Latest in Diversity

With film and TV production booming in New York, the state has implemented a diversity job training development fund aimed at the entertainment industry, calling it the first of its kind in the U.S.  Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he fund will initially provide $1.05 million per year. It was passed as part of a…

WarnerMedia has appointed CAA veteran Christy Haubegger as EVP and Chief Enterprise Inclusion Officer. Haubegger will report directly to CEO John Stankey and work closely with the media company’s senior leadership team. Her mission, according to the official announcement, will be to “drive business growth through…

WarnerMedia chief John Stankey has told employees that he plans to add a Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer to the executive ranks of the AT&T subsidiary. The message comes during a period of transition for the company formerly known as Time Warner, which has seen the top executives of all of its business units exit…

For two decades, Brian Michael Bendis was the ultimate myth-maker for Marvel Comics, where he created indelible new characters (among them the scrappy Miles Morales and flinty Jessica Jones, heroes that went on to earn sparkling reviews in a Sony hit film and a Netflix series, respectively) and revitalized old icons…

From Marvel’s game-changing superhero pic Black Panther to the Warner Bros. rom-com blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians to the fabulous trailblazing FX ’80s ball culture drama Pose, 2018 was a big year for diversity, inclusion, and representation. This year also marked the one year anniversary of the New Hollywood Podcast…

A new report from USC's Dr. Stacy Smith on the race and gender of film critics is urging the major studios to press news organizations to create a more diverse pool of critics to review their movies. The report, based on the reviews of the 300 top-grossing films from 2015 to 2017 as posted on the Rotten Tomatoes…

Creators of CW’s Charmed reboot think it would be “great” if the original version’s witches made guest appearances on the new series, Jennie Snyder Urman told TV critics Monday at TCA. That said, “We have not tried yet” to contact any of them, she said, when asked. Which might account for the reaction to the reboot of…

CBS Entertainment chief Kelly Kahl is one of few broadcast entertainment division execs to brave a Q&A with TV critics at this summer’s TCA, facing mostly questions about sexual harassment allegations against his company’s CEO/President Les Moonves, CBS News (which Kahl does not oversee), and the possibly record…

During his executive session at TCA summer press tour, FX Networks chief John Landgraf rattled off his usual array of numbers. He didn’t emphasize the “peak TV” statistics that he first unfurled in the same venue in 2015 (apart from a few barbs about the 5% uptick in overall scripted fare). Instead, he quantified FX’s…

The Television Academy continues to break glass ceilings and with this year’s Emmy nominations has set a new record in recognizing the work of performers from diverse backgrounds. Last year counted 27 diversity nominees in the acting categories across drama, comedy and limited series/movie, and this year that figure…

When it comes to diverse voices across film, TV and streaming, “it’s not enough to make one thing,” said Emmy winning Master of None EP Alan Yang at this morning’s CAA Amplify conference, “you’ve got to make that show better than all the other shows out there, it has to be the best.” “When you get that freshness…

EXCLUSIVE: Open calls for casting. It’s something the entertainment industry has used for ages, sometimes to find new talent to fill major roles and other times to find just the right fit for a role that is otherwise hard to cast. The young Phillip Zhao found his way into the Steven Spielberg film Ready Player One…