Screenwriting : Lack of diversity in judges, mentors, and winners by Jose Portillo

There will always be obstacles to fulfilling your dream. As a writer, I simply write the best story I can and make it read exceptionally well. If you do this then it doesn't matter who reads it, it will acknowledged. Let your talent overcome the barriers. Greatness cannot be denied. I've been writing for several years, every year I enter 3 to 7 contest. and every year I've at least placed somewhere in a final, quarter or semi, regardless of the color of my skin. Even in some of those "diversity" driven contests that always seem to be won by a non-person of color.

I entered one contest that had a rule that the writer had to be a PoC, and guess what? One male non-PoC made a stink and complained about discrimination. Literally tens of thousands of other contests that he could have entered but he threw a hissy fit because one company actually focused on diversity.

My point being, is that if you dwell on finding places that only pay lip-service to diversity, then you will always be on the outside. You can fight the good fight to try to change things or find other places to exhibit your talents, ones that look at the writing and not the writer.

Hi Jose, welcome! You've made some really great points and asked important questions. There's definitely a lack of diversity in executives. And yes it can be daunting. However, I do feel that there is a shift. It's happening slowly, but it's happening. I've found that it helps to seek mentorship, producers, agents, managers, etc who understand my style and looking to champion behind my stories. I do a lot of detailed, specific research. Because for me, it's not always about a great story. What you present may not be what they're looking to slate. To be perfectly honest and transparent, I've never been optioned by a person of color. (and my stories are diverse) Those who champion behind my work have done so because we share similar styles in comedy, character dialogue, and even personalities. Networking and research play a huge role in moving the needle. Stage 32 has vetted some of the top execs who actually care about your journey. They also provide competitions that knock down doors for creatives! Best of luck with your projects. Always here if you need anything!

Just write the best script you can. Don't worry about who's what color, you think a reader is gonna know?

My suggestion is to think outside of the box when it comes to competitions and mentorship. A lot of big name competitions are going to promote writers who fit into a certain mold. There's a reason Hollywood is changing at a snail's pace. As Rashika R said, do your research and things will open up including opportunities and programs that align with what you want/need.

Jose Portillo under the best of conditions, screenwriting comps are a waste of money (S32's tend to be the exception, because they offer real exposure to the winners). I believe POC have an ever harder time. It's tempting to focus on comps because they seem to offer a short cut to success, but it's really just false hope.

The solution is the same for everyone (IMO) - get on set, meet people, work hard, be professional, give more than take.

This biz is about relationships - connecting, networking; this is how you make it in the industry (along with skill and talent, of course).

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Here is Kyra's advice on contests & fellowships, breaking in, diversity, surviving, working in corporate Hollywood $ (If Hollywood is your endgame).

https://twitter.com/BlkAssFeminist/status/1409206483175329800?s=20

If you make the effort to find out the racial profile of the judges and winners of those competitions, you're probably wasting time that should be put to better use and trying to find excuses. Just write. Good stories sell independently of who writes them.

A comedy series I wrote won a contest to pitch E! network a couple years back. I went to pitch them with a couple of other writers. The three judge panel were all black with two males and one female. The other writers spoke of diversity in their scripts. They had every nationality on the planet. My script's characters were as white as the color surrounding these comments. Though they consisted of diverse ages and sexes, I knew I didn't check all the boxes. It played with my head before the doomed pitch even began and I learned my lesson in writing that day. You just never know your audience and cover the bases. The judge's short feedback was 'It would make a quirky and fun indie film.'

Jose Portillo, I understand about the lack of diversity among judges who do contests.

After the arbiters who work We Screenplay's Diverse Voices competition decided "Pixie Dust" wasn't good enough to reach the quarterfinal round, I told myself: "I'm through entering contests."

I also came to realize the stuff I've written resonates better with Stage 32 members and with those on Script Revolution...and I'm cool with that.

In addition, instead of trying to enter comps, I've decided to research films whose screenplays are similar to the scripts I've written...and go to IMDBPro and find people who've worked on movies that came before what I'm working to get produced.

All the VERY BEST to you, Jose! Thanks for posting, and I'm glad you're here on Stage 32!

Writing shouldn’t be about pointing out diversity, it should be about presentation. If you use it for exploitation then you would have to at least have a story element to make it stand out. Blaxploitation had over the top action and dialog while still being able to present racism. The story should be the first element. The message should be subtle.

Thanks, everybody for your insight and opinions on this subject! I do appreciate the focus on the story over the focus on which mentor, judge, or winner's color skin is. As writers of any color, our passion is the story but also the characters in those story's ability to connect with people of all backgrounds, especially in terms of life experiences that are not totally within everyone's life scope.

(Note: I'm not focused on the color of judges, but as I do my research on them, as you should do when entering any contest, it's something I couldn't help but notice. I also noticed that the Stage 32 judges have a well-balanced diversity of judges as opposed to other contests. )

Furthermore, I do believe that some semblance of equal representation is still needed with mentors and judges as it is in government, jury's, and teacher's in school because we are a melting pot of cultures and in order to better understand these stories, people of those backgrounds should be present in the process to help those unfamiliar with culture outside of themselves understand better.

Thank you for starting such a fantastic conversation, Jose Portillo! If you get a chance, I posted a Roundtable Discussion in the Acting Lounge, but it addresses a lot of your concerns: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/acting/Changing-the-Ecosystem-by-Discussing-Process

One particular observation by Chris Rock is that people tend to give notes on the characters they identify with, and not consciously. Worth a watch!

Thanks, Karen! I'm halfway through it now! A great point made by Chris Rock. I think giving notes is something that could be done in teams of two. Two different perspectives from two different analysts who could see each other's blindspots when giving notes to writers. Probably take too much time, but an idea that could benefit screenwriters better analyze their feedback, as opposed to taking to heart the opinion, even if a good analysis, of one analyst.

It reminded me of a midpoint review I had once while a professor was reviewing my work. All of my main characters where Latino and this professor, who I had a lot of respect for, and still do, had asked why I needed to make the characters Latino. I said because Latinos/Latinas are underrepresented as main characters in film and it was my hope that my scripts could change that. He appreciated my reasons, but also said that I could potentially be losing out on Tom Hanks if he wanted to take the role. I said that's ok. This isn't written for Tom Hanks. I think it was an unconscious leap over underrepresentation and straight to big box office potential. I believe that happens a lot too when looking a casting potential in screenplays, which is often a category writers are scored on during screenplay competitions.

I do think part of the uphill climb is getting people excited about the "new". For example, seeing Michael Peña as a hilarious supporting character in a Marvel film is great (hell, seeing him kill it in every supporting role next to HUGE stars), but seeing him as a protagonist in a Netflix film? It's a once-in-a-generation occurrence and needs the support of the studios and audiences to be a regular thing. So, our challenge is to show that love to get out of the default. #MichaelPenaDeservesAnOscar