Hey y'all! I'm Naomi Ko and I am one of the organizers for the #StartWith8Hollywood initiative, which pairs female-identifying filmmakers of color with mentors, gatekeepers, and decision makers. I would like to share some insight into our program for transparency. 1/13
The program is ✨FREE✨. No participant had to pay anything. Nothing. The other collaborators (@BiatchPack @manondereeper @MarisildaGarcia @Cheryl_CLBP @shelbykovant #SunnyTsai ) matched and coordinated over 600 meetings as volunteers. 2/13
From our own personal experience we know that the price to APPLY (not even participate, which I will get to that in a bit) is a barrier for WOC filmmakers and artists. Again this program is FREE! We're being called "radical" for this, but it really should be the standard. 3/13
So how did this all happen? Well like a month ago @BiatchPack tweeted her idea, partnered with the @TheJTCList and in about 6 weeks we launched the biggest diversity, equity, and inclusion program in the industry. All the volunteers came together and began matching. 4/13
I am one of the organizers for matching participants and mentors. For us, we didn't want to make this process any harder or exploitive, so we didn't ask for long essays about your trauma & didn't require samples. It was a quick and easy google form, took about 10 mins top. 5/13
We didn't ask for you to submit two scripts, an award-winning short film, or ask you to be an Oscar nominated filmmaker to even have a chance to participate. We know all those things are a barrier. 6/13
WOC filmmakers always have to PROVE our worth. No one invests in our potential. In the past few years, WOC filmmakers had to be above and beyond to even have a fighting chance to participate in DEI Industry programs. A **chance** to participate, people. 7/13
There are WOC filmmakers who participated in this program who are fly as hell and have amazing samples/credits. Amazing, but also frustrating to see these incredibly talented WOC still have no access to studios, production companies, reps, etc. despite their accolades. 8/13
So if you were fresh from college or a filmmaker in her 50s -- newbie, emerging, early-career, mid-career, established, we matched you. If you are a playwright interested in TV, we matched you. If you are a postal worker, we matched you. 9/13
And if you were from Nigeria? We matched you. Michigan? We matched you. We didn't want your geographic location (especially now in the pandemic) to limit your participation, which a lot of Hollywood DEI programs do. 10/13
This wouldn't have been possible without the amazing mentors who signed up to give their time to meet with 8 WOC filmmakers. These mentors are amazing and we couldn't have done it without their generosity. 11/13
Obviously #StartWith8Hollywood isn't perfect and we learned a lot from this first round. We're working on improving it before we launch our second round in the winter-ish. We wanted to see a change and to make impact in an industry who does not value us. 12/13
Check out of @TheJTCList, connect with @manondereeper if you want to mentor kickass talented AF WOC filmmakers, and **donate** to the org for the work that we do. This is our time! 💕 #StartWith8Hollywood 13/13
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