COVER STORY
Star Turn Powerful women in TV and film are commanding the spotlight in Georgia. By Echo Mont gome r y Ga r re t t
C hange doesn’t happen without people willing to take a stand, and numbers tell the story. Women — particularly women of color — continue to be underrepresented on both sides of the camera. Across 1,223 directors over 11 years, only 4.3 percent were female, 5.2 percent were Black or African American, and 3.1 percent were Asian or Asian-American, according to the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s 2018 report. The Initiative’s Founding Director and the study’s author Professor Stacy S. Smith’s deep dive — examining 48,757 characters in 1,100 top films from 2007 to 2017 — revealed little progress toward inclusion with regard to females, underrepresented racial/ ethnic groups, the LGBT community and individuals with disabilities. In 2017’s 100 top films fewer than a third had a female in a leading or co-leading role, and only four of the 33 females in these roles were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. Industry women in Atlanta are determined to change those numbers. Meet some of those taking a starring role in the movement to bring more jobs to female creatives and talent. Live Out Loud: Terri J. Vaughn When Terri J. Vaughn, actress, director, producer and co-owner of Nina Holiday Entertainment, considers the word “power” in context of her career, she doesn’t hesitate. “Power is the freedom to be yourself, freedom to live out loud, freedom to have a voice and not have to try and fit into anyone’s box or perception of who they think you should be,” says Vaughn, who launched her production company Nina Holiday Entertainment, with writer/ director/producer Cas Sigers-Beedles more than a decade ago. “Power means you are a force to be reckoned with.” Atlanta, she says, can be cliquish much like Los Angeles. “I am creating and part of a group that works outside of the ecosystem,” says the independent filmmaker, who has been creating content for more than 20 years. “We’ve been operating under the radar out of Atlanta for 10 years — acting, producing and directing, and carving out that niche without being part of the system with Tyler.” A year ago, a conversation between Vaughn and Sigers-Beedles sparked action. “We were discussing all the movies we’d produced and created, and the number of times peers and mentors said, ‘I didn’t know you’ve produced 16 movies,’” recalls Vaughn. “We know a lot of other producers and directors here, who don’t get recognition.” The duo talked about assembling the
That’s the big shift that’s opening up doors. “We are money makers. We impact culture and society. We always have but now we know it. More women are using their voice and not waiting for approval. We are moving forward, because we know nobody can express a genuine voice like we can ourselves.” As evidence, she points to what has happened in her own career in the past year: “I’ve directed five movies in the last 12 months. My confidence level is different than it was two years ago. I feel like I’m doing a disservice if I don’t boldly walk in the room knowing that I have a gift that is supposed to be shared with the world. “I’m loving the time we’re in. Ignore us if you want to, but you are going to hear us.” Deborah Riley Draper thrives on bringing untold stories to the screen. Her debut documentary Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution landed her on Variety Magazine ’s 2016 Top Documakers to Watch List and her second, Olympic Pride, American Prejudice , was a 2017 nominee for the NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Documentary Film and qualified for the 2017 Oscars. The Savannah-born filmmaker, director, and writer traded in her role as a high-flying ad agency executive after her mother’s death. “I had two a-ha moments prior to my mother’s passing,” she says. “One was when I told my boss at the agency that I had an idea for a commercial script, and he said, ‘Absolutely not’. The second was when I saw Diane Martel behind the camera as a director on a commercial campaign.” Draper based her second act in Atlanta. “Transitioning to telling the documentary and narrative stories that I wanted to tell was a natural progression. I wanted to use my own voice, and I understood the importance of capturing someone’s attention and emotion; that is relevant to both advertising and film.” Although she’d taken drama classes at the public library as a child, a few seminars and a class on filmmaking at NYU, Draper’s formal education was in the English department of Florida State. “I picked up a camera and just started telling people, ‘I’m a filmmaker’,” says Draper, a member of the advocacy collaborative Reel Divas and the Atlanta Chapter lead for Film Fatales, the global organization elevating female directors. She’s particularly proud of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice . “The story was unknown for 80 years. I spent four years on two continents heavily researching the story Creative Leadership: Deborah Riley Draper
women of color, who are making an impact behind the camera and in front of it, for a Vanity Fair -style cover to bring attention to this group of Atlanta-based creatives and talent. They shared the idea with Ty Johnston-Chavis, a producer and founder of the annual Atlanta Pitch Summit. Reel Divas, which has 20 members, was born. The photograph of the women of color — all working producers, directors, writers and actors — was picked up by Deadline and many other media outlets. “If we are not part of the big picture, we may miss out on opportunities,” says Vaughn. “This group gives us a platform to highlight each other as content creators and make our own footprint. We see each other, and say, ‘I applaud you, sister, even if the industry doesn’t recognize you.’” The goal of Reel Divas is ultimately to generate more jobs for Atlanta women of color creatives. “Most of the time productions bring in their own team,” says Vaughn. “Atlanta has a reputation as being a great place to film, but production companies typically won’t hire from the talent pool here. The norm is to ignore women and women of color. We are invisible people. That is changing, but it is still an issue.” Vaughn disputes the industry’s claim that movies featuring African American talent don’t do well. “That lie has been the excuse they’ve been leaning on a long time,” she says. “Now you can see that content featuring people of color does sell. Economically we hold so much power.” each other, and say, ‘I applaud you, sister, even if the industry doesn’t recognize you.’ This group gives us a platform to highlight each other as content creators and make our own footprint. We see
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