Yahoo Finance Time’s Up Pushes HFPA on Globes, Demanding ‘Inclusive, Transparent and Respectful’ Ceremony
Time’s Up and the coalition of publicity firms that has put pressure on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to change its ways have applauded NBC’s decision to scrap the 2022 Golden Globe Awards telecast out of concern about the lack of diversity among its members.
The publicist’ group issued a letter in March that vowed to boycott the HFPA if the organization did not implement major reforms. That came on the heels of a damning Los Angeles Times expose of the little-known press association that administers the Globes.
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On Monday, the publicists group called on the HFPA to devote “sustained focus” on reforming the organization. Also Monday, WarnerMedia joined the boycott of the HFPA. “The HFPA cannot accurately reflect the best of our industry until your membership expands to reflect more of the social, cultural and ethnic diversity that exists in the stories we tell and the creators with whom we work,” the letter from WarnerMedia executives to HFPA president Ali Sar.
Time’s Up also praised NBC’s move, calling it “a defining moment” for Hollywood.
“It took the collective voices of individual actors, creators, and a united front of over 100 publicists — along with the powerful moral leadership of companies like Netflix, Amazon, and WarnerMedia — to make this happen,” according to the statement attributed to Time’s Up chief Tina Tchen. “Together, we demanded an awards ceremony that is fully inclusive, transparent, and respectful. Courage and leadership made a difference.”
The statements follows a day of extraordinary developments for the HFPA. NBC shocked the industry by announcing it would not carry the ceremony in 2022 out of concern for the HFPA’s practices. The HFPA responded with an updated timetable for reforms that called for major changes, a newly installed board and an expansion of membership by at least 20 members by Aug. 2.
Here is the publicists’ statement:
Our coalition of over one hundred publicity agencies, collectively representing the vast majority of artists in the entertainment industry, came together in early March to demand the Hollywood Foreign Press Association eradicate its longstanding discriminatory and exclusionary ethos and pervasive practice of discriminatory behavior, unprofessionalism, ethical impropriety and alleged financial corruption.
We applaud NBC’s decision to cancel the 2022 Golden Globes, allowing the HFPA the time it needs to thoughtfully reform its management, culture and practices. The depth and scope of change necessary requires time and sustained focus. We must ensure the organization’s revision of its most fundamental governance, ethics and methodology reflects the worthy ideals on which the organization was originally founded. We look forward to a transparent process that encourages and introduces diverse and inclusive new leadership and membership. We envision a culture and process that welcomes and celebrates our colleagues and the global journalists who bring such credit to our industry.
We thank Time’s Up, Color of Change, GLAAD and the outstanding artists, activists, thought leaders and media visionaries who advocate vocally and powerfully for full representation and equity.
We look forward to supporting the HFPA in this effort and to continuing to examine ways in which we can reimagine our own workplaces and the entire Hollywood ecosystem as a safer, fully representative and equitable community where all art -and all artists – thrive in meaningful contribution to our culture and society.
Here is Time’s Up full statement:
This is a defining moment for Hollywood. Today, we have the opportunity to recognize that, by speaking up against one powerful but deeply flawed awards system, we can begin to reimagine a more equitable industry.
It took the collective voices of individual actors, creators, and a united front of over 100 publicists — along with the powerful moral leadership of companies like Netflix, Amazon, and WarnerMedia — to make this happen. Together, we demanded an awards ceremony that is fully inclusive, transparent, and respectful. Courage and leadership made a difference.
Storytelling is universally powerful. The images we show on screen contribute to how audiences view the world and help define our broader culture. So, the entertainment industry has a responsibility to their audiences — both onscreen and off.
But this moment is about more than Hollywood. It is about the courage it takes to confront all of the problematic systems that are right in front of us — in every industry and institution and across society. Because that is what it will take to truly uproot racism, sexism, and homophobia and build safer, more equitable workplaces for everyone.
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