NO DEI, NO Entry: Diversity is Dead in Hollywood
- Eunice Shelley
- Jan 24
- 4 min read
President Trump came out the gate attacking diversity. At his inauguration (which I watched LIVE) he issued an executive order dismantling federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. This decision has significant implications for Hollywood’s DEI initiatives because the order not only terminates DEI efforts within federal agencies but also pressures private companies, including companies across the entertainment industry, to reevaluate their diversity programs. The Trump administration has also suggested there could be potential legal actions against companies whose DEI practices are deemed discriminatory i.e., they still help advance women and other minorities to close the disparity gap instead of hiring members of the old boys' club (read between the lines) and he'd ironically use the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice to head up these investigations.
In response to this order, major corporations such as Walmart, Amazon, and Meta have already started scaling back their DEI policies. Based on my research, analysts expect this trend to heavily influence Hollywood studios and production companies. Many industry companies were already lagging in their own diversity initiatives so this is a major setback because there will now be legitimate challenges in maintaining these efforts given heightened scrutiny and potential legal risks.
Industry leaders anticipate that financial pressures and fear of retaliation may drive Hollywood to be even more conservative in its creative decisions, potentially leading to self-censorship and a reduction in politically critical content. This shift could result in less bold and diverse storytelling which will have an immediate impact on the representation of marginalized communities on screen, behind the scenes and in the board rooms.
IN OTHER WORDS…
If you thought it was tough to break into Hollywood before... 🤯
Now understand, I’m not saying its impossible, I am saying now, it’s an even tougher row to hoe.
All of this Hollywood and DEI hullabaloo doesn't mean you can't become a successful filmmaker or storyteller. It DOES mean you can’t afford to wait for anyone to make a way for you or level the playing field to make the climb to success a fair trek. They simply don't care to assist you in creating the success you deserve and desire. PERIOD!
It was already difficult to break into Hollywood WITH DEI initiatives that helped push diverse content and jobs which, based on a 2021 McKinsey study, were still sorely lacking diverse voices, especially within the decision making ranks. As late as 2024, the industry diversity question was posed again with sobering results not just for blacks, but also for latinos reporting "for instance, that fewer than 5 percent of leading on-screen, off-screen, and media executive leadership roles in the United States are held by Latinos, even though Latinos account for 24 percent of film ticket sales, 29 percent of daily mobile TV viewers, and 24 percent of streaming subscribers." The numbers are just as bad for African Americans in the industry.
Additionally in 2024, the Hollywood Reporter indicated industry production was down across all content types. At the same time, streamers are in a content and subscriber battle like never before.
So what does all of this mean for you…
There is no better time to invest in learning the skills required to not just write, but PRODUCE and DIRECT your movies and TV series projects.
With quality produced projects, market and brand recognition is the real cheat code so your films can pull away from the competition. The Motion Picture Institute has taken notice of how powerful social media campaigns can be in this arena.
Mistakes will cost you DOUBLE if not more. Yeah, I know that's a gut punch but gone are the days where just making a movie was enough to be celebrated. Now the bar has been elevated due to the above mentioned realities. So we can’t just throw together a $hitty story with harsh lighting and sketchy sound. Producers, streamers and even your friends and family want QUALITY movies and TV shows based on amazing stories they can relate to.
I know that was a lot to take in, but the good news is that you can make high quality scripted content on a budget even if you have never made a movie or series before.
Enter Page to Production. In my email newsletters and social media posts, I've shared questions about the future of Flip the Script Film Fellowship and I decided that, for now, we'll honor the spirit of FTS (to empower diverse voices in scripted media) by leveraging the success and framework from that amazing program. To that end, I've fine tuned FTS into a comprehensive film development mentorship called Page to Production (P2P). P2P will open its doors for 10 aspiring filmmakers in 2025 to ALL make their first high-quality short project.
Built on the achievements and lessons learned over five years and 10 notable projects produced, Page to Production breaks down the full filmmaking process from concept development to post-production and beyond. And I work with you, in-person, every step of the way to ensure your vision becomes an on-screen reality that makes the world take notice.
If you still have a dream of making movies, click below to sign up for P2P updates and I’ll be sure to keep you posted when applications open up.
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