There were a variety of reasons that I decided to start producing a podcast. It’s about a topic that I love to talk about, it’s a chance to routinely converse with people that I don’t talk often enough with, it’s trendy (being trendy really matters to me,) and the most important part (though trendiness invigorates me like blood to vampires) is that I don’t get these perspectives often.
I’m an avid media consumer. I watch far too much television, film and web video. I obsessively read articles on various news, tech, and entertainment sites. The trades are one of the first things I click open in the morning. Any time my eyeballs are too occupied is repurposed as podcast listening time. I always have a rotation of books on my Kindle and nightstand. Twitter is my spirit animal. As much as I am consuming there are very few moments where I get to taste perspectives that are similar to mine, especially in the context of being in the entertainment industry.
Media is powerful, it affects how we view things, how we react, the decisions we make. I have a list of films that affected how I act and think-without those films I wouldn’t be working in the film industry, I wouldn’t know who I am as a person. But it is impossible to miss the lack of representation and voices. Creating film and television takes a lot of people, I love the collaboration of it all, but even though women make up more than half of the world’s population that doesn’t extend to the representation and creation of media.
The Women’s Media Center, an organization that works to increase the visibility, viability and power of women in media, has researched and compiled a lot of statistics that put things into perspective and motivates me. Here are some of note, their 2015 report with even more statistics is here.
As of the beginning of 2015, women are outnumbered by men in every major film, broadcast, cable and digital shows-as leads, directors, writers, and creators.
In the top 200 films of 2014, the ratio of male directors to female directors is 8 to 1.
Women television writers earned about 92 cents to every dollar that white male writers earned.
Men accounted for 85% of all credited screenwriters in 2012.
10% of 220 examined TV shows hired no women or minority directors.
Films with relatively diverse casts enjoyed the highest median global box office receipts and highest median return on investment.
Audiences gave highest ratings to TV shows that roughly matched the nation’s racial makeup.
There are so many stories, perspectives and talent that are hidden from so many people because of gender, race and sexuality. For all the strides being made, there are very few voices from people that identify across multiple identities-i.e. black and female, Asian and gay, etc. People of Cinema is my and my friends attempt to add some of those voices from the perspectives of young aspiring entertainers. We are just starting out in the industry and hungry. We hope by sharing, discussing and learning we can increase the rhetoric, awareness and connection to this issue.
I’m beyond excited to go on this journey, to learn, to do, and to keep fighting for equality. I hope that you'll join us.