Power Brok(h)ers- Women of Color in Hollywood

Keeping in spirit of Diversity tune in to Friday’s show. The topic is Power Brok(h)ers- Women of Color in Hollywood. When you think Women of Color, you automatically think Oprah (on an executive level) and a handful of women who ae in front of the cameras. But there are so many more talented women of color who behind the scenes who are relegated to the background. We’ll discuss the (lack of) women of color in power positions in entertainment and take a look at how women can pursue a productive career in Hollywood….and not just in front of the camera. There are executive producers, talent management agents, deal makers, and movers and shakers who happen to be Women of Color. The problem is, you hardly hear about them. Tune in at 9AM EST http://www.blogtalkradio.com/viewsfromthetop as we put the topic on the table and discuss ways to circumvent the ol’ boys network for Hollywood.

 

Corporate Diversity- Is It Still Necessary?

We’ll find out! Be sure to tune in to my radio show Views From the Top Monday morning at 9AM EST. We’ll be having a healthy discussion on the need and role of Diversity Initiatives. I have the pleasure of have a panel of wonderful dynamic and powerful women who will lend their expertise and experiences in diversity.

The show which will air live on Monday, July 20th will focus on Diversity and how it plays a role in professional development, advancement and opportunities for women in the corporate and business world. We’ll have several prominent women on to discuss the trials and tribulations of corporate diversity, and most importantly inclusive diversity. We’ll also focus on companies that are getting it right. Some of the topics we’ll discuss are:

• Initiatives companies are taking to ensure inclusive diversity
• Opportunities & professional development that are available to women (especially women of color)
• The need for the diversity discussion in 2009, where we stand today and what the future holds
• Tips for women to navigate career success when there is a lack of diversity initiative
• The role and need for affinity groups/networks in 2009 and beyond

So if you want to be part of the discussion and possibly solutions, make sure you tune in and feel free to call in with your perspectives. We might have to extend the show some, but as it stands, the show is 90 minutes. www.blogtalkradio.com/viewsfromthetop

The panelists include:

Norma Henry– Information Technology Chief Diversity Officer and Program Manager at Verizon Business in Virginia.
Jane Hyun– President and Founder of Hyun & Associates in NYC and author of the book “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling”.
Michelle Greene– the newly appointed Director IT of Governance, Application Architecture and Acquisitions within the Building Efficiency Division at Johnson Controls in Milwaukee.
Deepika Bajaj– founder and president of Invincibelle, a company empowering diverse, multi generational workforce and women to thrive in a multicultural world.
Leslie Sanchez– Republican strategist and former adviser to President George W. Bush and founder and CEO of Impacto Group LLC, a communications and market research firm, which specializes in defining social and economic trends affecting women and the emerging U.S. Hispanic community.
Carol Wyatt– is the Director of Human Resources for the BE 100 inducted Carol H. Williams Agency in Oakland, CA.

Be sure to tune in and call in with your questions and comments 347-215-9362. The chat room will be open during the show.

 

The Missing Voice(s) of Hollywood

Hi all. This week I am visiting Los Angeles on business. I’ve always loved coming out here. Not to see the movies stars or celebrities (well I wouldn’t mind running into The Rock- Duane Johnson). But because I’ve always had great business relationships out here. And contrary to what some folks may believe, the entertainment industry is a huge business. In fact, I want to specifically address the entertainment industry, in particular, women of color and their (lack of) influence and voice.

It’s no secret that over the last few years, black television has all but disappeared from main stream media. Sure we have BET and TV One, but I will refrain from showing my disdain for the programming made available.  We had one Latino show for a while, the George Lopez Show, which is also gone. There is a noticeable void in ethnic programming. One example of this is the recent fight that writer/producer/show creator Mara Brock Akil was embroiled in with the CW Network in keeping her second show with them from being canceled…The Game.  She has her show Girlfriends abruptly canceled on her last year with no closure to the audience and fans. Now the Powers that be have decided, even in light of the massive online fan movement to save the show, to cancel it. While admittedly I hardly watched the show, I understand the significance of this slap in the face. Mara has had a stellar track record with some pretty prominent show. Someone with her track record deserves more respect than she’s been given.

As I look around Hollywood, I can see a noticeable absence of recognized Women of Color in the business. Sure we see people like Jada Pinkett Smith, Shonda Rhimes, Tracey Edmonds, Tyra Banks, Oprah Winfrey and Christina Norman. But they are the “known” power brok(h)ers in Hollywood. For each of them, there are at least 20 more unknowns or “unsungs”. That really bothers me. For years, I’ve been reading about the women of Hollywood fighting the good fight to get more sisters in front of AND behind the cameras.  I haven’t felt it as much as I do right now.  As I drive through the city, I can’t help but notice the lack of color on the billboards.  I’m not a big tv watcher but the lack of diversity on the small screen isn’t lost on me.  In fact it frustrates the hell out of me. Networks can buy into bullshit like Flavor of Love, Charm School, New York does whatever and so on. You have Oxygen showing crap like Bad Girls. When you have strong positive women like the ladies I mentioned above, why isn’t their images portrayed? Why can’t we show positive women of color? True we have Jada on her new show Hawthorne, but it’s on cable, not any of the major networks. I pray that the show lasts because I think it has promise after watching the first episode. She is not only the lead BLACK female lead, but also the Executive Producer. We have Grey’s Anatomy & Private Practice, but we have two Black women and one Asian woman, and one Hispanic woman between the two shows. I’m grateful for at last that much diversity. I have a feeling that’s credited to Shonda. But can we have some more please?

I am advocating for more diversity in Hollywood.  Black Women, Hispanic Women, Asian Women, Middle Eastern Women. We are all beautiful women of color. Hollywood has to do better or at least start promoting and talking about more of them. We have to do better in holding the right people accountable. Mara had the right idea in taking the fight to the web. It is such a great, powerful tool. But here’s the thing. We need to get to our own young ladies and demand that they expect better and do better for themselves. Fighting over Flavor Flav (regardless of ethnicity), shaking their ass in videos like video hoes, and either allowing themselves to be disrespected or disrespecting themselves is not acceptable. If we had more positive programming featuring, showcasing and celebrating women of color, there would be a lot less of them making asses of themselves on tv.  TV shows like Candy Girls does not represent women of color in the right light. Our young ladies have to know and understand that we can be successful in entertainment without shaking our asses or fighting over an idiot on tv.

So Mara, what can I do to help further your cause?  This is my open letter to you.  How can I make this “our” cause?  What can I do to help? To the general public, how can we get more Latinas in front of the camera and in power positions outside of Univision? How can we get more Asian women and Middle Eastern Women their recognition as well? How do we get more diversity in front of and behind the camera?  Help me please, because I’m at a loss. I’m a Recruiter, so I can find the top talent. But how can we get the “brass” to take notice and the media to start reporting on them?

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham