Friday, November 16, 2018
Sony Diversity Program Grooms Industry Directors of Tomorrow
Variety: Launched in 2014 by Sony Pictures Television, the DGA, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Diversity & Inclusion department, and former EVP of current programming for SPT Kim Rozenfeld, the Sony Pictures Television Diverse Directors Program is geared toward providing storytelling opportunities to talented artists of diverse backgrounds.
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3 comments:
It is so cool to hear about a program for Diversity and Inclusion that has been going on since 2014. I know there has been a recent push for more diversity but it's nice to hear that a program like this has been running for so long and seems to be a successful experience for all involved. Especially in our industry, diversity is extremely important because we are telling the stories of all life and even more life that has still yet to be imagined and to truly represent that we need to make sure that we have as diverse of a team as possible. As a person of color, it is sometimes hard to accept the fact that simply being a minority makes opportunities less available and programs like this so important to our community. Overall, I am happy that such a prominent company has a continued dedication to working with and hearing from a diverse group of artists.
It’s nice to see that companies are creating programs like this in order to enhance diversity in a substantial way. Of course, after hearing about this program I have some questions about how they make the selections of people who are accepted into this intensive program. I believe that a lot of effort needs to be made in order to get a truly diverse group of people. But programs that are really getting people into a working environment and making connections with individuals who are already in the industry is really crucial to success in most industries but especially the entertainment one. I’m hoping that programs like this are initiated at more companies coming from a place of creating more genuine change in the industry. The selfish things that can be gained from initiating these types of programs are getting better more diverse talents into the industry which is a necessary direction for success.
It is really great to see networks and producers trying to initiate diverse work from the ground up. I've been reading a lot of the recent articles about representation and diversity, particularly in film ant tv; it seems like diversity on screen is changing, but now more and more I have started to see initiatives from large companies to create diversity off screen and in the material itself. I'd be really interested to see how networks try to expand the viewing of audiences. I think there is a lot of opportunity for viewers to start watching new work that speak about different experiences. I think Netflix, Roku, and Amazon have a lot of power in this by directing things recommended to watch or suggestions. It is also up to us to seek out entertainment that maybe we haven't seen before and try a new genre or watch a new series.
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