News Archive
CAA Launches Initiative to Improve Representation in Entertainment
Launched on Tuesday, April 13, The Full Story Initiative will act as an industry-wide resource with the purpose of generating “authentic narratives in television and film for a more equitable future,” according to the mission statement. The Full Story Initiative will connect creators at every level of entertainment with a nonprofit advisory board to support representation efforts. The Institute is proud to partner with CAA on the Full Story Initiative. Read More…
Forbes School of Business & Technology Center for Women’s Leadership Recognizes Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
The Forbes School of Business and Technology® Center for Women’s Leadership celebrated International Women’s Day with a Week of Resilience, March 5‒12, 2021. The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media was the recipient of the inaugural Center for Women’s Leadership 2021 Award for Excellence in Advancing Women’s Leadership which recognizes a leader and/or organization that has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to advancing gender equality and women as leaders in business and society. Read More…
Geena Davis’ Educational Series ‘Mission Unstoppable’ Returns to CBS For Season 2
“Mission Unstoppable,” the weekend CBS educational/informational series from Litton Entertainment, has been picked up for a second season. The show, from executive producer Geena Davis and hosted by Miranda Cosgrove (who also serves as an EP), returns with new episodes in January. “Unique intersectional female characters in entertainment and media are essential to challenging negative stereotypes and inspiring girls to pursue their dreams,” Davis said. “Girls need to see positive role models on and off the screen, and as I always say, ‘If they can see it, they can be it.’ ‘Mission Unstoppable’ strives to empower young women and showcases the many ways they can impact the world through careers in STEM.” Read More…
Geena Davis Reacts to the ‘Dismal’ Findings of Her Center’s Study on Ageism in Hollywood: ‘It’s a Shame’
As a new study conducted by her organization and TENA (a popular female health + incontinence brand) shows, there’s still a long way to go. The results of the global Ageless Test, which examines how women ages 50 and over are portrayed in film, found only 1 in 4 films passed, with no women over 50 cast in any leading roles in 2019’s 30 top-grossing films from the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany. “I knew it was bad, but this really drove home how very dismal it is,” Davis, 64, tells PEOPLE. “If you look at lead characters in this study, there were no women, female characters over 50 leading. And it’s a shame, I mean, there are significant sectors of our society that are significantly underrepresented and definitely age is one of them, particularly for women.”
Geena’s Op-ed in Social Investor Magazine
Don’t miss Geena’s latest op-ed article, “If She Can See It, She Can Be It,” featured in Social Investor Magazine. Geena discusses her theory of change; and how onscreen images can shift the cultural narrative, advance social and gender justice and impact real-life overnight. She makes a case for investors to finance content creators and organizations like the Institute to transform children’s program development. Read more on pages 62-65…
Disney Advisory–Stories Matter
Stories Matter. We can make an impact, we can make a change. We are extremely proud to serve on the Advisory council which has made great strides for diversity and inclusion with their new content, Advisory Message, to ensure open dialogue and spark conversation about representation. “Because happily ever after doesn’t just happen. It takes effort. Effort we are making.” By acknowledging the past, we are able to learn from it and move forward. As Geena has said, “there is incredible power in seeing someone who is like you on screen.” Watch Video…
Underrepresentation and Misrepresentation Have No Place in Advertising Today–Insights from the Geena Davis Institute
Advertising has the power to move culture forward, but continued underrepresentation and misrepresentation in ads is holding back more than just brands. I discussed the new research in a (virtual) Q&A with The Institute’s CEO, Madeline Di Nonno. This accomplished business leader and former cross-industry marketing executive provided a unique perspective on the disconnect between advertising tropes and the real communities we live in—and what marketers can do to close the gap. Read More…
Exorcist Exclusive Cast Q and A 2020
Join us as we dive into the world of ‘The Exorcist’ with the cast for a Q and A session. Watch Video…
New Script-Submission Software Aims to Manage Slush Pile
Check out what are partners at ScriptHop our doing! They’re changing the game! “Before a studio exec reading your film or TV script will ring your agent to demand a meeting, it has to be judged a hidden gem and not tossed back onto the slush pile, or what Hollywood unkindly calls a stack of unsolicited screenplays.
So the creators of ScriptHop, a software platform for managing libraries of screenplays, are about to roll out The Packet, a interactive online tool for script-submissions they believe will change the way scripts travel in Hollywood — while also streamlining the job of a reader so they can focus on critiquing a screenplay.” Read More…
Men Are Broken. Geena Davis Is Trying to Fix Them.
You may not see Geena Davis on screen as much these days, a slight born of Hollywood’s ageism, but her impact on the film and TV industry has never been stronger. Since 2004, the star of films like Beetlejuice, Thelma & Louise, and A League of Their Own has operated the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media—a data-driven research organization that works with the entertainment world to improve female representation. And earlier this year, a study released by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that 43 of the top 100 movies released in 2019 had female leads or co-leads, compared to just 20 of the top 100 in 2007. Read More…
