Black Agents: Of the hundreds of talent agents working at the major Hollywood agencies, only a few dozen are black. The New York Times ran a great interview with several of the reps, who discussed the systemic barriers they have faced and the change they hope to see.
Children’s Media: The Geena Davis Institute conducted an analysis of the top 100 grossing animated and non-animated family films between 2007-2017, called The Geena Benchmark Report, which studied the gender, racial, sexuality, and disability disparities within protagonists of these films. Male characters in family films constitute 71.3% of leading roles. There has been only a slight increase of less than three percentage points in women’s on-screen representation in children’s media over the 10 years studied. This disparity is a problem, since children – both male and female – look to the media for role models and stories that reflect what matters most in our culture. What are we teaching our kids?
Female Representation: Meanwhile, in films for “grown-ups,” the numbers are a little brighter. According to a new study put forth by USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, representation for women and people of color in top grossing films is higher than ever. 40% of the top 100 films of 2018 had female leads or co-leads, compared to only 20% in 2007; intersectionality across race and age also increased substantially this year.
Cynthia Lopez
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Farah Otero-Amad
Welcome to NYWIFT, Farah Otero-Amad! Farah Otero-Amad is a trilingual video producer and host for The Wall Street Journal, where she writes, shoots, and edits short-form vertical videos that reach millions across platforms. She recently directed and produced her first award-winning short documentary, Breaking the Cycle, which follows a hip-hop school in Medellin, Colombia, where students compete for the title of the city’s top breakdancer. Previously, Farah worked for The New York Times, Apple TV’s The Problem with Jon Stewart, and NBC News. She is a graduate of Columbia’s Journalism School, a Fulbright Scholar, and a former Division I athlete.
READ MOREMeet The New NYWIFT Member: Wendy Rubin
Wendy is a financial executive, media veteran, and creator of Fintimacy: A Women's Guide to Financial Freedom. After two decades in entertainment, finance, and private equity, she's on a mission to help women break free from shame and step into financial power. Her work translates the intimidating language of wealth into smart, clear tools for real life, blending strategic rigor with empathy, humor, and real-world insight. She's also an endurance athlete who has completed 10 New York City marathons to date. Wendy told us about her journey from the Midwest to becoming a fractional CFO in media and entertainment, her passion for empowering women through financial literacy, and her exciting upcoming book and podcast series.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Sen-I Yu
Welcome to NYWIFT, Sen-I Yu! Sen-I Yu is a New York-based, award-winning filmmaker originally from Taiwan. Her feature directorial debut My Heavenly City garnered international recognition, including a NETPAC Award nomination at the 43rd Hawaii International Film Festival, Best Picture and IndiePix Vision Award at the 2025 Winter Film Festival, among others. The film secured worldwide theatrical distribution in 2023 throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong, with limited releases in North America and the UK. The Guardian called it a “fresh, thoughtful take on immigrant experience, Sen-I Yu’s sympathetic and humane film traces three loosely woven stories of people dealing with loneliness in New York City…” In our interview, she discusses her debut feature, how her immigrant experience influences her creative process, and the types of stories that inspire her.
READ MOREMeet The NYWIFT Member: Melody Tally
Melody is a multi-hyphenate artist, award-winning actress, screenwriter, filmmaker and engineer. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and her Masters in Business Administration at Trinity Washington University. She studied acting and directing with Vera Katz and Haile Gerima at Howard University and can be seen on Tubi, Netflix, and Amazon Prime in acclaimed films including Residue and Silent Brave. Melody told us about balancing her multidisciplinary skills, how her engineering background influences her approach to artistic and creative projects, including a math book and limited series.
READ MORE
Comments are closed