By UCLA Newsroom
In fact, the report shows, the proportion of female and minority actors, writers, directors and producers in films and TV ranges from just one-twelfth to one-half of their actual population percentage.
"The report paints a picture of an industry that is woefully out of touch with an emerging America, an America that's becoming more diverse by the day," said lead author Darnell Hunt, the center's director.
The underrepresentation is especially noteworthy because the study found that greater diversity in TV and film productions actually increases viewers, resulting in higher profits for studios and networks.
"Hollywood does pretty well financially right now, but it could do a lot better if it were better reflecting the diversity of America," said Hunt, who is also a professor of sociology in UCLA's College of Letters and Science.
By Dave McNary
– Minority lead actors in film and TV were underrepresented by a factor of more than three-to-one—less than one-third the rate that would be expected based on their proportion of the population. In broadcast TV comedies and dramas, they were underrepresented by a factor of seven-to-one.
– Minority film directors were underrepresented by a factor of three-to-one; film writers and creators of comedies and dramas on cable TV, were underrepresented by a factor of five-to-one; in broadcast TV, minority creators of comedies and dramas were underrepresented by a factor of nine-to-one.
– Women achieved proportionate representation in broadcast TV, where they appeared as leading actors in 52% of comedies and dramas in 2011–12. But they were underrepresented by a factor of 12-to-one as film directors and by a factor of three-to-one in film writing.
The study also blasted the three top talent agencies—CAA, WME and UTA—as contributing little to promoting diversity as they represented more than two-thirds of the writers, directors and lead actors in the 172 leading films in 2011, with less than 10% of that talent being minority.
Below: Ana-Christina Ramon and Darnell Hunt.
(AIFT), American Indians in Film & Television, a Native advocacy organization, has been in the offices of just about every T.V Network, Cable Network and Film Studio, that exists, for a number of years, explaining, pleading and providing statistics of the sort that Darnell Hunt speaks of, and sometimes, even with him present and leading the discussion. Very important inroads and achievements have been made and accomplished by just about every ethnicity, with the exception of the American Indian. Even the LGBT community has advanced in acceptance and entered the realm of content provider and programming, prior to the American Indian, and rightly so. But the question remains and requires an answer, "What does the Native community have to do to be recognized by mainstream television ? Oh sure, we appear once in a great while, and then mostly in stereotype in a Western, but the fact remains we are totally invisible when it comes to again, mainstream television programming. Well, the answer is, we are not waiting for anybody. We are creating and marketing our own content and in the very near future, you will see us represented, in spite of others shortsightedness. Stay tuned.
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