Writers Guild of America East > For Members > Diversity

Diversity

Welcome to the WGAE Diversity Coalition

The WGAE is pleased to announce the formation of a Diversity Coalition to focus on improving writing opportunities for women and people of color in the entertainment industry. The need is clear: according to the 2014 Bunche Center Hollywood Diversity Report and the 2015 WGAW Television Staffing Brief, minorities are still woefully underrepresented. With that in mind, the Diversity Coalition is devising strategies to improve communication with diverse members and to generate ideas for opportunity creation.

Acting on suggestions from the membership, the Coalition is strengthening partnerships with diversity-promoting organizations like the Kaitz Foundation, the National Association of Black Journalists, The Black List, Lady Parts Justice and New York Women in Film and Television.  The Guild will sponsor more panels and workshops with a diversity component and is currently planning to add a new diverse writer category to “TV Pilots Resurrected”, the union’s partnership with Lincoln Center Film Society.

Efforts are also under way to expand collaboration with other entertainment unions to explore new and better ways to reach out to diverse members.

We invite you to visit the Diversity Coalition Facebook page for more information on various initiatives as they develop.

WGAE Diversity Coalition Members

Maria Agui-Carter
Henry Bean
Cristine Chambers
Nelson George
Susan Kim
Alison McDonald
Kathy McGee
Jeremy Pikser
Phil Pilato
Lara Shapiro
Courtney Simon, Chair
Lisa Takeuchi-Cullen
Judy Tate, co-chair
Duane Tollison

Resources

The Writers Guild of America, East’s resources related to fostering diversity:

Writers’ Training Program

Under Article 38(f) of the MBA, employers may establish training programs for underrepresented writers and pay them at reduced rates.

Hollywood Writers Report

Commissioned by the Writers Guild of America, West, the Hollywood Writers Report provides an update on the progress of women, minority, and older writers on the employment and earnings fronts.

Please access the Hollywood Writers Report at:

http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=922

Industry Diversity Writing Programs, Conferences, and Festivals

This list is provided for informational purposes only. A program’s inclusion does not, in and of itself, indicate endorsement by the WGAE.

http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4829