Pride TV Summit Reinforces Positive Impact of Representation in All Areas of Television

Beatriz was speaking during the opening conversation of the conference moderated by Sarah Kate Ellis President ampamp CEO of GLAAD The event amp160comprised of speakers and panel discussions with LGBTQ onscreen talent content creators network executives and branding and marketing experts sharing their insights and their own experiences may have been virtual but the takeaways throughout the day had the impact of an inperson gatheringWhat did it mean to be play a queer Latinx character on the big screen in widely released studio film Ellis asked Beatriz referring to In the HeightsquotI think it39s a small step forward in the continuing journey of our representation in all mediaquot she repliedBeatriz is an openly bisexual actress who when she came out publicly was given the chance to bring that part of her life to her character on Brooklyn NineNine the stonefaced toughasnails detective Rosa When Ellis asked how stereotypes and tired tropes could be reduced andor eliminated entirely from scripts Beatriz replied quotIf a river is flowing into the ocean think 39where is the spring39 When you think of television who is at the start of these stories Whether its executives writers whoever What we see happening now is that the doors to those rooms are slowly but surely being opened The people in those rooms are starting to reflect more of the reality in the USquotIt was really important for me that Rosa39s sexuality be made clear that the word 39bisexual39 be said not just once but multiple timesquot she added quotNot just out of my mouth but out of other characters39 mouths I cried when I read that script for the first timequotIn a particularly interesting presentation from the Video Advertising Bureau led by the company39s CEO Sean Cunningham he shared that in a recent study called Do the Right Thing VAB analyzed 3300 TV ads from 50 brands over the last five years In doing so they found that advertisers displayed their commitment to diversity and inclusion by promoting empowerment taking a stand for social justice and showcasing real authentic and inspirational voicesThe brands that were quotcrystal clearquot in their commitment to the LGBTQ community through their advertising included Tylenol Samuel Adams wedding planning website Zola and men39s clothing brand BonobosZola39s quotNo Regretsquot campaign from December 2019 featured six different spots with wedding scenes from samesex and interracial couples The company saw their highest total monthly website traffic month in January 2020 and though the campaign made up only 6 of their TV ad spend it earned a whopping 91 of their total online activity Similarly a Samuel Adams campaign titled quotLove Conquers Allquot featured a spot titled quotLet There Be Pridequot which was filmed at the iconic Stonewall Inn in New York City the birthplace of the modern Gay Rights movement The spot went on to earn a 97 ad attention score and ranked No 2 among the 35 Samuel Adams ads that aired since 2016The core message of all these campaigns was that of the significance of diversity and inclusion which without a doubt delivered stronger brand resultsLA casting director Michael Donavan led a conversation regarding the casting of LGBTQ actors in film and television joined by a panel of women with a variety of roles in the entertainment industry Donavan asked if networks are greenlighting more LGBTQ stories and if there is a push from both corporate executives and the public quotThings are changing in the industry 100quot said Caroline Dries Executive Producer ampamp showrunner of The CW39s Batwoman quotThere39s a search for inclusion and openness more than ever before In the last five years The CW has pushed to be way more progressive in this realm And there39s excitement around these roles and a need for representationquotquotWe39ve been working and creating LGBTQ characters at Telemundoquot said Karen Barroeta Executive Vice President of Production ampamp Development at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises quotI remember we had our first transgender character back in 2010 For the past two to three years inclusion has been at the top of our minds and as a corporation we39ve been making sure to push storytellers producers and writers to include them It39s our duty to represent our communitiesquotDonavan steered the conversation to transgender activist and actress Nicole Maines who costars on The CW39s Supergirl as Dreamer the first transgender superhero on televisionquotThere39s been a huge push recently and rightfully so to have trans actors play trans characters which is so important because of the narrative that happens offscreen when a cis man plays a trans womanquot Donovan explained quotThe narrative that39s happening is that trans women are men playing dress up that we39re cis men in dresses That39s not the case at allquotMaines added that when auditioning for roles those that come her way are often for transgender characters which she noted quotnarrows the pool significantly because there aren39t as many trans charactersquotOther panels and keynote conversations ranged in topics from analyzing LGBTQ political perspectives to the adaptation of unscripted series featuring LGBTQ themes and their ongoing challenges in entertainment newsThe Pride TV Summit wrapped up with the Pride TV Leadership Awards ceremony hosted by Thomas Roberts of DailyMailTV who presented awards across eight categories with honors quotrecognizing outstanding leadership or extraordinary courage displayed in the efforts to present LGBTQ themed television contentquot Companies and individuals who were awarded included The CW Comcast NBCUniversal and SKYY Vodka Sarah Kate Ellis of GLAAD Ilene Chaiken of Law ampamp Order Organized Crime Gio Benitez of ABC News and Jonathan Capehart of MSNBCClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the 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Pride TV Summit Reinforces Positive Impact of Representation in All Areas of Television

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Juan Ayala

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