Addressing Bias in the P&L
There are many factors that contribute to evaluating the business plan, or profit and loss analysis (P&L), for any given piece of content. These factors include pre-sales values, both domestically and internationally, soft money contributions, equity plans, distribution platform strategies, legal contracts and profit participation/waterfall plans, off-balance sheet financing, banking, etc.
Today, there are many strong examples of content that both centers diverse voices and talent, and out-performs business expectations. In the ReFrame ReSource, we’re excited to share those success stories with you, to strengthen your business case for authentic inclusion.
TAKE ACTION TODAY:
Establish gender-balanced internal practices regarding the hiring of corporate staff managing production finance, business, and legal, as well as production legal and accounting teams on individual productions. Oftentimes, such staff move from show to show without ever being challenged to include new candidates. This can contribute to confirmation bias and a lack of diverse perspectives.
Re-evaluate foreign sales models that may be outdated and non-reflective of current territory by territory trends, noting that the value of content that centers women, people of the global majority, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities is increasing worldwide.
Seek out equity and banking opportunities from financiers that are themselves women or people of color. There are now diversity programs at most entertainment-friendly banks supporting diversity in terms of equity, loan rates, etc.
Cite the Research.
Many recent reports and studies, including UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report, confirm the reality that content centering the authentic stories of those who have been historically excluded from popular media are performing strongly at the domestic and global box office. We need to address the bias in deeming these stories a ‘risk,’ when we have seen plenty of evidence to the contrary.
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