Welcome to “apparently, Interviews!”
We are very excited to expand our “Inclusivity, Duh” and “#apparentlywomen” campaigns into this exclusive Interview Series, “apparently, Interviews!” In this series, each week we will post an interview with working professionals in the film, advertising, and entertainment industries and deep dive into a discussion about how we can work towards greater inclusivity.
To read the full interviews, click on the picture next to their quote on what inclusivity means to them.
Mona Mohammad Ali – Founder, FIIRI Agency
“Inclusivity for me is to involve everyone, in this instance and for the agency, our main focus is everyone who is underrepresented.”
Ruben Contreras – Cinematographer
“The term – “Inclusivity” is a complicated issue. “Inclusivity” shouldn’t be a badge built on token gestures. Collaborating with storytellers from a wide range of backgrounds means very little if you don’t have the empathy to give their stories weight or expect praise in return. Folks should have the strength to look inwards and see what biases and have the humility and will to change it.”Suzaine – Director of Photography
“Inclusivity to me means being open and accepting to new ideas, people, technology. Inclusivity on a film set is having the door open for any person with the skills necessary for their position. There’s no minority, no bias, just talent and creativity.”
Amy Kersten – Actress/Filmmaker/Editor
“It means to examine your choice of collaborators through the filter of acknowledging white privilege in all aspects of society and how your choices might be influenced by that. And then in turn, doing your best to hire and cast outside of that influence. It also means telling stories that to their core must be about intersectionality.”Nandini Rao – Writer/Director
“It means being open to receiving the world from different points of view. To me, issues like diversity in casting and representation are folded into the initial decision of the stories we choose to engage with. Not just as writers or producers or studio executives, but as audiences as well. “Heather Besignano – Founder/CEO ICON PR
“It means that no matter your skin color, gender, size, sexuality, etc. you are represented equally in all industries. This means those who are hired for jobs, the politicians who are making laws for our country/states, the ads we see for projects, the artists we hear on the radio, the actors we watch on screen and the people behind all of this. “
Alison Becker – Director/Producer/Actress
“It means living in a world where everyone (women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, disabled individuals, and more) is represented in the media we consume. The diversity in creators is already there. The problem now is that diversity is lacking in the decision makers and buyers, so a lot of the diverse content is filtered out. We need more diversity at every rung on the ladder to make a real change. “Faissal Sam Shaib – Producer
“I make it a goal of mine to diversify the crew as well as the cast, I cherish it when I am introduced to a talented female grip or gaffer as this has been a boys club, so I make sure to always be on the lookout. It is harder when we are not in a position where we are the decision-makers, but we must not be afraid to point out an issue or suggest that the production widen their horizons and look outside the box.”
Carolina Groppa – Producer
“A team and set that has people of all races, sexual orientations, and perspectives.”
Amanda Wallace – Creative Director
“Choosing to collaborate with people based on their talents and what they bring to the table. Being open to giving anyone a shot, even if they didn’t quite fit the picture you had in your mind. I also think (and this might be unpopular) that being inclusive also means giving the job to the white male if he’s the right person for the job. Inclusivity should be all-encompassing, even if one particular group of people (*cough* white guys *cough*) have had their cake and eaten it all up and down the history books.”
Tiffany Murray – Director of Photography
“For me inclusivity in the workplace means not letting race, sexual orientation, belief system, or any other unrelated qualifier affect the basis on which to employ a person. Many times people associate stereotypes to qualifiers before giving a person a clean-slate chance. Our society has ingrained certain stereotypes in our brains and our subconscious automates them. “Arun Narayanan – Screenwriter/Creator
“Inclusivity is the practice of making people feel included. Organizations that care about “diversity” should be hiring people that have different backgrounds / perspectives / sets of experiences, but organizations that care about “inclusivity” should go a step further and make sure that all of those people they’ve hired actually feel like they belong. “Joy Donnell – Producer/Activist/Author
“An inclusive mindset is having enough cultural awareness, societal awareness and self awareness to be weirded out when you’re in rooms and circles that lack various perspectives and experiences. Inclusivity is how we grow, innovate, stay competitive and win. It can’t be embodied by one solo individual. It’s a tapestry.”Christina Tucker – Screenwriter/Production Assistant
“Inclusivity means democratizing the hiring process in all elements of entertainment production, whether in writer’s rooms or below-the-line production work, which leads to more diverse productions, in terms of race, gender, and class.”
Eli Ash – Producer
“It’s a combination of both practicing active listening with every kind of person that exists in this beautiful world as well as seeking out those other voices and offering them a seat at the table. It’s not enough to look at the room around you and enjoy an open dialogue, we need to take that a step further and look at what empty seats we need to fill with the people who deserve an opportunity to tell their own stories.”Nick Duarte – Director
” Inclusivity goes beyond tolerance and beyond celebration. It is making a conscious effort to make sure the disenfranchised are given equal opportunities to a sustainable career. And it means doing this in a way that does NOT alienate our allies. “