hollywood.colorofchange.orgColor of Change Hollywood

POWERED BY COLOR OF CHANGE SEE ALL EFFORTS Transforming the media landscape to create a more human, less hostile world for Black people Creating a more inclusive media landscape for Black people Our Work Projects #ChangeHollywood #TellBlackStories Research Normalizing Injustice: Study of Scripted Crime TV Race In The Writer’s Room Press Contact Menu Our Work Projects #ChangeHollywood #TellBlackStories Research Normalizing Injustice: Study of Scripted Crime TV Race In The Writer’s Room Press Contact color of change HOLLYWOOD We collaborate with like-minded insiders and influencers to change representations of Black people—and issues affecting Black people—across the media landscape. Our work spans many strategies. Consulting regularly on shows, from ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy to Netflix’s Seven Seconds . Collaborating on content rollout with media outlets such as HBO, AE and AMC Theatres. Producing content with celebrities to rally participation on issues like criminal justice and voting. Leading accountability campaigns, such as canceling COPS on FOX, and pressuring Saturday Night Live to hire Black women both in front of the camera and behind it. Conducting original research to expose critical problems in the industry and build momentum for industry change. Sign Up for Updates Name Email Company Submit Sign Up for Updates Name Email Company Submit WHAT WE DO We help drive culture and narrative change through a number of strategies, partnering with Hollywood insiders to offer services that improve representation of Black people in media. WHAT WE DO CHANGING THE RULES ACROSS THE INDUSTRY CHANGING THE RULES ACROSS THE INDUSTRY We are dedicated to building power for Black writers, producers and creators. We work to raise industry standards around hiring and representation, resulting in more authentic portrayals of Black people and issues onscreen, more nuanced Black stories, more diversity in writers’ rooms, and real accountability when media companies cross the line. CONSULTING FOR TVFILM CONSULTING FOR TVFILM We collaborate with writers, producers and executives to ensure characters and storylines are multi-dimensional and authentic. We consult on projects at any point in the development process – briefing writers on issues like criminal justice, gentrification, and Black families, to name a few, collaborating on storylines, advising on rough cuts and scripts. We’ve worked with ABC, Netflix, HBO and AE on series including series like Grey’s Anatomy, Seven Seconds , The Red Line, Surviving R. Kelly, and Blindspotting . COntact us CREATING ACCOUNTABILITY CREATING ACCOUNTABILITY Too often, what we see on screen reinforces dangerous stereotypes of Black people. Our Media, Democracy, and Economic Justice team holds companies accountable for racist content. We worked with AE on the reality show Generation KKK to rework content that would’ve glorified white nationalism. We persuaded Disney not to whitewash the popular Black character Princess Tiana in the Wreck-it Ralph sequel when they tried to straighten her hair and lighten her skin. We went after Linda Fairstein, the prosecutor who wrongfully incarcerated five children in the Central Park Five case, and got SimonSchuster to stop publishing her popular crime novels after When They See Us aired. PARTNERING WITH INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS PARTNERING WITH INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS Major social change has never happened without artists and leaders in pop culture speaking out. We work with top talent in Hollywood and the entertainment industry to leverage their voices – collaborating on videos that educate and move people to action, making powerful statements in the media, and supporting campaigns for racial justice. We’ve worked with Chris Rock and Keegan Michael-Key on voting rights, John Legend and Common on winning justice, Kendrick Sampson on anti-Black violence, and Matt McGorry on leaning into difficult conversations about race. COMMISSIONING GAME-CHANGING RESEARCH COMMISSIONING GAME-CHANGING RESEARCH We commission original, independent research on problems in Hollywood tied to race and gender. Our 2017 Writers' Room report revealed how few shows give voice to Black writers, and almost none have Black showrunners. It sparked a never-before conversation in the industry about how the lack of true diversity behind the camera affects what we see onscreen. Our forthcoming crime TV report will be the first full analysis of the genre, and expose how popular shows reinforce beliefs that perpetuate violent policing and mass incarceration. Research allows us to confront decision makers with real data, and build momentum for change among industry insiders. Read The report #TELLBLACKSTORIES #TELLBLACKSTORIES We also produce original content that elevates issues important to Black communities, which we promote in the media and to our 1.5 million members. In 2018, we launched our #TellBlackStories podcast and video series to create a forum for Black storytellers to dive into the issues that matter most – opening up Hollywood to more people of color and women, winning justice reform, and fueling a social movement based on joy. We showcase Black writers, actors, directors and changemakers from Ava DuVernay and dream hampton to Common and the cast of Queen Sugar . Watch Here Featured Media Media Inquiries: media@colorofchange.org March 2020 CNN Your favorite crime shows hinder this life-and-death cause Last fall, 60% of prime-time dramas on the major networks were shows about crime, police, and the legal system. As momentum grows for overhauling our police and prison systems, it’s time we asked: are these shows moving us forward or taking us backward? Read More June 2020 The Washington Post TV Shows Shape How Law Enforcement Is Viewed. Where Will They Go From Here? Color Of Change’s Normalizing Injustice shows the problem with networks releasing statements that Black lives matter as they continue to profit off of shows like Blue Bloods and SVU. If you look at these shows, Black people exist. But racism doesn’t.” Read More January 2020 Variety Netflix, NBC, ABC Lead in Depictions of Wrongful Actions by People of Color in Crime Dramas, Study Finds Color Of Change’s Normalizing Injustice reports exposes how crime TV shows glaze over the all-too-real harms our justice system inflicts on Black people. 81% of showrunners on these shows are white men, 78% of the writers are white, and only 9% are Black. Read More June 2020 NPR As Police Shows Leave TV, Activists Hope Inaccurate Portrayals Of Police Leave, Too NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, about the organization’s campaign to call out cop shows and get inaccurate portrayals of policing taken off TV after they got Cops and Live PD canceled. Read More January 2020 The Hill TV Crime Shows Present a Warped View of Our Criminal Justice System Color Of Change’s Normalizing Injustice shows how crime series shape the way Americans see policing and prisons. TV creates a culture where people think the justice system is fair and is working, contrary to what legal experts and activists have found. Read More September 2018 BuzzFeed The Year The Networks Finally Embraced Diversity Kristen Marson, director of our Hollywood work, talks about what it was like to grow up Black with only white characters to relate to – and how that’s changing in an era when more Black people are writing, producing, and starring in their own work. Read More November 2017 The Washington Post How white TV writers decide the stories Hollywood tells America This articles on our Race in the Writer’s Room report reveal the stark and startling lack of diversity among writers and showrunners in Hollywood today – and how this shapes the characters and storylines we consume. Read More April 2019 The Hollywood Reporter Central Park Five Vow to Fight for Justice in Powerful 'When They See Us' Trailer Netflix’s highly watched miniseries When...