Friday, November 16, 2018
How TV Producers Think Outside the Box to Find New, Inclusive Writers
Variety: The constant refrain in Hollywood is that we need diversity, particularly when it comes to writers. Unfortunately, this is almost always quickly followed by shrugs of frustration that no one knows where to find unique voices because there are only so many options in the WGA. And therein lies the problem: showrunners, agents and other influential figures often realize that they need to find fresh voices from outside Hollywood, but they aren’t sure where to find them.
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It is very interesting to read about articles that pertain to the seeking of a solution to a problem that is persistent in the industry. The article addresses the common problem with trying to tackle major problems in our industry, the fact that it is so big it seems insurmountable. I thought Cherry, the producer that was interviewed, had a good deal of wisdom in explaining that having multiple people with the same perspective, voice is not helpful in a writing room. New, inclusive writing comes from diversity. The biggest challenge with creating a diverse team in the TV is that the arts is still not accessible to everyone. I appreciated a big take away from this article which is that young people can be the solution to the problems of TV now. However, in order to engage more young people, the hierarchy of TV and film need to make room for younger people to have stepping stones into larger roles. That includes paying them. With more paid lower-level positions, there is a greater opportunity to hear the voices of more people.
I think this article explores a lot of different ways in which diverse voices can be found. I think when you are really interested in looking, you realize they aren't so rare, they are just not where one would usually look. I think it's great that TBS has put a form on their website that young writers can fill out so that they can be put in the running to become a writer and I think it's great that the company tries to make every one of their teams diverse. It's cool to hear diversity being talked about in terms of every spectrum of human from age to ethnicity. A surprising topic of this article was the importance that social media plays in finding the new voices of today. It's truly interesting to hear that possible employers are looking into what you post and retweet and who your friends with to discover your voice.
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