Hollywood Foreign Press Association Brings New Members On Board

 This year has been tough on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Since February, we’ve seen the HFPA undertake near-complete reform. This comes only after pressure from Golden Globes broadcaster, NBC, alongside other interested parties including Amazon, Netflix, and Warner Media. The issue? The organization has been accused of being anachronistic and severely lacking in diversity, with not one black journalist on the roll at the time. The issue reached a head when NBC canceled the 2022 Golden Globes in order to allow the HFPA time to reform. Brandon Blake, entertainment lawyer, examines the new reformations for us. 


Brandon Blake- The Entertainment Lawyer


The enforced reformation hasn’t been without protests, of course. Primarily around the fact that all members had to reapply under new, strict criteria, including proof of active employment. This reapplication will need to happen every year, too. Rejected applicants have been promised copious support and mentorship to help them move towards the next year’s round of acceptances. Other changes include a broadening of acceptable geographical residence, and the removal of the requirement to work for print publications. 


With a new (and diverse) recruiting committee now actively allowing new membership, we see 21 new members added to the fold, including 6 journalists of color. This brings the current HFPA membership to 57.1% female, 17.1% Asian, 11.4% Latin, and 5.7% black.


New members can immediately participate in all activities, including various votes. There’s also diverse representation through all levels in the organization. A new Board of Directors and extensive changes to the governance structure have also been made, including the introduction of a code of conduct and mandatory harassment training.  


With greater accountability also promised, and the move to onboard new members every year, this is a major shift towards a reform of this notable Hollywood institution. Will these massive and broad-reaching changes set the organization on a new path to success or is this the beginning of the end? Only time will tell. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is Kung Fu Panda 4 the Key to a Reinvigorated 2024 Box Office?

Image
 With Dune: Part Two having finally powered up the 2024 box office, it's time to build on that impetus if the wider box office recovery is to continue. There could be another strong contender lurking in the wings for this weekend’s releases- but it will doubtless surprise you to learn that this hope lies with the fourth installment of the animated Kung Fu Panda saga! Blake & Wang P.A. entertainment attorney Los Angeles , Brandon Blake, has more on this ironic twist for us.                                                                          Brandon Blake Two $40M Grosses on the Cards For the first time since July 2023 and the Barbenheimer dual release, we have a chance at not one, but two, films grossing over $40M this weekend. In fact, those figures may top $50M! While Dune: Part Two has had the benefit of massive hype and anticipation, Kung Fu Panda 4 may well turn out to be the more profitable production. Dune: Part Two has already grossed over $100M globally,
Read more

Netflix Ad Tier Turns in Fantastic Growth

Image
 What a difference half a year can make! With Netflix’s ad-supported subscription tier first launched only 18 months ago, the streamer has managed to nearly double its subscriber base since the start of 2024. Blake & Wang P.A. entertainment lawyer , Brandon Blake, fills in the details. Brandon Blake Impressive Subscriber Gains Netflix’s total subscribers for the ad-supported tier now number 40 million monthly active users. In January 2024, it was 23 million. The streamer was understandably gleeful to reveal this news at its first in-person Upfronts presentation in New York earlier this month. At its first-ever Upfronts presentation, which was held digitally in 2023, the ad tier had 5 million monthly active users.   Additionally, we were told that 40% of active signups now opt for the ad-supported plan, in countries where it is currently available. Of course, much of this can be attributed to a rather kind price ($7 domestically) for this tier, well below most of the other
Read more

Hulu on Disney+ is Officially Here

Image
While the Hulu on Disney+ Beta bundle has been live since last year, we have officially reached the point of full integration. Intriguingly, much of the executive focus on the new bundle has been around the technical advancements needed to unite the two platforms. You could take a look at entertainment lawyer Brandon Blake, from Blake & Wang P.A., looks in more depth at the united offering.                                              Brandon Blake Technical Advancements While few viewers are likely to know (or care, frankly) about the backstage technology that powers their viewing experience, Disney executives have been keen to hammer home the potential for happier, healthier subscriber engagement and retention with the new tech shift. They have gone as far as to call it the “most extensive technical advancement” since launch. At this point, it is clear that they are also hoping a more advertiser-appealing platform with better metrics can be leveraged to boost their highly su
Read more