Hollywood Commission to carry out first industry-wide anonymous survey on entertainment business culture
Call to action is for everyone who has ever worked or sought work in entertainment to participate
LOS ANGELES – November 20, 2019 – As a vital step in its mission to ensure a safe, secure and inclusive workplace for everyone in the entertainment community, the Hollywood Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality has developed the first-ever industry-wide survey of its culture, which is now live at hollywoodentertainmentsurvey.org. The sole way to build safe, respectful workplaces that give equal opportunity in the film, television, commercial, music, and theatre industries is to have a clear, data driven and supported understanding of the culture where people work. In a critical move towards solving the systemic problems of abuses that have been brought to mass attention, this anonymous survey will be available to anyone who has worked or has tried to work in any area of entertainment making it the largest attempt at gathering this essential data. All in the industry are encouraged to participate – you do not have to have experienced abuse of power, harassment or bias to fill out the survey.
The Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI), a highly regarded provider of independent research about workplace integrity will administer the survey, which is taken anonymously online via a secure website and will be available to fill out for 4 weeks. It is designed to guarantee privacy and anonymity for all participants. It will not be possible for responses to be traced back to individual participants, nor will any specific organizations be linked to any findings. The data compiled will enable the Hollywood Commission to develop initiatives aimed at protecting entertainment-industry workers many of whom are freelance and/or starting out in this industry and therefore lack access to adequate safeguards against workplace bias and harassment.
“Due to the heroic and brave work of many, we all now know there are serious problems of harassment, bias and mistreatment of others in Hollywood,” said Hollywood Commission chair Anita Hill. “What we need to get our arms around, if we’re going to come up with effective solutions, is reliable data that reveals the specific nature and actual extent of those problems as well as the cultural environment that enables and hides them. We also want to know what is going well, and how we can improve the industry for all employees. Therefore it is important for everyone who has worked or even tried to work in the entertainment industry to partake in the survey as their experiences will tell us what we need to know.”
Specifically, the survey aims to:
· Establish a baseline regarding the current culture of the entertainment industry, against which the Hollywood Commission can measure and evaluate future program effectiveness.
· Understand the nature and extent of misconduct, why it is so pervasive and for decades been accepted.
· Identify systemic problems that create and support power abuses, and prevent and/or discourage workers from raising concerns.
· Identify any gaps in access to representation, advocates, systems, and support.
The survey will seek data from people who are professionally involved in any aspect of the entertainment industry, including actors, directors, producers, writers, musicians, singers, dancers, crafts people, hair and makeup artists, wardrobe and costume stylists, technicians, drivers, assistants, agents, managers, publicists and executives. Anyone who works or has sought work at movie studios, TV networks, streaming services, record labels, production companies, theater companies or talent, management and PR agencies has valuable insight worth sharing.
“The more varied the mix of industry employees, freelance, long term, support staff, executives, etc. who participate in the survey, the more illuminating and useful it will be,” said Hill. “At the end of the day, the aim here is to help us develop as complete an understanding as possible of the issues facing the entire industry. The number of survey responses will also tell us how serious and purposeful Hollywood is at solving the systemic problems it has been so dogged at illuminating.”
The results of the survey are expected to be tabulated and a summary of the findings will be released in early 2020.
About the Hollywood Commission
The Hollywood Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality is a policy-setting organization whose members include the studios, television networks, streaming services, music companies, talent agencies, trade associations, and unions that comprise the entertainment industry. Its mission is to lead the industry to a strong and equitable future by defining and implementing best practices that eliminate sexual harassment and bias for all workers, especially marginalized communities, and by actively promoting a culture of accountability, respect, and equality. www.hollywoodcommission.org
About the Ethics & Compliance Initiative
The Ethics & Compliance Initiative is a non-profit organization that empowers organizations to build and sustain cultures of integrity. Established in 1922, ECI is the leading provider of independent research and resources that help leaders build and sustain high-quality programs that foster respectful and safe workplaces. For more information about ECI, please visit www.ethics.org.