Black Producers' Fellowship: Los Angeles

Income inequality

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

The racial wealth gap and income inequality in Hollywood manifests conspicuously through the stark underrepresentation of Black professionals -- Black actors occupying only 11% of leading roles and just 4% of the key creative positions (writers, producers, etc.), yet we make up 14% of the US population. The recent strikes showed us that only 6% of WGA guild members are Black so as we move up the ranks into the C-suite, the rooms become less inclusive. When our founder -- award-winning writer, director and producer Huriyyah Muhammad -- could not get a yes from Hollywood funders to make her work, she created what now provides 200+ Black mid-career entertainment entrepreneurs -- screenwriters, directors, producers, editors, cinematographers, and animators -- with 40+ craft development workshops, networking opportunities to foster relationship-building, and advocacy to support systemic changes across the industry in the fight for equity, inclusion, and justice.

The Black Producers' Fellowship: Los Angeles program will provide two cohorts of 6 (total of 12) emerging producers per year from Los Angeles County with production grant funding, in-kind support from entertainment industry partners, and critical mentorship as they develop and produce narrative short films inspired by the Black experience in America. This program empowers Black producers to create "make or break" opportunities that activate Black creative industry employment, thereby directly addressing the income inequality in Hollywood today. Black artists face hidden barriers that include smaller pitch sales, stereotypical assumptions of what kinds of Black stories are preferred, and lower production and publicity spends. On average, Black-led films receive 24 percent smaller production budgets than their non-Black counterparts, while movies written, directed or produced by Black talent get 43 percent less money. Our program addresses this chicken-egg scenario, wherein we break down financial and social barriers for Black leadership among Hollywood's gatekeepers and achieve workforce parity in the creative economy. Our operations began in New York City in 2015 and we have grown to serve 3000+ community members across media centers in Los Angeles, NYC, Atlanta, Raleigh, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, and Nigeria, empowering them to turn their professional artistic abilities into enriching careers.

Entertainment production represents 17% of Los Angeles County's total workforce. If our work is successful, representation and economic mobility of Black creatives within that workforce will be defined by the following:
(1) Black creatives have achieved workforce parity in the entertainment industry (2) Black creatives can make their work (3) Black creatives own their data By 2050, we will build a thriving community of 10,000+ Black professionals who are empowered to shape their narratives and futures in Hollywood. As more Black professionals ascend to key creative and decision-making positions, the television and film industries will move closer to workforce parity, increasing the presence of Black talent in writers' rooms, production teams, and executive suites. Embracing the principle of "radical ownership," we will ensure Black creatives throughout Los Angeles County own the stories that discuss the Black experience in America, especially in the era of artificial intelligence.

We measure the impact of our program through the following activities: (1) Quantitative calculations are gathered through surveys distributed throughout the program that quantify the information below: Number of producers who complete films Number of viewers of films created
Revenue generated by the film across time intervals Jobs created by the film Number of festivals that feature the film
Number of network platforms that distribute the film (2) Qualitative assessments are done through 1:1 interviews with producers before, during, and after completing the fellowship to address feelings about empowerment. Our successful model is evidenced by: 221 educational session were organized for Black producers between 2019 and 2023. Two producers, Latasha Mercer and Elisee St. Preux, were awarded script development deals with Netflix executives.
Aspire TV screened the films of 32 producers from our program to millions of US homes so members could say "my work has aired on television!"