WP1_REVISED: Why Not Me?

Concern for humanization leads at once to the recognition of dehumanization, not only as an ontological possibility but as an historical reality. — Paulo Freire

Thomas Edison created the first film camera in 1890. The Birth of a Nation, the most detrimental film to the black community in terms of perpetuating racism and discrimination, was released in 1915. Therefore, give or take 20 years, the black image has been dehumanized since film cameras were made readily available to people of means.

As a Business of Cinematic Arts major here at USC and an aspiring filmmaker/screenwriter, myself along with thousands of others play a role in combating these unjust stereotypes. But how? Where does the power really lie in the industry and how can we break down these barriers for a more inclusive Hollywood? In an effort to satisfy my curiosity, I took to researching the money trail as it pertains to DEI hires and what black films are greenlit. Using testimony and Freire, I was determined to know what hoops a black filmmaker had to jump through in order to get their work seen compared to their counterparts.

My curiosity and frustration was re-ignited during an event where a guest speaker came to talk after his film. I vividly remember being a super eager freshman looking to consume any and all media, asking questions about a world I knew nothing of: Hollywood. I went to almost every screening asking questions to every director to help affirm that I could exist in such a world where I am underrepresented. And if I worked really, really hard, I could defy the odds and learn the skills to get my chance.

As I stood up with my bright pink sweatshirt in full Afro mode asking my question, the director recited a story about how after 2020 he lost a job he felt was rightfully his claiming DEI initiatives were the culprit. But he told me that I’m in luck because my “time is now and for the next 5–10 years”. He tried to clarify stating, “You know what I mean?”. And I stood there in disbelief as I could feel all heads turning in my direction in awkward silence awaiting my response. Wordless, I shook my head confirming. To this day, I don’t know why I froze and did that. Because I still wonder how African-American culture can have such a heavy impact on popular culture and spend more time consuming media than any other race in the United States, but when it comes to creating and breaking into the film industry, we have low representation in decision-making roles.

“That is, people often identify with representation that they are either comfortable with or that help deepen their understanding of themselves.” — Freire

The elephant in the room when it comes to black people on screen is representation. According to a UCLA study conducted in 2020, “92% of the chairs or CEOs of 11 major studios were white, and 68% were men” (The Guardian). The problem with this is it doesn’t allow executives that may hold similar interests to the black experience to have final say on what gets made and what gets cut. Applying Freire, people are “comfortable with” content that “help deepen their understanding of themselves”. So not having representation that may naturally do this at the top hurts the effort to diversify media output by increasing black representation. These executive placement decisions are directly related to the amount of DEI hires and what black films are made to represent the black experience because those are the people that will favor content that “helps deepen their understanding of themselves”.

Additionally, there currently is an “exodus” of Black female executives at leading entertainment and media companies to the point lawmakers are questioning their departure. Karen Horne of Warner Bros Diversity Equity and Inclusion left on account of company restructuring. Verna Myers of Netflix’s DEI position left to use a “spiritual lense to help bridge the divide”. Letondra Newton of Disney, Joanna Abeyie of BBC, and others left for varying reasons rooted in the change in priority of representation after their hiring post-George Floyd’s murder. All of these different facets lead to our representation being placed under attack. An executive noted the wish for “support, love and advocacy while they are in the roles, not only when heir departures make headlines” (The Guardian). The tendency to act only according to headlines is a form of social media activism we saw during George Floyd’s tragedy when DEI positions such as the women listed above, began to increase. A few years passing does not negate the need for consistency in these positions.

For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. -Audre Lorde

Historically African-Americans have done more with less, yet are rarely entrusted with the keys to the kingdom. This is apparent in the amount of projects that are greenlit/allotted to Black filmmakers, even those with immense experience.

This reality and societal view is even reflected in the black filmmakers that have proven their success and excellence in the field. There was recently Venice Film Festival news regarding Ava DuVernay, a world-class, black woman filmmaker. She was discouraged from applying to the Venice Film Festival, stating several told her “it won’t happen” and she “won’t get in”. Though this was true for black women for 80 years, Ava DuVernay defied these odds. A way that she breaks down barriers for Black Hollywood is through Array, a company she built to ensure representation found their way in front of and behind the camera. I had the pleasure of meeting Ava DuVernay in person and was hired for a Netflix job through her company. Her company single-handedly operates the film distribution process from start to finish. I admire how she refused to let history write her story and didn’t wait for executives’ approval, rather she built her own table.

Some professionals counter the notion of diversifying executive positions to be the only quick fix. In a Q&A with Kemp Powers, director of Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse, he argues that black executives aren’t always your friend either when it comes to greenlighting an idea. He spoke of the bottom line being the baseline. This is why we tend to see similar stories and remakes take form because the risk factor is less significant and economically measurable.

However, according to The Black Executive: A Partial Solution to Psycho-Social Consequences of Media Distribution, the NAACP begs to differ and goes into more depth on the greenlighting process.

“There are about twelve people that get in a room, twelve to fifteen people that discuss it. But a greenlight decision has not arrived yet in that room. The chairman takes all of those inputs and then the chairman makes the decision. That’s really one person deciding and fifteen people opining” –The Black Executive

So essentially, “you don’t have much power related to the all-important bottom line”. This dearth of diversity in the decision-making ranks is ironic when you consider how important the Black consumer is to Hollywood’s profitably” (NAACP). As a result, it’s hard to say the fix is diversifying the room when there is one spokesperson that can override the room. But adding more black executives in the room is definitely a start.

“We need more people doing what people don’t expect because that’s how you move the needle forward” -Jordyn K. Jones

Lastly, in order to get your work seen, you need to be seen. In the professional and academic space black creators are facing a common thread. In a L.A. Times article that interviewed two dozen black entertainment industry voices, a throughline of not being seen in Hollywood arose. A call for “more images, more voices, more talent, more producers in the rooms to create content more representative of our society” was at the forefront of their minds. One creator recalls the story below affirming “the problem” of Hollywood not “seeing us”.

“I went to my first Vanity Fair Oscar party, and after going through five checkpoints I walked in and finally got to the door, and I was told the chauffeurs are around the corner. I’ve come to Hollywood and I’m at the top of my game. But I haven’t escaped the external reality. Hollywood creates imagery for the world”. — LA Times

People in academia like Jordyn Jones have expressed similar sentiments, pondering the necessary steps in moving “the needle forward” in an industry that doesn’t acknowledge him. In his short Black Lens, a black film student silences his true feelings about the entertainment industry out of fear. He claims, “People aren’t disrespecting me, they’re just not paying attention. I don’t want the not paying attention to turn into active disrespect”. The need to fall in line stifles creativity through fear, which oftentimes prevents the needle from moving forward. In order to get rid of these physical and mental barriers, combinations of conversation and rooms maintaining representation must become a norm toward finding creative ways to foster change. We must be seen and not wait for tragic headlines to move the needle for us. And if need be, build our own tables when others don’t offer us a seat at theirs.

Works Cited:

Aratani, Lauren. “‘A Troubling Pattern’: Has Hollywood given up on Pushing for Diversity?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 28 July 2023, www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jul/28/hollywood-dei-black-female-executives.

“Black Filmmakers and Executives Get Honest about Their Experiences in Hollywood.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2020, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/202

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Penguin Education, 1972.

Hunt, Dr. Darnell. “The Black Executive: A Partial Solution to Psycho-Social

Consequences of Media Distortions.” Naacp.Org/Sites//Documents/NAACP

Jones, Jordyn. “Black Lens.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Dec. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zraGIAlsXi0&t=135s.

Lorde, Audre. Sister Outsider. Kosmos, 2022.