Commentary
Gee, Let's Talk About Diversity Again And See If Anything Actually Changes
- by Richard Whitman , Columnist, March 2, 2016
So much talk and so little action. But, hey -- trying is better than doing nothing at all, right? On the heels of #OscarsSoWhite, issues of race and diversity in media will take center stage at the 16th Annual Horowitz Cultural Insights Forum on March 9 at New York City's Edison Ballroom. The agenda includes research, a fireside chat, case studies, panel discussions, and live performances, all exploring the impact of America's growing diversity on the development, distribution, and marketing of entertainment content and advertising.
Adriana Waterston, SVP, Insights and Strategy, Horowitz Research, will present new research on the impact of diverse casts on the appeal and viewership of television content among multicultural Millennials, as well as findings on the adoption of streaming and its impact on traditional multichannel/linear TV viewing.
In addition, attendees will hear from the advertising world on how it's adapting to changing demographics and consumers' new media habits. Jeffrey L. Bowman, Founder and President, REFRAME: The [Brand] will moderate a panel of agency and advertiser executives, featuring Sandra Alfaro, Managing Director, Wing; Yuriy Boykiv, Founder, CEO, Gravity; Christine Maggiore-Escribano, SVP, Integrated Marketing, NBCUniversal Hispanic Group; Apoorva N. Gandhi, Vice President, Multicultural Affairs, Marriott International, Inc., and Gia Mazey, Senior Marketing Manager, Integrated Marketing Communications, Western Union. The panel will be followed by a case study from Western Union/Gravity.
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Another panel, Authenticity Matters: Where Culture and Production Collide, will explore the balance between cultural nuance and mass appeal. Panelists will include Tanzina Vega, Digital Correspondent, CNN will moderate a panel featuring Thomas Grayman, VP, Brand and Consumer Research, Spike TV; Erika Green Swafford, Supervising Producer, "How to Get Away with Murder"; Luisa Fairborne, VP, Multicultural Ad Sales, FUSE; Jake Katz, VP, Audience Insights and Strategy, REVOLT TV; and D'Angela Proctor, SVP, Original Programming and Production, TV One.
Even if nothing ever changes, attendees are eligible to win raffle prizes, including two tickets to the Governors Ball in NYC courtesy of FUSE, and a grand prize trip for two to Paris, courtesy of TV5MONDE.
Hey, maybe something will actually change. But at least there are prizes.
So a Mexican director wins best director for three years in a row.
I saw New Zealanders, British, Mexicans, Pakistanis, Hungarians, Italians, Chileans, and more win awards.
Seems like a lot of diversity to me. OH, is it that there weren't any Asians that won? Maybe that's the diversity we're missing here?
Yes, there has, perhaps, been some progress. But then why did we have to listen to Chris Rock spend 15 minutes decrying the state of black actors in Hollywood during the Academy Awards?
Because doing a check of diversity in the boardrooms, ownership and other unexamined aspects of the business might be more than easily quantifiable tokenism?
Also, um, they hired Chris Rock. He's going to talk about race. Kind of his brand. Especially when it's obviously relevant.
The most surprising thing to me is how films with black actors make serious bank, and yet, still issues. I thought the most important color in Hollywood was green?
"So a Mexican director wins best director for three years in a row. ... I saw New Zealanders, British, Mexicans, Pakistanis, Hungarians, Italians, Chileans, and more win awards. ... Seems like a lot of diversity to me. OH, is it that there weren't any Asians that won? Maybe that's the diversity we're missing here?" - Nick R
An interesting comment, if you meant to be facetious. And an illustration of the problem if you weren't.
On the content of the article itself, as long as we're still talking about it, it's obviously still a problem. And talking about it will change it, sooner than later, with any luck.