An Industry Talk on Unconscious Bias

An incisive presentation on how to spot bias and how to change it, presented by Tessa Blake, the American Film Institute’s Nancy Malone Director of Inclusion Initiatives.

Focusing on gender, race & LGBTQI+ issues in media, WGAE member and highly-respected filmmaker Tessa Blake gives an incisive presentation on how to spot bias and how to change it. With America in turmoil and the ACLU citing our industry for “systemic and wide-spread discrimination,” it’s critical to see the unconscious triggers at work. As Director of Inclusion Initiatives at AFI, Tessa provokes a discussion on practical modifications, which helps organizations and productions make small changes that make a big difference toward greater diversity.

Presented at the American Film Institute, Disney, Verve, University of Southern California, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and others.

Tessa Blake is an award-winning filmmaker and television director (Veronica Mars, Riverdale, Blacklist). As Director of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, Tessa innovated dynamic programs to advance equality in the industry. Now serving as the Nancy Malone Director of Inclusion Initiatives at AFI, Tessa continues that work, finding meaningful opportunities for diverse alumni and working with industry partners toward sustained change.