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.

        RELATED: Studios open gates for Asian American content

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.

Meet Chinese American Corrine Tan, American Girl's doll of the year.

Opinion

When they were little girls, my daughters were not into playing with dolls for very good reasons.

One: We did not want to limit their imaginations to play with “girl” toys or “boy” toys.

Two: There were no dolls that looked like them. We did not want them thinking that in order to be beautiful you had to have blond hair, blue eyes and a super-thin, unrealistic waistline.

Thank goodness, this generation of Asian American children have options.

A new doll, which debuted Thursday on Good Morning America, is Chinese American Corrine Tan. A Colorado resident, she loves hitting the slopes, being a big sister to Gwynn and training her new puppy Flurry to be a search and rescue dog.

In her story, written by award-winning author Wendy Wan-Long Shang, Corinne is a Chinese American girl living in Aspen, Colorado, with her blended family.

Through her stories -- which are filled with fun, outdoor adventures -- readers will learn about how Corinne gains courage to speak up when faced with xenophobic comments and how she advocates for positive change.

"What I really hope is that there is some part of Corinne's story that makes readers feel seen, whether it's because they are Asian American, or because they're part of a blended family, or because they love skiing," Shang said. "I think when readers feel seen, they realize that they matter and their experiences matter, and that they are meant to be the stars of their own stories!"

American Doll's Corrine Tan has a little sister, Gwynne.

To further tell Corinne's story in an authentic and accurate way, American Girl partnered with a team of advisers that include Jennifer Ho, a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder and president of the Association of American Studies, and William Wei, a Colorado state historian and professor of modern Chinese history at the University of Colorado, to weigh in on Corinne's experiences and stories.

To create the doll, American Girl designers consulted with the author and advisers on several exclusive features, including Corinne’s hair style and color, skin tone, and newly designed eyes. American Girl used a team of experts to bring Corrine and Gywnne to life:

• Lori Spence: Ski patrol director at Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol and avalanche dog trainer
• Professor William Wei: Colorado State Historian and professor of modern Chinese history at the University of Colorado Boulder
• Professor Jennifer Ho: Professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, president of the Association of American Studies, and an anti-Asian racism expert
• Greta Gessele: Certified figure skating coach who started skating competitively at the age of six and an Aspen native with deep local knowledge
• Angela Liu: American Girl digital marketing manager and diversity task force member Bringing Corinne and her stories to life is a beautiful 18-inch doll, featuring brown eyes and long, straight black hair with turquoise highlights.

To help amplify young voices like Corinne’s, American Girl is partnering with AAPI Youth Rising (AYR), a student-led nonprofit that’s bringing awareness to the rise in xenophobia against Asians in America and calling for positive change through education. To support their mission, American Girl is donating $25,000 toward their ONE/180 pledge, which asks schools and teachers across the country to include at least one classroom lesson about Asian American and Pacific Islander history and culture during the school year. Today through December 30, 2022, customers can donate to AYR at americangirl.com and at American Girl retail stores nationwide.

To learn more about AYR, and read an in-depth interview with the organization’s 13-year-old founder, Mina Fedor, head to the American Girl website.

American Girl is also partnering with AAPI Youth Rising, a student-led nonprofit that's bringing awareness to the rise in xenophobia against Asians in America and calling for positive change through education. American Girl is supporting AYR's ONE/180 pledge by donating $25,000 to the nonprofit to ask schools and teachers across the country to include at least one classroom lesson about Asian American and Pacific Islander history and culture during the school year.

While Corinne is not the first Asian American doll American Girl has created, it is the first featured so prominently. In 2017, the toy manufacturer put out Nanea, a Hawaiian doll and Z. Yang, a Korean American doll.

In this era of anti-Asian hate and a cry for inclusion, Barbie, the most popular doll line in the world, have purposely included AAPI dolls including dolls modeled aftere tennis star Naomi Osaka, Olympic gold medal snowboarder Chloe Kim and a Filipino American doctor who treats COVID-19 patients.  

The trend for diversity is not wholly altruistic. Marketers and manufacturers are catering to a changing marketplace where AAPI consumers have been recognized as a valuable and profitable market niche for producers of clothing, appliances, cars, homes, travel and toys.

“We created Corinne to be a positive role model our fans can look up to and learn from as we all work toward a world where everyone is treated fairly and with respect," said Jamie Cygielman, general manager of American Girl.

My daughters have grown up to be complex, capable and strong women. They are my best friends. It will be interesting to see how today's youngsters -- with role models in the media, sports and entertainment and imaginative toys reflecting their ethnicity -- grow up in an increasingly diverse and demanding world where so much will be expected of them, and, in turn, they will expect so much. Let's hope the opportunities will open up even more and tolerance towards people who are different continues to grow.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and reviews from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd

ALSO: I'm not getting any kickbacks for this article, but if you're interested, the Corinne collection is available at americangirl.com and at all American Girl retail stores on Jan. 1. The doll is not cheap. The doll + book set is $110.

Justice Department files lawsuit saying Texas' redistricting plan that discriminates against voters of color

SCREEN CAPTURE / MSNBC

Deputy Attorney General Vanita Gupta announces the DOJ lawsuit vs. Texas redistricting plan.

Texas' plan for redrawing Congressional district boundaries is being challenged by the Department of Justice in a lawsuit filed Monday that claims minority voters will be denied equal opportunity to seek representation in political offices.

"Texas’ 2021 redistricting plans were enacted through a rushed process, with minimal opportunity for public comment, without any expert testimony, and with an overall disregard for the massive minority population growth in Texas over the last decade," said U.S. Deputy Attorney General Vanita Gupta in a press conference.

Texas’ population grew by 4 million people from 2010 to 2020, and 95% of that growth came from minority populations. As a result of the population growth, the state gained two new Congressional seats, both of which were designed to give White voters a majority," said Gupta, one of the highest ranking Indian Americans in the Biden administration.

"Despite this significant increase in the number and proportion of eligible Latino and Black voters in Texas, the newly enacted redistricting plans will not allow minority voters an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice," said Gupta. "Instead, our investigation determined that Texas’ redistricting plans will dilute the increased minority voting strength that should have developed from these significant demographic shifts."

The complaint asks the court to prohibit Texas from conducting elections under the challenged plans and asks the court to order Texas to devise and implement new redistricting plans that comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The complaint also asks the court to establish interim plans before the 2022 Midterm elections pending a lawful state redistricting, a process that could extend beyond the Midterms.

The DOJ suit is the second legal challenge to Texas attempt to minimize the impact of voters of color. The Fair Maps Texas Action Committee filed a legal challenge on behalf of a coalition of voting and civil-rights groups and individual voters, including the Asian American Legal and Education Fund (AALDEF).

The AANHPI population is the fastest-growing racial or ethnic voting group in the state, according to the Census. Over the past decade, AANHPI voters have increased from 950,000 in 2010 to nearly 1.6 million in 2020.

“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are the fastest growing racial group in America and especially in Texas. Together with their Black and Latino neighbors, AAPIs have already demonstrated that they vote together. It is clear that these new legislative district lines were drawn to intentionally divide these rapidly growing AAPI communities and prevent them and other communities of color from electing candidates of their choice. This continues Texas' shameful history of discriminating against voters of color,” Jerry Vattamala, Director of the Democracy Program with AALDEF.

Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, Texas has not gone a single decade without a federal court finding that the state had violated federal protections for voters of color. 

In 2021, Texas lawmakers’ voting plans for State House districts (H2316), State Senate districts (S2168), and Congressional districts (C2193), repeat the Legislature's past mistakes. The complaint alleges that each plan discriminates against voters of color by failing to create coalition districts mandated by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, intentionally dividing voters of color into several districts, and otherwise diluting the voting power of people of color. 

As the DOJ complaint documents, in areas like Fort Bend County, a diverse region near Houston, Texas, AAPI communities are cracked “with almost surgical precision,” depriving them of an equal opportunity to elect their candidates of choice.

In Congressional District 22 where a growing and active AAPI electorate lives in suburban Houston, an Indian American candidate, Sri Preston Kulkarni, almost defeated the Republican incumbent. Under the new map, the AAPI neighborhoods have been divided up into several districts or added to larger rural districts where White voters are the majority.

“These lines are essentially silencing” minority voters, Vattamala asserted.

“Surgically removing these communities and adding them with White, rural counties to essentially dilute their vote.”

“This brazen attack on the voting rights of people of color in Texas is a fundamental attack on democracy and violates the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution," said AALDEF's Vattamala. "All Texans should be appalled at these blatantly discriminatory district lines.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Hasan Minhaj's 'Patriot Act' canceled

Comedian Hasan Minhaj

Netflix didn't renew Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act for next season which is too bad. The comedian's political brand of humor that shows the absurdity of much that's going on today is needed more than ever.

No reason was given for the end of a show that won an Emmy and a Peabody Award.

The comedian tweeted the announcement Tuesday morning. “@patriotact has come to an end. I got to work with the best writers, producers, researchers, and animators in the game,” Minhaj wrote.

The show aired 29 episodes since it started in October of 2018.

Patriot Act was a rare show giving an Asian American perspective on news of the day. One of my favorite episodes (below) was aired after the killing of George Floyd where he called out Asian Americans for their their anti-Black bias.

Netflix has had problems with late night comedians.. Over the last few years, the streamer has ended series like "The Break With Michelle Wolf," "The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale" and "Chelsea," a talk show with comedian Chelsea Handler.

TGIF Feature: Money raised for a sidewalk star for veteran actor James Hong

Daniel Dae Kim, left, is working to get James Hong a, right, star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Actor James Hong is perhaps the most recognizable Asian American actor in Hollywood with over 600 credits on stage, television and movies to his name.

But the general public would be hard pressed to know his name.  

Daniel Dae Kim launched a campaign to to give James Hong the recognition he deserves with a star in Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

"It's time James Hong was honored in the way he deserves, and it's time to show him how much he -- and all the actors of color of earlier generations -- have done to pave the way for us today," says Kim, who starred in Lost and Hawaii Five-O.

Hong is a Hollywood icon. He has over 600 credits to his name and has helped inspire the careers of numerous Asian American actors.

You may know him as the maître d' in the episode of "Seinfeld" titled "The Chinese Restaurant." Or as David Lo Pan in "Big Trouble In Little China," or as the guy who backflipped his way out of a fight in "Wayne's World 2."

Now, actor Daniel Dae Kim wants to right that wrong. He created a podcast detailing Hong's storied career.

Kim also launched a GoFundMe page to raise $50,000 to pay for the "creation and installation of the star," plus an additional $5,000 to cover service charges. For anyone who donates $5,000 or more, the GoFundMe is offering a 30-minute group Zoom call with Kim and fellow actors Kim Jeong, Ming Na and Randall Park.

As of Friday (Aug. 14) morning, the fund has reached its goal of $55,000 and Kim has started the application process.

It is now up to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to decide whether or not to award a star to Hong. It is hard to believe that there are only two Asian American actors with those sidewalk stars, Anna Mae Wong and Lucy Liu.

Hong worked against stereotypes in Hollywood for decades. In an interview with Great Big Story, Hong said, "Even to this day, 500 credits or so, I don't have a star on the Walk of Fame. So in a sense there is a lot of hidden prejudice behind this industry. They don't think of us, like I say, the principal person ... And I try to fight against that."

Sandra Oh dreams of portraying an Asian American in an Asian American story

Sandra Oh is interested in playing more characters that explore Asian American stories, she said in The Hollywood Reporter’s podcast, Awards Chatter.

"I’d say now and at this point in my career, specifically wanting to return to only playing specifically Asian characters,” the Killing Eve actress told host Scott Feinberg, becase the characters she is best known for, were originally written for white characters. Only after she was cast, was she able to tailor the character to her Korean heritage.

Oh, whose popularity grew playing an Asian American doctor in the long-running Grey's Anatomy, is excited about where stories are headed for Asian characters in the entertainment industry. Telling more than just white Americans’ stories gives a fuller picture of America.

The Asian Canadian actress has been nominated for an Emmy for her role in BBC's Killing Eve.

“I hope where we are now moving towards and going back to not a type of assimilation where it is embracing a certain type of mainstream, which is the white mainstream,” she said. “It’s to actually embrace our own accents, our own histories, our own culture. And that’s, it’s a big shift because it’s really a shift in writing as well.”

“We’re just in a place right now, because I feel hopefully continuing on with the Parasite wave, and the Crazy Rich Asians wave,” Oh said. “Let’s hope that there’s still a deep interest in a real movement to have Asian American stories really be a larger thread in the fabric of American culture, and just Western culture.”

American Ballet Theater's principal dancer Stella Abrera retires

After 24 years at one of the premiere ballet companies in the United States, Stella Abrera is retiring.

The 42-year old Filipina American principal dancer for American Ballet Theater was supposed to have her farewell performance last June 13 but the social restrictions brought about by the pandemic forced her to miss out on her final standing ovation and bouquets.

STELLA ABRERA

“I always thought my heart would break on this day, and it’s true that it does ache, but I see now that it’s because my heart is so full—it’s bursting with love and gratitude for everyone who has made this twisty, exhilarating, colorful journey I’ve been on, one of which dreams are made,” Abrera posted on Instagram June 15. “ABT will forever be in my heart—thank you and farewell.”

She is reportedly traveling and not available for further comment.

When she returns, she will move into a new chapter in her life as artistic director at Kaatsbaan, the 153-acre cultural park for dance in Tivoli, N.Y.

“Dancing at American Ballet Theater for 24 years has been a realization of a dream,’’ the 41-year-old Abrera said in a statement, “and now I’m inspired to impact the art form from the other side of the proscenium.’’

Abrera was only a junior year at South Pasadena High School in Califoria when she was invited to join the prestigious ballet company based in New York.

“It’s very rare that something happens like what happened to me,’’ she said in an interview with the Review. “Imagine the millions of ballet students there are, and there are 90 spots in ABT.

“I was really lucky to get my dream company. I wanted to dance with ABT since I knew what ballet was.’’

Her first  performance as a lead dancer was something out of a Hollywood movie. Five years ago when the principal dancer was injured for her role -- ironically, enough -- in Giselle. As the backup dancer, Abrera stepped in and was so impressive that she was made a principal dancer shortly thereafter.

In her new position as Kaatsbaan's artistic director, Abrera’s position will include working with artists on their projects. She will also teach and coach dancers as the head of Kaatsbaan’s ballet intensives and the Pro-Studio/Stella Abrera program, which launched last year.

Andrew Yang ends his unlikely but historic campaign

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Andrew Yang ended his historic campaign Tuesday as the results of the New Hampshire Primary came in.

OPINION:

It was clear from the start of Andrew Yang's presidential campaign that it would be an uphill battle because, one, he has never held an elected office; and two, he's Asian American. 

His biggest hurdle would be to overcome the strongly entrenched popular perception of Asian Americans as not being aggressive, outgoing and not capable of being a leader.

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang ended his presidential campaign Tuesday night as the votes came rolling in during the New Hampshire Primary.

"You know I am the math guy — it is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race,” Yang told a room full of his supporters in Manchester, New Hampshire.

“I am so incredibly proud of this campaign and what we’ve accomplished together,” Yang said to his supporters in his campaign-ending speech. “We have touched and improved millions of lives and moved this country we love so much in the right direction."

Despite the long-shot tag mainstream media gave to him, Yang's surprising run for the presidency outlasted the campaigns of some better-known and better-financed experienced politicians.

Mainstream media had difficulty taking Yang seriously. Networks left him off graphics, misidentified him or used photos of other Asian men.When the debates began, moderators ignored him by asking him fewer questions than other candidates or failed to call on him when he indicated he had something to add to a discussion.

Yang's major proposal of giving every adult $1000 a month was viewed as just another outlandish factor that cemented the preposterousness of his campaign.

Even the Asian American community found it hard to embrace him. Yang refused to engage in "identity politics," much to the chagrin of progressive AAPI organizations who wanted to back him heart and soul simply because of the historical nature of his candidacy.

However, he used self-deprecating humor playing off the model minority stereotype of Asian Americans to put non-Asians at ease and he was hesitant to fully acknowledge the impact of institutional and cultural racism that impedes the progress of people of color made it difficult for most AAPI to fully support his campaign.

But the way he was initially treated by mainstream media angered the AAPI community which flew to his side when it became apparent he was being marginalized.

In the end, though, the two predominantly white states of Iowa and New Hampshire, both of which are over 90% white, proved to be too big a hurdle for a candidate of color.

It is too bad Yang could not hold out for Nevada and California voters, both of which have substantial number of AAPI voters and are more receptive to candidates of color.

When the Democrats began jockeying for the POTUS nomination, three AAPI candidates threw their hats in the ring. It was thought California Sen. Kamala Harris would be the most viable candidate, but it turns out she was the first to drop out. 

With Yang's withdrawal, only Hawaii's Rep. Tulsi Gabbard remains as the only AAPI candidate. She barely campaigned in Iowa and concentrated her efforts in New Hampshire. Her poor performance, failing to win any delegates, puts the future of her campaign in doubt although her last tweet for the day from South Carolina did not look like a concession:

"Endings are hard, New Hampshire, but this is not an ending, this is a beginning,” as Yang continued to encourage and thank his followers. “This is just the starting line. This campaign has awakened something fundamental in this country, and in ourselves. The Yang Gang has fundamentally shifted the direction of this country and transformed our politics, and we are only continuing to grow.”

After his farewell speech, Yang left this cryptic tweet:

What the hell does that mean? Is he considering a presidential run in 2024 or 2028?

More than likely, he means he won't disappear from the public scene. He'll probably be given a chance to speak at the Democratic convention and he might make a dramatic announcement there. He said that he would seriously consider being a running mate for whoever wins the Democratic nomination; or a post in his or her administration. 

The question now is who will the Yang Gang flock vote for? The fear is his loyal army of energetic youthful followers might stay at home next November like what Bernie Sanders' backers did when their candidate failed to get the Democratic nomination in 2016. When the Democrats need to get out the vote and every vote counts in order to defeat Donald Trump, the worst outcome would be for Yang Gang to end their involvement and not vote.

More than anything else, Andrew Yang and the way he conducted himself proved that Asian Americans can be leaders and go toe-to-toe against anybody.

Perhaps the biggest legacy of Yang's groundbreaking campaign won't be seen right away. Somewhere out there, there is a young man or woman, or a young boy or girl, who watched an Asian American man make a serious bid for president. The idea of running for president won't be so far-fetched.

“It gives me a lot of pride and joy because I vividly remember what it was like growing up a young Asian boy very rarely seeing someone who looked like me on TV at all, unless it was in the context of a kung fu movie,” Yang said. “It makes me very happy and proud to help others see that there are no limitations on the way you can contribute and lead in this country.”

In Hollywood, the box office success encourages inclusion & diversityi

GRAPHIC BY E!ONLINE

A new report tying movie-going audiences with film content concludes: Representation matters.

Hollywood decision-makers are finally coming around to the idea that America is a lot more complex, interesting and colorful than the white world it has been depicting. And surprise, surprise, making movies with diverse ideas and actors can make money.

The box office success of movies like Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians forces the entertainment industry's studio heads and producers to rethink their old biases and acknowledge that people of color make up a substantial part of their audience.

"Today’s consumer has countless entertainment options, making it easier than ever for diverse audiences to find content that speaks to their tastes and experiences," said Chief Commercial Officer and President of Movio Media Craig Jones. "If cinema is to remain relevant and continue having a cultural impact, it must attract these audiences by delivering more representative content.

Movio, a film industry marketing and data firm, on Thursday (Oct. 24) recently released a white paper, "The Diversity Demand: Securing the Future of Moviegoing," examines how theatrical audience composition correlates to increased representation on screen, and if this suggests an opportunity to drive box office by producing content representative of audiences that have historically been underrepresented in film.

The analysis confirms a correlation between a minority group’s representation on screen and that group’s audience turnout, with some groups attending in numbers at more than twice the usual rate. The research also shows that increased representation of minority groups on screen can influence less engaged moviegoers within that demographic cohort to attend the theater.

TWITTER / JON CHU

The casts of 'Black kPanther' and 'Crazy Rich Asians' got together at the 2018 Academy Awards.

As a cursory analysis, Movio selected several pairs of theatrically released films which would generally be considered “similar” in terms of both genre and budget. For each pair, one film featured an underrepresented lead or co-lead and the other film did not. The audience composition of each film was then analyzed by Movio’s data science team. Some highlights include:

• The audience for Pixar’s Coco was nearly 75% more Latinx than the audience for another Pixar hit, Incredibles 2.
• Horror hit Us brought out an audience that was nearly 100% more African American or Black than the audience that attended similar title, A Quiet Place.
• Analyzing a trio of similar Romantic Comedy titles, the research found Crazy Rich Asians attracted an audience that was 186% more Asian and What Men Want attracted an audience that was 296% more African American or Black than the audience that attended Isn’t It Romantic.
• Crazy Rich Asians also brought in a significantly higher share of First Time, Infrequent, and Occasional Asian moviegoers than any other ethnic cohort.
• Comparing DC superhero hits Wonder Woman and Aquaman, the analysis shows the female led superhero title did not significantly alter the demographic profile of the audience in attendance, as both titles attracted an audience that was 40-41% female. Considering Hollywood’s longstanding hesitation to release a female-led superhero movie, the “absence of underperformance” within a certain audience group (male moviegoers, in this case) may be as meaningful as a title’s overperformance with another.
• Mega Blockbuster hit Black Panther attracted an audience that was 38% more African American or Black than Avengers: Infinity War. This is huge in absolute terms, with 40.7% of all Black U.S. moviegoers attending Black Panther.

“Movio’s ability to tie ticket purchases to individual moviegoers enables us to decipher the drivers of collective moviegoing behavior and to analyze attendance trends within demographic groups,” says Jones, who will discuss the White Paper findings during his appearance at the upcoming New York Film Conference this Tuesday, (Oct. 29).

Download the full white paper here.

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Netflix debuts new travel/foodie show with David Chang

NETFLIX

Chrissy Teigen, center, will be a guest eater hosted by David Chang, left.

Netflix announced its second documentary series with James Beard Award-Winning Chef David Chang and Academy Award-Winner Morgan Neville with Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. The series will launch globally Oct. 27.

“There's something about traveling with someone that opens you up," says host Chang.  "Being away from all the craziness of daily life, you spend long days together in an unfamiliar place with nothing to do but wander the street, share meals, and talk. That's what BLD is all about—learning more about ourselves, our friends, and the people we encounter out in the world. Plus, of course, the ridiculously delicious meals we share.” 

Each episode of Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner will feature Chang, the head of the Momofuku empire, accompanied by a different celebrity guest exploring a single city, its culture and its cuisine. As the pair travels through each city, they will also uncover new and surprising things about themselves. 

IThe trailer gives a taste of what food enthusiasts can look forward to, including a trip to Vancouver, Canada with Rogen and a visit Marrakesh with Teigen. In addition to sharing meals together, Chang and his guests also share experiences during their travels.

In the preview, Waithe is shown bowling and McKinnon is seen enjoying a boat trip. Chang recently teased the show on IGTV stating that on the show he was able to “try more new foods than I ever have before.”

“BLD is a chance to take everything I’ve loved about working on Ugly Delicious--big conversations, great food, world travel--and put it together in one large smorgasbord. It’s been great to take a moment to get deep while breaking bread." 

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