Category: Social Change

“I really hate the word ‘diversity.’ It suggests something…other. As if it is something special, or rare. Diversity! As if there is something unusual about telling stories involving women and people of color and LGBTQ characters on TV. I have a different word: normalizing. I’m normalizing TV. I am making TV look like the world looks.” – Shonda Rhimes

There’s a lot of buzz around words like “diversity” and “inclusivity” in everything from media to business… but what do these words even mean?

They’re often used interchangeably, but really the two words are very much distinct from one another.

Diversity is simply variety. It is abstract, random, malleable, and, border-line SFSN (sounds fabulous, signifies nothing!)

What we should be striving for is inclusivity.

Shifting the conversation from diversity to inclusivity changes a person’s experience from:  

“I’m here because of my race/gender/sexuality/disability. I’m here because I’m different.”

To:

“I’m here because what I have to say is important, and I’m working with others to overcome the systemic barriers that keep my story from being told.”

Inclusivity incorporates the wholeness of individuals. People are more than their labels, more than their upbringing, more than their social status, more than their job.

Inclusive media is important so people can see themselves represented in culture. It makes them feel connected, rather than abnormal or “other.”

Being inclusive is beneficial for businesses, organizations, and other institutions, too. If you want to make something better, you need to bring in different types of people and their ideas.

Working toward consistently being more “inclusive” you are able to take in every part of the multifaceted individuals who make up your team.
Working toward being more “diverse,” not only do you miss out on every special component that make up the whole persons you work with, but you miss the point.

For the past six months, I’ve been partnering with the Bentonville Film Festival to help bring their mission of championing women and diverse voices in media to fruition. If you haven’t heard of this festival yet – stop. Click the link. Then forward to all of your creative friends who have films they want to finish, share, and find distribution on!

We know the media is powerful, because it shapes how we see and experience the world around us. We talk a lot about accurately reflecting women and diverse voices in the media- but did you know that only 31% of speaking characters in top-grossing films are female and only 13% of leading characters in films are people of color. Behind the camera, minorities represent only 12% of directors and 7.6% of writers.

BFF is becoming part of the solution – co-founded by Trevor Drinkwater and Geena Davis and her institute – this is the only festival that guarantees distribution opportunities to winning films, so they are taking tangible steps to turn inclusivity into a reality.

On the first night of the festival, blogger extraordinaire Luvvie Ajayi of Awesomely Luvvie and I attended the opening film Equity. I don’t want to spoil the plot – the film comes out this summer but it was awesome to watch a film about Wall Street feature two female leads. What I loved most is that the movie showed women who love to make money. They weren’t the most likeable characters but that’s what I appreciated – if we want to change the ratio of women in media we have to get used to seeing women in roles that aren’t just saints or housewives. We have to see complicated women who reflect real life.

Just like Soledad O’Brien said in our most recent episode of “Talk to Jess: Conversations with Today’s Thinkers, Movers, and Shapers”, media representation is more than just bringing in different types of people — it’s about expanding the conversation and presenting new perspectives.

After the movie ended, NPR’s Alex Cohen moderated a live Q+A with Director Meera Menon and Producer/Actor Sarah Megan Thomas.

BTS Fun Fact: Part-way through the project, the filmmakers decided to make some of the leading male characters female. They didn’t need to alter any of the lines while switching characters’ genders. That’s how easy it is to establish parity in media – being conscious is the first step!

The next morning, I moderated the “Progress vs. Perfection” panel with experts ranging from the queen Geena Davis herself to Mattel, Walmart, and Kraft. I was thrilled to host this panel because I know first-hand what it takes to drive change on complex topics like inclusivity.

Our panelists pictured from left to right: Geena Davis, Kathleen McLaughlin, Stephen Quinn, Dean General, and Barbie’s Lisa McKnight

We are witnessing culture shift quickly as businesses are bringing together economic goals with social initiatives – and proving that it’s possible for corporations and brands to do well by doing good. But in order to create tangible change, we need to unpack how that change can happen and these brands shared how they were spearheading initiatives in both product and personnel that address more inclusivity.

The amazing Luvvie did a wonderful job as BFF’s resident social media queen and award show host! Check out her social world and don’t miss her interview with festival co-founder Geena Davis.

The Bentonville Film Festival is a truly unique festival. By guaranteeing distribution for its winners, it’s ensuring that diverse voices and stories are delivered straight into consumers’ homes.

You can help support BFF’s mission by spreading the word about the festival, encouraging filmmakers to submit their work, and following their social channels @BFFfestival for more info!

I’ve always been passionate about telling stories the world needs to hear. That’s one of many reasons I chose to partner with the Bentonville Film Festival—because I believe in their mission: to champion women and diverse voices in media.

Together, we are solving into a Hollywood epidemic: the lack of inclusion and diversity in mainstream media and the cultural call for more.

In front of the camera, only 31% of speaking characters in top-grossing films are female and only 13% of leading characters in films are people of color. Behind the camera, minorities represent only 12% of directors and 7.6% of writers.

It’s an enormous feat to take on, but here are three ways BFF is changing the game:

1. BFF has created a powerful platform for filmmakers and content creators to share their rich, unique stories. In media, who is telling the story is just as important as the story being told. BFF is celebrating inclusion and producing career opportunities for all of the creative storytellers who don’t feel seen or heard. BFF isn’t just acknowledging women and diverse voices – they are championing them, bringing us closer to the marginalized voices absent from mainstream media.

2. BFF is the ONLY film festival that guarantees distribution. By joining forces with broadcast and distribution partners like Lifetime, Starz, Walmart, and VUDU, BFF offers broad distribution packages to the winning films. This means that more types of films and TV shows are being delivered to a mass audience, giving greater visibility to diverse stories.

3. BFF is leveraging research to measure, learn and change the current storytelling system. In order to respond to the cultural call for more inclusive media, we must first understand the current media landscape. With the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, BFF is using research to educate the industry and audiences. BFF is actively working to create better solutions to today’s diversity issues in media in order to better reflect the world we live in for today’s and future generations.

We all crave stories that resonate on a deeper level. We all want to see our world and our experiences reflected in the media we consume – it reminds us we’re not alone.

The stories we see and hear matter. If you can see it, you can be it.

Tickets and passes to the festival are available now at bentonvillefilmfestival.com.
You can also follow @BFFfestival and share why you support BFF with #WeAreBFF.