The Television Academy, in partnership with ReadySet, has completed a rigorous evaluation of its membership, as well as its overall policies, procedures and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and has identified key focus areas and developed strategic goals to drive systemic change across the organization.
Prioritizing DEI across the Academy’s own membership and the entertainment industry, and to impact its role as a thought leader in the television space, the organization announced a partnership earlier this year with ReadySet, a leading DEI consulting firm. An extensive, multi-pronged examination was launched that included membership, leadership and staff surveys to assess member and staff composition, attitudes and perceptions regarding DEI, and opportunities for improvement and expansion of current practices.
“As content creators with a global reach, we have a responsibility to address the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion within our industry. Our organization is grounded in the values of excellence, service, community and impact; and, therefore, we have an important role to play in leading industry change with thoughtful and purposeful action,” said Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy.
The study identified several areas of strength for the Television Academy, including an overall membership satisfaction and engagement score (73% positive) and members’ view that the Television Academy is uniquely positioned to be an industry bridge builder. However, the survey also revealed concerns over transparency, accountability, diversity and representation, especially for members with intersectional, historically marginalized identities. Though the diversity of its membership–survey respondents were 69% white/31% people of color, 51% men/45% women/2% non-conforming–may be reflective of the television industry, it is not reflective of the general population. And while current DEI efforts were met with praise, they were also perceived by underrepresented members as being performative and deficient in creating lasting, structural change.
Based on these findings, the Television Academy has set a number of objectives for the upcoming year, beginning with hiring a senior executive in the membership department to drive new member outreach and community engagement. Working in tandem with ReadySet, the Academy’s newly formed DEI leadership task force will develop, deploy and monitor an action plan over the coming months to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion principles are fully integrated into the organization’s overall mission. ReadySet will also help implement activities and programs, including training, education and resources for leadership and members. The Academy will also work to diversify and support its leadership so that it reflects the Academy’s membership, evaluating the composition and function of the Peer Group Executive Committees and creating pathways and opportunities to leadership for all members.
“It’s one thing to commission a study to formally identify issues within our organization, but it’s critical to commit to change. This change is not about any particular program or competition, it’s about systemic change across the organization. We are setting strategic objectives and creating goals that will deal directly with the challenges, and we are committed to holding ourselves accountable and sharing our results,” said Scherma.
Click here to see findings of the study.
“Terrifier 3” Tops Weekend Box Office
The choices on the movie marquee this weekend included Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, a film about Donald Trump, a "Saturday Night Live" origin story and even Pharrell Williams as a Lego. In the end, all were trounced by an ax-wielding clown.
"Terrifier 3," a gory, low-budget slasher from the small distributor Cineverse, topped the weekend box office with $18.3 million, according to estimates Sunday. The film, a sequel to 2022's "Terrifier 2" ($15 million worldwide in ticket sales), brings back the murderous Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) and lets him loose, under the guise of Santa, at a Christmas party.
That "Terrifier 3" could notably overperform expectations and leapfrog both major studios and awards hopefuls was only possible due to the disaster of "Joker: Folie à Deux." After Todd Phillips' "Joker" sequel, starring Phoenix and Lady Gaga, got off to a much-diminished start last weekend (and a "D" CinemaScore from audiences), the Warner Bros. release fell a staggering 81% in its second weekend, bringing in just $7.1 million.
For a superhero film, such a drop has little precedent. Disappointments like "The Marvels," "The Flash" and "Shazam Fury of the Gods" all managed better second weekends. Such a mass rejection by audiences and critics is particularly unusually for a follow-up to a massive hit like 2019's "Joker." That film, also from Phillips and Phoenix, grossed more than $1 billion worldwide against a $60 million budget.
The sequel was pricier, costing about $200 million to make. That means "Joker: Folie à Deux" is headed for certain box-office disaster. Globally, it's collected $165.3 million in ticket sales.
"This is an outlier of a weekend if ever there was one," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst... Read More