Diversifying the Creative Workforce

The underrepresentation of woman and minority artists in fields such as film and game design is not being corrected. Many TV series that cycle through guest directors for each episode never hire women or minority directors. A 2015 study done by the Directors Guild of America showed that when studios make first directing hires, at the key moment when new talent most needs an industry “break,” 82% of directors hired over a six-year period were men, and 86% of all those hired were Caucasian. But it’s not just episodic TV. Women and people of color are underrepresented as museum directors, among Emmy and Academy Award winners, as TV and radio talent and as field reporters in print newsrooms and in cinematic portrayals.

These problems are mirrored in the technology sector, where issues that include blatant sexism have recently captured national headline attention relating to problems in social media and game design.

Renowned artist and producer Tyler Perry came to Atlanta because he was unsure of the prospects he would face in starting a new media venture in Hollywood or New York, and the Georgia media-making scene is much more reflective of the face of America than the entertainment often produced in other leading content creation centers. The key is to encourage new voices, provide avenues of career access to students with talent and passion but lacking economic backing, and to build networks able to nurture diverse creative talent. Because Georgia State attracts a highly diverse student population, it’s well positioned to address this challenge and to document best practices so others interested in diversifying entertainment can also succeed.