August 13, 1999
Los Angeles- The Screen Actors Guild today begins an advertising campaign to convince key industry decision-makers that diverse casting is more than just the right thing to do - it makes good business sense as well.
The first advertisement, which appeared today in the Hollywood Reporter, addresses the economics of diverse casting by declaring: "You have a demand. We have a supply." The next ad will run in the August 31st issue of Daily Variety and future media placement will include additional entertainment and advertising trades, including Adweek, Mediaweek and Brandweek.
"First we want to challenge the myth that there aren't enough qualified performers in the groups that are historically underrepresented on television," Guild President Richard Masur explained, noting that SAG represents thousands of professional performers who are ethnic minorities, physically disabled or seniors. "But we hope to convince industry insiders that diversity can improve their bottom line - and they need look no farther than recent highly successful, award-winning network shows, including Law and Order (recipient of SAG's 1998 Award for Outstanding Portrayal of the American Scene), NYPD Blue, ER and The Practice. We believe many producers and programmers are mis-sing opportunities to reach a larger, broader audience through more diverse casting. People want to see themselves and their lives reflected onscreen."
The recent furor over the lack of diversity in television began in May when SAG published casting statistics that showed the number of roles going to most ethnic minorities were declining for the first time in many years. But the story exploded several weeks later with the announcement of the fall network TV season and the news that there wasn't a single African-American or Latino lead in any of the 26 network shows premiering this fall.
Masur said, "While the Guild and the members of its Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee are pleased with the gradual improvement in industry responsiveness to various SAG Affirmative Action initiatives over the past decade, the recent decline in employment figures coupled with this summer's news compelled us to redouble our efforts."
The Screen Actors Guild has a long history of promoting equal access to employment for all its members, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, age or physical ability (See "Affirmative Action: Though the Decades with the Screen Actors Guild" in the January 1999 Screen Actor.)
That history includes: collecting and publishing casting data statistics provided by SAG signatory producers (as mandated by the collective bargaining agreement since 1983); educating decision-makers through symposiums, studies and face-to-face meetings, and publishing ethnic directories and other resources that make it easier for casing directors to connect with performers of color.
In May, SAG hosted top-ranking entertainment industry leaders including actors, writers, producers and directors, at a one-day symposium, entitled "Big Screen, Small Screen: Latinos Are Watching, Are you Reaching Them?" aimed at finding viable solutions to the under representation of Latinos in film, television and commercials. The symposium began with the release of a SAG-sponsored report prepared by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute, exploring the ways in which Latinos engage the entertainment industry, both as audience members and performers.
Masur said the advertisements are just one aspect of a comprehensive campaign SAG is developing to address the issue of onscreen diversity and to promote the range of valuable casting resources we provide on behalf of our nearly 12,000 performers of color, performers with disabilities and stunt performers of color.
"The Guild is also working with the national leadership of the NAACP and other key grassroots organization to aid them in their efforts to develop the most productive and effective responses to this extremely frustrating situation which directly affects so many of our members," Masur explained.
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