Cathy Schulman, president of Women in Film Los Angeles, and Keri Putnam, executive director of the Sundance Institute.A group of 44 Hollywood leaders held a secret two-day meeting hosted by Women in Film and the Sundance Institute to address the gender bias plaguing the industry, reports Deadline. The group included women and men from across the industry, with famous faces like Maria Bello, Jenji Kohan, and Glen Mazzara present. “The commitment from participants makes me believe that the industry is ready to explore real, tangible solutions that create more opportunities for women,” said Keri Putnam, the executive director of the Sundance Institute. But instead of just meeting to talk about the problem, they came up with a four-point plan to start solving the lack of representation of women in the industry:
- Advocate for “unconscious bias” training in the industry so executives can be more aware of the ways in which they might be (unknowingly) perpetuating the status quo.
- Start a “Gender Parity Stamp” to recognize films, TV shows, networks, and studios that demonstrate measurable progress toward achieving gender parity both behind and in front of the camera.
- Begin a yearlong fellowship program for early-to-mid-career female directors, where they will have mentors who will help their careers.
- Stay committed! The 44 movers and shakers promised to stay involved with this project.
Here’s a full list of the participants:
Adriana Alberghetti
Agent and partner, WME
Stephanie Allain
Producer and former senior vice-president of production, Columbia Pictures
Victoria Alonso
Executive vice-president of physical production, Marvel Studios
Len Amato
President, HBO Films
Darla Anderson
Producer, PGA Board of Directors
Chris Andrews
Agent, CAA
Rowena Arguelles
Agent, CAA
Bonnie Arnold
Co-president, Dreamworks Animation
Glen Basner
CEO of FilmNation
Maria Bello
Actor, activist, author, and producer
Andrea Berloff
Screenwriter, WGA Board of Directors
Cindy Chupack
Writer-producer
Maha Dahkil
Agent, CAA
Mike De Luca
Producer, former executive at Sony, New Line, and Dreamworks
Zanne Devine
Executive vice-president of Film and Television, Miramax
Cassian Elwes
Producer and former agent and head of William Morris Independent
Erik Feig
Co-president, Lionsgate
Sid Ganis
Former executive at Sony Pictures, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., and Paramount, and former president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
Liz Gateley
Executive vice-president, head of Programming, Lifetime Television
Micah Green
Agent and co-head of Film Finance, CAA
Catherine Hardwicke
Director
Nina Jacobson
Producer and former president of Walt Disney Motion Picture Group
Charles King
Founder of MACRO and former agent and partner, WME
Jenji Kohan
TV series creator
Sue Kroll
President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures
Franklin Leonard
Founder of The Black List, former executive at Universal and at the production companies of Will Smith, Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, Leonardo DiCaprio, and John Goldwyn
Linda Lichter
Founding law partner of Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman
Alix Madigan
Head of Creative Affairs, Broad Green Pictures
Zola Mashariki
Executive vice-president, head of Original Programming at BET Networks, former senior vice-president of Fox Searchlight
Glen Mazzara
TV creator and showrunner, co-chair of the WGA’s Diversity Advisory Group
Hannah Minghella
President of Tristar Pictures, former president of Columbia Pictures
Bruna Papandrea
Producer and co-founder of Pacific Standard
Kimberly Peirce
Writer-director, Western Council and National Board Member, DGA
Lydia Dean Pilcher
Producer and vice-president, PGA
Gigi Pritzker
CEO of OddLot Entertainment and Board Trustee, Sundance Institute
Keri Putnam
Executive director, Sundance Institute
Howard Rodman
President, WGA West
Rena Ronson
Agent, partner, and head of the Independent Film Group, UTA
Michelle Satter
Founding director, Sundance Institute Feature Film Program
Cathy Schulman
Head of Production, STX Entertainment, president, Women in Film Los Angeles, and board member, Film Independent
Stacy Smith
Director of Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative, USC, and author of Women in Film/Sundance Institute research
Mimi Steinbauer
President and CEO, Radiant Films International
Robin Swicord
Screenwriter, governor for the Writers Branch of the Academy, and chair of the Nicholl Fellowship
Paula Wagner
Producer and co-founder of Cruise/Wagner Productions; former CEO, United Artists; Board Member, PGA
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