Invest Attention Media & Entertainment is a 501c3 charitable organization founded to combat sexual assault and exploitation in entertainment, as well as, the lack of diversity in leadership, opportunity, and access for members of marginalized communities. It's time to tackle this problem head-on and put the power of our attention into creating the world we want. With numerous allegations of sexual
misconduct, rape, and assault coming from of the top power players in entertainment surfacing on a weekly and even daily basis, we must provide solutions to this endemic. Golden Globe and Academy Award Nominated, Ellen Page, has this call to action in her public Facebook post:
"Women, particularly the most marginalized, are silenced, while powerful abusers can scream as loudly as they want, lie as much as they want and continue to profit through it all. It’s sad that “codes of conduct” have to be enforced to ensure we experience fundamental human decency and respect. Inclusion and representation are the answer. We’ve learned that the status quo perpetuates unfair, victimizing behavior to protect and perpetuate itself. Don’t allow this behavior to be normalized." Hollywood has a significant diversity issue both in front of the camera and behind the camera, described as an “epidemic of invisibility” in a University of Southern California report entitled ‘Inclusion or Invisibility: Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity in Entertainment.’
Selection of findings:
Women represent over 50% of the population but 1/3 speaking roles
28.3% of characters with dialogue were non-white although nearly 40% of the population represents these groups.
3.4% of film directors were female
7% of films had a cast whose balance of race and ethnicity reflected the country's diversity. In broadcast TV, 17% of directors were female and 19% of programs were ethnically balanced. Women of color over 40 are virtually invisible in broadcast TV
22% of TV series creators were women
Overall, the study found half the films and TV shows they analyzed had no Asian speaking characters and more than one-fifth of them had no black characters with dialogue. Just 2% of speaking characters were identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual, with more than half the LGBT characters in all the films they examined coming from two movies. Female characters were four times more likely to be shown in sexy attire, three times more likely to show some nudity and nearly four times as likely to be referred to as physically attractive. This problem is compounded when considering the impact entertainment has on each of us and the significant role it plays in shaping culture. Peter Stromberg, Ph.D., Stanford University states that "contemporary entertainment builds upon some very powerful built-in human neural processes… We should take entertainment more seriously than we do.” Dr. Stromberg continues that "entertainment generates commitments to values we are not always willing to acknowledge: values of pleasure, self-indulgence, and consumption." And while many have seemed to downplay the issue, the time is ripe for us to move on a solution. On November 10th, popular personality and host of The Breakfast Club radio program, Charlamagne Tha God, listed movies, songs, and music videos he grew up with that played a role in perpetuating rape culture and suggested that "we are in the age of accountability, and if we are being personally accountable and being morally honest we just have to admit that we were raised in rape culture and it was wrong." So what is our solution? Our Vision: A network of empowered creatives building safer spaces, inspired culture, and a regenerative economy that benefits everyone. Our Mission: Amplify the voice of marginalized identities and sustainability while ending sexual assault and bias-based violence in entertainment. Our Goals:
Create an engaged and collaborative network of creatives, businesses, and community members committed to supporting and amplifying the work of members from marginalized identities. Provide prosocial bystander intervention training and promote social norms that prevent sexual violence in the entertainment industry and entertainment adjacent industries. Produce original content that centers diverse narratives of members of marginalized communities (particularly women and POC), and sustainable, socially just and regenerative cultural practices. Maintain executive leadership and oversight that is at least 51% female, 51% POC, and we strive to achieve 25% other marginalized identities. Reinvest resources produced through the work back into the community for material community benefit. What do we need from you? First and foremost, we need your engagement with the problem. While the problem seems to be centered in Hollywood, we all know that it is a problem right here in our local communities. Having a grassroots, community-based response is the solution. Secondly, we need your tax-deductible financial support. We are currently a full volunteer organization and we need capital to continue to move forward. Initial funding will be used to:
Develop branding: logo, social media kit, and collateral marketing material
Build an introductory website: This will be a place to begin creating community and to bring artists and creatives together to greenlight mission-driven productions. Develop and conduct research to ensure that the programs we put forth are effective and duplicable. Complete Bystander Intervention Train the Trainer training
Complete Video PSA by Industry Adjacent Businesses
Finally, we need your creativity, passion, and community. Bring your ideas and your passion and join the movement to invest our attention in things that matter and have a positive impact.
