dedicated to bringing more women and minority directors into the fold. Half refers to Murphy’s mission to use women or minority candidates (he defines that term as people of color or LGBTQ people) in 50 percent of the directing slots on his shows. Half also provides outreach and mentorship programs at top film schools.

• Hollywomen—hollywomen.com: a platform exploring the legacy, chronicling the present and anticipating the future of women and diversity in the film and media industries. This site provides research, resources and tools for and about women filmmakers. It lists grants, fellowships and mentorships for women filmmakers as well as women’s film festivals.

• Hollywood Cinema Production Resources’ Training Program (Hollywood CPR)—hollywoodcpr.org/training/training.html: this program provides industry-specific training in marketable trade skills to under-served students in what is expected of an entry-level person in the art, crafts and technicians departments of film and television. Hollywood CPR’s training program also incorporates broad-based life skills coaching and support that focus on the myriad of social skills necessary for success in gaining and keeping employment. Students earn college credit (through a collaboration with West Los Angeles College).

• Hollywood Diversity Network—hollywooddiversity.org: this site offers career and content news and resources for diverse industry professionals, including women, people of color, LGBTQ and differently-abled colleagues in entertainment. They focus on mid-to top-level working professionals in film, TV and digital, for both scripted and unscripted content.

• IFP—Independent Filmmaker Labs—ifp.org/programs/labs/#.V0ztENZFv0A: located in New York, IFP’s (Independent Filmmaker Project) unique year-long mentorship program supports first-time feature directors when they need it most: through the completion, marketing and distribution of their films.

• Inner-City Filmmakers—innercityfilmmakers.com: ICF is a non-profit organization that provides free year-round pre-professional hands-on training and job placement services for diverse disadvantaged Los Angeles County high school graduates, ages 17–22. Those accepted gain artistic, technical, business and life skills.

• Interpretations—yomyomf.com/contests/interpretations2: this is director Justin Lin’s short film competition to encourage aspiring Asian American filmmakers to develop their own original and unique voice.

• (The) “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program — www1.nyc.gov/site/mome/initiatives/pa-training-program.page: this program provides unemployed and low-income New York City residents with training and placement into entry-level positions in film and television production and promotes diversity within New York City’s entertainment production workforce.

• Minorities in Broadcasting Training Program—www.thebroadcaster.com: this program provides training opportunities to college graduates in TV/radio news reporting, news management and TV production (on special projects). The goal of the program is the development of writing, editing, producing and reporting skills. Each trainee will complete the program with a thorough understanding of all aspects of television and/or radio news broadcasting or production. They will then qualify for entry-level positions in small-medium size markets.

• NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers)

– Latino Lens—www.nalip.org/latinolens: this is an exclusive incubation and media content production program as well as a distribution model of Latino media screenings, festivals and speaker showcases designed to develop, nurture and produce a series of Latino creators’ and filmmakers’ projects and showcase their talents as producers, directors and writers.

– Diverse Women in Media Initiative—nalip.org/dwimi: this initiative seeks to empower, inspire and advance women of diverse backgrounds to influential positions in media to improve diverse representation on and behind the camera.

• NHMC (National Hispanic Media Coalition) TV Writers Program —nhmc.org/writersprogram: this is an intensive scriptwriters workshop that prepares Latinos for writing jobs at major television networks.

• Streetlights (Production Assistant Training)—streetlights.org: Streetlights mission is to assist talented and motivated young adult minorities, many economically and socially disadvantaged, to achieve long-term economic stability and career success. Since 1992, Streetlights has been bringing ethnic diversity to the behind-the camera-world of feature film, television and commercial production.

• Sundance Institute—sundance.org/programs/feature-film: check out the long list of fellowships, labs and grants offered by the Sundance Institute.

• Tribeca All Access—tribecafilminstitute.org/programs/detail/tribeca_all_access: this program supports working filmmakers and producers, based in U.S. and Puerto Rico, who come from communities underrepresented in the film industry and whose projects are in all stages of production or post.

• Vimeo’s “Share the Screen”—vimeo.com/blog/post/share-the-screen-our-pledge-to-female-filmmakers: this program offers financing and workshops for female filmmakers and will invest in projects from women to be released globally on Vimeo On Demand.

• Women In Film Mentorship Program—womeninfilm.org/mentoring-circles/: This program was created to nurture emerging talent in the entertainment industry by connecting WIF members with established professionals who can offer advice and guidance.

• Women in Film/Black List Episodic Lab—womeninfilm.org/2016-black-list-episodic-lab: Women in Film (Los Angeles) and the Black List (blcklst.com/about) have joined forces to create a television lab for female writers. Promising non-professional women writers are invited to join this eight-week program, which meets once a week. Lab participants will have their final pilots read by agencies and networks.

• WriteGirl—writegirl.org: located in Los Angeles, WriteGirl matches high school girls from underprivileged communities with professional women writers who mentor them in creative writing. Every year, they produce dozens of workshops, panel discussions and special events to help girls get creative, get through high school and get to college.

• The Writers Lab—thewriterslab.nyc: presented by IRIS (a company dedicated to women making films) and New York Women in Film & Television, this program is funded by Meryl Streep and presented in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America, East, with additional support from Final Draft. The Lab brings 12 promising scripts from women screenwriters over the age of 40 together with outstanding professional female filmmakers for an intensive four-day screenwriting retreat.

Here are two industry award shows that honor diversity:

• American Scene Awards—sagaftra.org/asa: these awards recognize producers who work under SAG-AFTRA contracts and who most intelligently and progressively employ the talents of people of color, people with disabilities, women, seniors, people who identify as LGBT and other underrepresented groups resulting in the realistic portrayal of the American Scene.

• Media Access Awards—mediaaccessawards.com: these awards honor, highlight and promote disability and its depictions in film, television and new media. Their press breakfast and awards ceremony honor those industry professionals who have advanced disability-related narrative in fields including writing, producing, casting, performance and directing.

If you happen to be a DGA (dga.org), SAG-AFTRA (sag-aftra.org), WGA (wga.org) or PGA (producersguild.org) member, these guilds offer a variety of diversity committees and programs. SAG-AFTRA in particular offers a Diversity-in-Casting Incentive if you happen to be a signatory to their Modified Low Budget or Low Budget agreement (sagindie.org/media/Diversity-in-Casting-Incentive-Information.pdf).

All the major studios, networks, agencies, unions/guilds, production companies, etc. have their own internal diversity and inclusion programs when it comes to hiring and grooming new talent. The word is also out to writers that what’s selling now are screenplays that represent the world as we see it. It’s also becoming increasingly apparent that diversity is good business, because when you have content that is both good and diverse— audiences will come.

If you fall into the category of the underrepresented, I urge you to take advantage of the many opportunities that are now available to you. And while some of the above-listed programs, fellowships and initiatives may eventually be discontinued, they will be replaced by newer programs. We’re on the cusp of change, and it’s only going to get better from here.