Beyond diversity: Hollywood AANHPI creatives finding hurdles to inclusion

Thanks to the box office success and critical acclaim of some Hollywood productions like Crazy Rich Asians and Everything, Everywhere All At Once, more studio doors are creaking open for AANHPI creatives but they are finding more hurdles to the next step of influence and decision-making.

One in five Asian American talent are looking at other careers in the entertainment industry, according to a new report, Red Light, Green Light: Overcoming Roadblocks to Asian American Creative Executive Success in the Entertainment Industry"

“We must ensure the pathways from entry-level positions to creative executive roles are supported and fortified through mentorship, leadership development and access to opportunity,” stated Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation, one of the partners of the report.

“To truly feel like we belong, we must see ourselves and our stories on screen. To do that, we must ensure that AANHPIs have the support to not only tell authentic narratives but also reach executive roles to greenlight those stories,” Chen continued.

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The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) today announced the findings of the study, which focused on the experience of Asian American creative executives, those who ultimately greenlight projects and shepherd them to screen, in the entertainment industry.

CAPE and TAAF revealed the results of the study last night at their inaugural Culture Change Salon: Greenlighting AANHPI Stories, the largest gathering of Asian American and Pacific Islander creative executives.

The report explores topics such as barriers to entry and promotions, day-to-day challenges, and factors that contribute to attrition and industry pivots for those at entry, mid, and senior levels of the entertainment industry. 

The report also shares recommendations on how to improve the experiences of Asian American creatives in the industry and foster an environment that will allow Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) creative executives to thrive.

A majority of the survey respondents described experiencing microaggressions, blatant racism, and tokenization. Moreover, 93.3% agree that representation on screen is similarly lacking. 

This first-of-its-kind study focuses on one of the most critical, but often overlooked, components of the creative story-telling ecosystem: creative executives. The purview of creative executives includes, among other duties, finding and acquiring intellectual property and other source material, hiring talent including writers and directors, casting, and ultimately wielding the power to greenlight projects and shepherd them to screen.

Both CAPE and TAAF are focused on leveraging this data to come up with strategies to strengthen pathways in all creative fields. CAPE has been fostering the next generation of senior creative executives since 2017 through the CAPE Leaders Fellowship, the only talent development program of its kind that builds leadership skills and creates networking opportunities for AANHPI creative executives in Hollywood.

The study shows that Asian American professionals working in entertainment are eager to greenlight more diverse projects helmed by AANHPI creatives. To address this, TAAF is also launching Lights, Camera, AANHPI! A Creative Development Directory, a centralized resource that supports and advances AANHPIs' careers and creative work in film and television. 

This directory currently hosts more than 200 talent development opportunities for creatives in front of and behind the camera, from fellowships and residencies to professional and script development programs to build sustainable pathways for talent. Moreover, CAPE's AANHPI talent database of working professionals in Hollywood is currently in beta.

Among the key Findings the "Red Light, Green Light" report:

• Respondents felt that their Asian American identity is a double-edged sword. Creative executives of Asian descent brought diversity and unique insights, but were also tokenized and seen as diversity hires.

• Asian American creative executives grappled with the expectations of fitting into Western norms or meeting high standards of Asian culture knowledge.

• Asian American women faced challenges in regards to the intersection of gender and ethnicity. This includes sexism, age-related biases, compensation disparities, and difficulties in career advancement, particularly for mothers.

• A majority of respondents across levels felt that they experienced different treatment because of their racial/cultural background or how they looked. Experiencing differential treatment because of how they look or their racial or cultural background was most acutely felt by entry (50%) and senior level (68%) staff.

• A majority (62%) of respondents across all ranks reported lack of mentorship as a challenge.Additionally, 88% of respondents expressed a desire to have mentors from their racial/ethnic background, echoing the adage: "You can't be what you can't see."

• Almost 1 out of 5 respondents across the industry expressed they were looking to pivot to a different capacity within the entertainment industry.Due to the all-consuming life of being in entertainment, stress, poor pay, slow growth, and resulting mental health considerations, respondents contemplated leaving or were forced to pivot for more work-life balance.

Among the recommendations are:

• Opportunities for senior-level executives: Establish paid internships, and full-time roles with benefits to attract more AANHPI talent and organize company-wide trainings on topics such as intersectionality, class, race, microaggressions, and racism.

• Opportunities for entry-, and mid-level staff: Proactively seek mentoring or advice even through cold calls and develop a personal voice rooted in their experiences and identity.

"Creative executives are critical in getting our stories greenlit and told with care. We must protect and support their upward trajectory into the upper echelons of power within the industry,"  said CAPE Executive Director Michelle K. Sugihara. "We must especially push for the hiring and promotion of more Pacific Islander creative executives whose numbers are currently extremely low, particularly in this time of upheaval and challenge for executives of color."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.