Hollywood Inclusion

Exciting news from AMC Theatres, who will now permanently offer some Open Caption showtimes each week. According to its CEO Adam Aron, the showtimes with open captions will be well marked on AMC Theatres’ website and mobile app. These open captions will not only ensure that individuals who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, but also those for whom English is a second language, to fully enjoy films in the theater.

“This comes from many conversations behind the scenes, and phenomenal advocacy from the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community and disability organizations like RespectAbility,” said deaf film executive Delbert Whetter, who also serves on RespectAbility’s board. “This never would have happened without the public’s tireless and relentless support for open captions screenings. Hopefully this sets a new standard for future theatrical exhibitions that paves the way for a superior, more inclusive and accessible moviegoing experience for everyone.”

More information with details on how this will work will be forthcoming soon, but this is taking place in time for the release of Eternals, in which Lauren Ridloff plays Marvel’s first Deaf superhero.

Los Angeles, Sept. 23 – Disability is deeply underrepresented in many industries including entertainment and media, where numbers dwindle far below the 20% participation that would truly reflect the world as it is. Regardless, TV and film have a power to incite social change, drawing in underrepresented creatives as they work to craft a better world. For many, this leaves them with two jobs – to excel at their art and to fight for access for themselves and their communities.

RespectAbility Summer Lab participants recently had the opportunity to speak to experts in the field with lifetimes of experience interfacing their art and advocacy: Leah Meyerhoff, a screenwriter, director, and Founder of Film Fatales; Marci Phillips, VP of Casting at ABC Entertainment; Megan Townsend, Director of Entertainment Research and Analysis at GLAAD; Noriko Louison, Senior Manager of Research and Curriculum at 9Story Media Group; and Victor Pineda, filmmaker and President of World Enabled, and one of RespectAbility’s own Board Members. [continue reading…]

Los Angeles, Sept. 17 – As a part of RespectAbility’s 2021 Summer Lab, participants spoke with several members of the Nickelodeon Digital Studios team to learn about the inner workings of the company’s video production and casting processes. Nickelodeon prides itself in creating content for children that is diverse and inclusive. The team spoke excitedly about their projects and videos that include children who have both visible and nonvisible disabilities.

Marc Cantone, Sr. Director, Preschool Digital Content, and Skylar Apter, Supervising Producer, Editorial & Development, at Nickelodeon Digital Studios, outlined how their department works. Much of their work is in coordination with shows found on Nick Jr, including Blue’s Clues & You! and Blaze and the Monster Machines. For example, this YouTube video featuring Blaze also features young disabled athletes. Released after this conversation with Lab participants, RespectAbility team members consulted on this video. [continue reading…]

Los Angeles, Sept. 16 – Several members of the ViacomCBS family, including representatives from MTV, Paramount Pictures and Showtime, recently joined the RespectAbility Summer Lab to speak on community impact within an entertainment studio setting. Matthew Sinsheimer, Director of Corporate and Digital Communications at Showtime (a subsidiary network operating under the ViacomCBS umbrella); Adam Robinson, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility at ViacomCBS; Daylee Baker, Manager of Social Impact at MTV Entertainment Group; Erin Jordan, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Paramount Pictures; and Andrew Machles, VP of Public Affairs & Viewer Services at Nickelodeon took part in this important conversation. [continue reading…]

Marc Musynzski

Los Angeles, September 14 – As the 2021 cohort of RespectAbility’s Summer Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities approached the conclusion of eight weeks together, the group was joined by Lab alumnus Marc Muszynski to chat about what comes next after the program. He offered plenty of insight and tips for leveraging the connections made within the Lab to help further your career, and also shared some of his own experiences after completing the Lab in 2019, including writing for the upcoming Showtime revival of Dexter.

“Sometimes, you’ve just got to ask to be a part of stuff,” Muszynski started off the conversation by urging the cohort members not to be afraid to ask for the opportunities they want. He went on to explain how before the Lab, he had trouble finding an assistant job since he does not drive due to being legally blind, and many entry-level jobs in the industry require employees to drive and run errands throughout the day. But he kept asking around for work and applying to jobs, and eventually found a part-time student internship (which he qualified for by enrolling in LA City College), which helped kickstart his career, eventually leading to more work on desks at other studios and networks, all while Muszynski also was writing and refining his own scripts, and continuing to build his network of industry connections. [continue reading…]

Los Angeles, September 9 – In the final week of RespectAbility’s Summer Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities, participants were welcomed into the magical world of DreamWorks Animation to discover what it takes to turn a concept into a great film. Many know DreamWorks is recognized for creating some of the best disability representation in animation with features like How to Train Your Dragon but were excited to learn how the process of animation works to be accessible as well.

Janie Kahan, currently a Story and Editorial Coordinator for an unannounced feature film at DreamWorks Animation with previous credits including Trolls World Tour and Croods: A New Age, led the discussion with the help of Stacy Lindenbaum, an intern at DreamWorks’ Training Department with a background in music and animation. Kahan’s engaging presentation full of behind-the-scenes looks, included information on every role in the animation process from production assistants to story editors and the difference between CFX and VFX artists. “If you want to work in animation, really find what department interests you,” Kahan encouraged. “Learn everything you can about that department.” [continue reading…]

Los Angeles, September 9 – Several talented graduates and current members of NBCUniversal’s Page Program recently met with the 2021 cohort of RespectAbility’s Summer Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities. The team provided insight, personal experiences and a detailed description of what the Page Program really consists of.

The NBCUniversal Page Program is a 12 to 15-month rotational learning and development program that gives participants, known in the program is Pages, exposure to the inner workings of the entertainment and media industries. The program is geared toward people of various educational backgrounds, especially recent graduates. The Page Program seeks to prepare Pages for early-career entry level positions within the industry, including within NBCUniversal itself. The group of graduates and current Page program participants confirmed to the RespectAbility Lab cohort that the end goal for most Pages is to become an employee at NBCUniversal upon completion of the program. [continue reading…]

Emerlynn Lampitoc and Robert Baltazar

Los Angeles, September 9 – During the final week of RespectAbility’s Summer Lab for Entertainment Professionals, NBCUniversal’s Robert Baltazar, Senior Director of the Creative Talent and Content Team, and Emerlynn Lampitoc, Vice President of Creative Talent and Content, joined the eager RespectAbility cohort to discuss NBCUniversal’s upcoming programs that support emerging creatives from underrepresented backgrounds. Lampitoc, as head of the Creative Talent and Content Team for Film, oversees the Global Talent Development & Inclusion Team and their efforts to push new voices into production roles.

Despite the new challenges brought about by the pandemic, NBCUniversal continued to bring on new talent into their space through Zoom. Programs like Writers on the Verge, Female Forward and Late Night Writers Workshop carried on virtually with the goal of getting new writers staffed on NBCU TV programs. In creating space for aspiring young directors, NBCU also hosts the Emerging Directors program to allow new talent to shadow on multiple episodes of a series and eventually have the opportunity to take the lead on their own episode. “This is a one-of-a-kind directing program where you’re actually guaranteed a directing assignment at the end of the program. So, it’s a spectacular opportunity for our directors,” explained Baltazar during NBCU’s presentation to RespectAbility’s Lab participants. [continue reading…]

Ollie Cantos

Today we celebrate workers. As a long-time working professional with a disability, I am intimately familiar with the barriers that keep talented people with disabilities out of the labor force. Beyond public policy issues around the benefits systems and work disincentives, popular culture itself and media depictions of disability are a crucial barrier that harm the aspirations of millions of people with disabilities. For decades, people with disabilities like me have been seen as “less than” – as incapable of doing any job or becoming a leader in any career field.

How have many people with disabilities responded to being told what they cannot do? They have paved their own way into a rewarding career by becoming entrepreneurs.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people with disabilities are self-employed at a rate nearly twice that of their non-disabled peers. As of the 2019 American Community Survey, over 700,000 workers with disabilities were self-employed, enjoying the flexibility and opportunities that entrepreneurship provides. [continue reading…]