It’s been an amazing year for African-Americans in Hollywood. The triumvirate of trophies for black actors at the Oscars in March was a statement in itself.
“Hopefully, it will open up some roles for African-Americans. That will be the right kind of world. I have no way of knowing because it hasn't been that long yet [since those Oscars were given],” best actor Academy Award winner Denzel Washington says. “I think there have been more successes at the boxoffice, if you look at what has come out. I think it is improving, and hopefully, things will get better for women.I think there is room to grow.
Prior to this year’s ceremony, there was only a short list of actresses that could get a studio green light. Typically, that list included Sandra Bullock, Cameron Did, Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow. But now, it includes best access Oscar winner Halle Berry.
“You’re now not looking at a role that you would cast an African-American, but just who would you bank on making this movie on; who is going to bring the audience. I think you wee that with Halle in (the recently released “Die Another Day”) — and the sequel spinoff — the first time in the Bond series that they have done a spinoff on a character,” says Andra Nelson Megs, one of Berry’s agents at CAA.
The third black actor to receive Oscar recognition was Sidney Poitier, who received an Honorary Award for his life achievements.
In addition to this year’s history-making Oscar triumphs, Suzann-Lori Parks, who penned the Broadway smash “Topdog/Underdog,” became the first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama; Larry Wilmore picked up an outstanding comedy writing Emmy for Fox’s “The Bernie Mac Show,” which he also created and exec produces, in addition the to Peabody Award the show earned; and the TV shows such as ABC’s “My Wife and Kids” and UPN’s “One on One,” have shown solid ratings within their respective time slots.
On the film front, MGM’s “Barbershop,” starring Ice Cube, became the most recent in a line of black blockbusters to surpass $50 million at the domestic box-office, demonstrating the viability of “urban films.” Fox Searchlight’s “Brown Sugar” has also faired will, earning $27.1 million domestically as of press time.
“Given the recent performance of films targeted at the black audience, there’s been a steady stream of successes and some very profitable movies,” Urban Entertainment found rand CEO Michal Jenkinson says. I think there access and the power within Hollywood for black executives, black producers and black talent is definitely increasing as a result of those successes. We’re also seeing an increase in the frequency of films being made for that audience, and I think it all stems from the fact that there’s been a much higher demonstrated success rate in targeting that audience simply because it’s been really underserved for the most part,” he adds.
With the exception of AOL Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons, the power base for blacks lies ostensibly in talent. Top-billing actors are earning $20 million per film — namely Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Chris Tucker (for “Rush Hour 2”) and Washington for MGM’s upcoming “Out of Time”). But there remain inequities: It too Washington over 20 years to earn such a salary, whereas it took Russell Crowe seemingly no time to reach that level. (At press time, no black actresses earn $10 million a film.)
“Nobody in this town keeps their jobs unless they’re really good at it anymore.”
While there are more black power brokers than ever before, the action in the executive suites hasn’t kept pace with the star power. “I think it’s great that we have African-Americans — specifically, black males — making $20 million a film,” filmmaker Spike Lee says. “I think that’s great, but that’s not having one at a studio deciding what films get made. Those are two different kinds of power.
Lee is fond of the term “gatekeepers” when referring to the few powerful people in Hollywood who cling the films and TV shows that get produced. “Even when Will or Denzel do films, they still have to go to the gatekeeper and say, ‘Will you make this film?’ There’s no getting around it,” he says. “Unless we get in those positions, we’re really dealing in weakness.”
Needless to say, there are currently no black execs within the studio system with green light power. “When the studios do decide to make a black film, for the most part — and there are always exceptions — the African-American experience is ghettoized into three genres: the lowbrow comedies like “Juwanna Mann” and ‘Barbershop,’ the romanic comedies like ‘Brown Sugar’ and then the crime / gangster / drug / shoot-’em-up rap films,” Lee says. “The majority of films fro the African-American audience are pigeonholed into these three very small areas. I think it’s horrible.”
Black producers look to at the sea of young black execs to help change the types of films on screens big and small, people like Zola Marshariki at Fox Searchlight. “If there’s an urban product that goes over there, Zola’s hand is in it,” says D’Angela Steed of Strange Fruit Films & TV. “That’s her power, but those types of people who are in the system are few and far between.”
Lee hopes to see the gatekeepers expand their vision of the black experience because it’s “much broader, bigger, more dynamic and more exiting and complex” than the three genres he cites. “Also, I think that the audiences are ready, black and white,” he says.
Broderick Johnson, co-president of of Alcon Entertainment, is probably the African-American closest to green lighting a project. With a budget cap of $60 million, the ministudio finances its own films with backing from Frederick Smith, founder and chairman of Federal Express (FEDEX). Alcon has financed and owns such films a the May release “Insomnia” (its biggest hit) and 1999’s “Lost & Found” while also getting producer credit on films including 2000’s “Dude, Where’s My Car?” and the upcoming “Hong Kong Phooey.”
The real movers and shakers are the black entertainment entrepreneurs who are taking the equity route and having the landscape in the process. They have full control and ownership creative elements, which means greater potential for profit. “Damon Dash” may not be considered ‘corporate’ executive in the traditional sense of the word, but he’s joint owner of Roc-a-Fella,” Motown Records president and CEO Kedar Massenburg says. “Perhaps you’ve never hear of (the record label) Slip ’n’ Slid that’s owned by Ted Lucas in Miami. If you were to take all those entrepreneurs and assume that the entrepreneurship didn’t exist and put it into corporate America, you’d probably have a balance.”
The number of black agents also in on the rise. For example, UTA’s Anthony James and Everlee Lee were promoted off desks to assume full agent status this year. However,, as a percentage of all agents, the number of black agents is infinitesimal. O the major agencies, William Morris has the most with six. Among them are Charles King (who had a superhot year after getting the “Barbershop” script out and named to The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation list last month), Janean Palmer Glover, Dana Sims and Jennie Delaney.
Becoming an agent is a struggle in itself. Megs, an agent for nearly three years at CAA, cites two factors for he dearth of black reps: financial reasons and opportunity. In a broad sense, the majority of blacks don't have the support or means to weather the “financial sacrifice” it takes to become an agent. “When my colleagues went to work on Wall Street making six figures I went to the mailroom to make minimum wage,” Megs says. “My friends said, ‘Don’t look at it now, look at where you’ll be down the line.’ That’s what I’ve tried to keep my mind on.
“Opportunity in this business is relationship-based. If you don’t know someone in the business, it’s very difficult to get in. Typically, it’s not their neighbor or their uncle, so the point of entry is a lot smaller.”
In terms of mentorship, entertainment attorney Nina Shaw has been a “fairy godmother” for generations of black agents and executives. In addition, Cheryl Boone Isaacs — former president of marketing at New Line and before that hear of publicity for Paramount —has been an inspiration a new generation of black execs. Isaacs was also the first black woman elected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences board of governors and was named treasurer of AMPAS in August.
Paramount’s Rose Catherine Pinkney, AOL TW’s Debra Langford, producer Kelly Edwards ad NBC’s Bruce Evans have organized and informal networking dinner for minority TV executives. The group, who jokingly refer to themselves as “Color TV,” have met the past two seasons at Manhattan Won Ton Company in Beverly Hills.
“I think that’s what people forget: There are no diverse dynasties. The dinners take the place of country club memberships,” says Langford, a gatekeeper in her own right as director of strategic sourcing at AOL TW., where she functions as a headhunter. The core group of Color TV is comprised of about 40-50 creative executives, and two network heads have been guests of honor during the past season.
Langford also is developing a networking dinner for minorities in film and business affairs. “The Black Summit” — brainchild of filmmaker Warrington Hudlin — is an annual networking opportunity that has become a hot ticket for blacks and whites.
“Basically, the goal is relationship-building,” Pinkney says. “This is a business where a lot of things get done based on who you know and how comfortable you are working with them. To better relationship, executives of color from networks, studios and production companies need to be about to share information, talk about job opportunities and sometimes offer support and advice. The other aspect is to make sure the influential power brokers in town understand what we as a group and individuals bring to our jobs and to the business on a daily basis.
“Nobody in this town keeps their jobs unless they’re really good at it anymore,” Pinkney adds. “As I say to people, if you’re talking to someone of color, you’re generally talking to someone who is not only good at their job, but also has the added bonus of being able to provide the company with the cultural perspective.”
Walter Latham, CEO of Latham Entertainment and creator of “The Original Kings of Comedy” brand, says: “My point of view is I figure out how to overcome challenges, But, obviously, it would make it a lot easier if you actually met with people who got it, who knew the point of view, who responded with the point of view.
“I could say, ‘earthquake’ to a network president, and they’d say ‘What’s earthquake?’ That’s a harder obstacle for me to overcome, whereas if I were meeting with someone who was culturally aware of what I was aware of, it would be an easier sell, hopefully. That’s where I think the changes should come. And they will.”