Bunche Center Hollywood Diversity Report Media Coverage

2014 Hollywood Diversity Report:

Making Sense of the Disconnect

Released February 2014, this report is the first in a series of studies by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA to explore the relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry.

The Data

The report examines the top 172 theatrical films released in 2011 (ranked by box office) and 1,061 television shows airing during the 2011-12 season on six broadcast networks and 62 cable networks.

Conclusion

There is an apparent disconnect between the industry’s professed focus on the bottom line and actual staffing practices in film, broadcast television, and cable. While findings suggest that films and television shows with relatively diverse casts tend to excel in terms of box office and ratings, respectively, the lion’s share of films and television shows examined lacked diverse talent in front of and behind the camera. This disconnect does not bode well for the Hollywood industry, as the nation’s population continues to diversify at a dizzying rate. Hollywood’s bottom line would be advanced by implementing forward-looking project development and staffing practices that are in sync with the emerging America.

To download the full report, CLICK HERE. For background information about the Hollywood Advancement Project, CLICK HERE and for recent posts related to the project, CLICK HERE.

For further inquiries, call the Bunche Center at 310-825-7403. To contact the lead researchers directly, email Dr. Darnell Hunt at dhunt@soc.ucla.edu and Dr. Ana-Christina Ramon at acramon@bunche.ucla.edu.

To learn more about supporting this important research project and its annual diversity report, please contact Chia Yen, Executive Director of Development, UCLA Institute of American Cultures at cyen@support.ucla.edu or 310.206.6872. To learn more about how to support the Bunche Center, you may also visit https://giving.ucla.edu/bunche.

Hollywood Diversity Report Media Coverage

February 12, 2014

Los Angeles Times: Film, TV industry’s diversity doesn’t look like America’s, report says

February 12, 2014

Variety: Show Business Diversity Trailing U.S. Demographics, UCLA Report Shows

February 12, 2014

The Hollywood Reporter: UCLA Diversity Study Blasts Hollywood as ‘Woefully Out of Touch’

February 12, 2014

NPR’s “Code Switch”: Redefining Hollywood: ‘Diversity Makes More Money’

February 12, 2014

89.3 KPCC’s “Take Two”: UCLA report shows Hollywood’s entertainment industry still lacks diversity

February 12, 2014

KCRW’s “Which Way L.A?”: Hollywood’s diversity problem

February 12, 2014

ArtsJournal.com: Hollywood’s Diversity Problem Presented In A Way Studios Might Listen

February 13, 2014

NPR News: On-air story about 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report

February 13, 2014

Time: The Hidden Factor in Hollywood’s Racial Diversity Problem

February 13, 2014

The Black List’s “The Black Board”: 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report: TV Diversity

February 13, 2014

PolicyMic.com: See What Happens to Movie and TV Profits When You Have a More Diverse Cast …

February 13, 2014

Women in Film Los Angeles: Show Business Diversity Trailing U.S. Demographics, UCLA Report Shows

February 13, 2014

Atlanta Daily World: Here’s Proof That Diversity On Screen Generates Big Money And Ratings

February 13, 2014

Business Standard: Women and minorities not adequately represented in Hollywood

February 13, 2014

Breitbart.com: Study: Hollywood Is ‘Woefully Out of Touch with Emerging America’

February 14, 2014

Indiewire’s “Women and Hollywood”: UCLA Releases Scathing Report on Diversity in Film and TV

February 16, 2014

AsAmNews.com: NPR: Diversity equals higher ratings and revenue on television

February 17, 2014

Indiewire’s “Shadow and Act”: Hollywood Diversity: Making Sense of the Disconnect in 2014

February 17, 2014

IMDb.com: Hollywood Diversity: Making Sense of the Disconnect in 2014

February 17, 2014

TheConversation.com: Minorities and women under-represented in Hollywood

February 18, 2014

LA Weekly: Hollywood Is Very White (L.A. … Not So Much)

February 20, 2014

Daily Mail (U.K.): Why Hollywood is frozen in the 1950s: White men are still king of the silver screen with lead roles going to just 26% of women and 11% of minorities

February 20, 2014

American Renaissance: White Men Are Still King of the Silver Screen with Just 26% of Lead Roles Going to Women and 11% to Minorities

February 20, 2014

MyFoxPhilly.com: Study: Women And Minorities Underrepresented In Hollywood

February 20, 2014

ColoradoNewsday.com: Hollywood still a place for white men: New study finds that women and minorities still dramatically underrepresented in films and television

February 21, 2014

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education: UCLA Study Gives a Poor Grade to Hollywood’s Progress in Diversity

February 21, 2014

BizJournals’ “L.A. Biz”: Diversity makes money in Hollywood. Why won’t execs listen?

February 25, 2014

Al Jazeera America’s “The Stream”: Diversity in Hollywood

February 2014

DiversityInc: Study: Movies, TV Shows With Diverse Casts Perform Better

February 2014

TVWeek.com: Study Finds Hollywood ‘Woefully Out of Touch With an Emerging America’

March 1, 2014

Hollywood.com: The Academy Awards Still Aren’t Diverse Enough

March 15, 2014

The Wall Street Journal: Tiger Lily, Rooney Mara and Hollywood’s Peter Pan Syndrome

March 24, 2014

UW’s The Badger Herald: Hollywood films lack diversity, despite positives of diverse casting

March 29, 2014

Los Angeles Times: On diversity, Mindy Kaling finds herself held to higher standard

April 21, 2014

Walter Kaitz Foundation: Dr. Darnell Hunt’s Study on Diversity in Cable Television Heralded

June 3, 2014

Jezebel.com: 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report Isn’t Particularly Promising

June 5, 2014

The Tavis Smiley Show (Interview): Darnell Hunt – 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report

June 5, 2014

Entertainment Weekly: Black Oscar Nominees Thrive on TV

June 11, 2014

Public Radio International: The 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report presents a picture that isn’t pretty

June 22, 2014

The Philadelphia Tribune: Hollywood gets low rating in diversity

June 21, 2014

American Black Film Festival in NYC: Hollywood Diversity Report

Presented by the Time Warner Foundation

A panel discussion exploring the relationship between diversity and the bottom line in the film and television industry. Invited Panelists: Dr. Darnell Hunt, Professor and Bunche Center Director at UCLA, Screenwriter Jenny Lumet (Rachel’s Getting Married) and Tambay Obenson, CEO/Film Critic, ShadowandAct.com

June 26, 2014

Time Warner Blog: ABFF Showcases Diversity in NYC

July 10, 2014

PolicyMic.com: There’s One Incredible Thing Missing From the New Moses Movie

July 19, 2014

The Independent: Ending the TV whitewash: Shonda Rhimes is leading a drive for racial diversity in US schedules

July 22, 2014

Southern California Public Radio 89.3 KPCC: Obama to attend fundraiser at the home of ‘Scandal’ creator Shonda Rhimes

July 23, 2014

Flavorwire.com: Hollywood’s LGBT Representation Numbers Are Depressing — But GLAAD Is Wrong About How to Fix Them

July 26, 2014

NPR: Hoping To Reach A Wider Audience, Lifetime Breaks Out Of Familiar Formula