Diversity and Inclusion: All Buzzwords and No Action Make a TV Writers’ Room a Dull Place

In corporate America, being a black woman can be lonely as fuck, especially once you reach a certain level of power or stature. That same is true of Hollywood, where writing rooms can look more white and male than a frat party circlejerk at a PWI.

Thankfully, there’s a tag-team pair of superheroes ready to save the day! Diversity and Inclusion! Except, well, not really. While Hollywood is patting themselves on the back with diversity programs, the actual writers who fit the description still aren’t experiencing veritably diverse rooms.

As such, Pop Culture Collaborative and Women in Film teamed up to create the Think Tank for Inclusion and Equity (TTIE) initiative. Recently, TTIE released a report titled Behind the Scenes: The State of Inclusion and Equity in TV Writing, a deep dive into the issues marginalized writers face in a room where most people don’t look like them, and thus are rarely catered to—or even considered. This report actually marks the first time working TV writers are officially weighing in on the industry’s inclusivity.

Key findings from the report include:

64% of diverse writers reported having experienced bias, discrimination, and/or harassment by members of the writing staff. And less than half report it. 

53% have experienced pitching an idea that was rejected by the room, but when a non-diverse writer pitched the same idea a few minutes later, it was accepted.

58% experienced pushback when pitching to the room a non-stereotypical diverse character or diverse storyline, and 58% later experienced microaggressions in the room.

73% of diverse writers reported having to repeat a title at least once. 15% report they took a demotion in order to be on staff. 

42% got their first or second job as “diversity slot” hires and there is a wider understanding that, unless diverse writers come at a discount, they’re not given a chance. 

One survey respondent said that, after pushing back on the show-runner after his/her third repeated ‘staff writer’ title, the show-runner told them “Why should we promote this diverse writer if we don’t have to?”

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