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MNEK writes songs for superstars, now he is on track to become one

When someone signs their first music publishing deal at the age of 14, they have something special. On top of that, how about someone that has been producing music since they were 5-years-old. This is the story of Uzo Emenike, better known as MNEK.

MNEK is a singer, songwriter and music producer whose collaboration list racks up to an impressive CV, writing songs for the likes of Madonna, Beyonce, Rudimental, Dua Lipa, Kylie Minogue, Gordon City, Duke Dumont, Oliver Heldens and more.

While MNEK has spent his time writing for superstars, the release of the 23-year-old’s debut solo studio album Language signals that the artist is destined for pop superstardom.

Born in the South London borough of Lewisham, MNEK spent his younger years channeling his love of music using Dance eJay, a preliminary music production software that his father had bought him. The purchase of Dance eJay, at once marked MNEK’s early exposure to music production, as well as started MNEK’s musical journey.

MNEK started putting out his music on MySpace. His after-school activities consisted of reaching out to his favorite artists and sending them his music in the hope it would be embraced. Incredibly, at 14-years-old, his efforts paid off, as the young teen subsequently hosted business meetings and discussions over contracts in the living room of his family home.

Though what transpired in the living room may have confused and surprised his Nigerian parents — MNEK’s father, a police officer and his mother, a retail worker at Mark’s & Spencer’s — a year later, MNEK landed his first publishing deal with a songwriting gig for the major British music production powerhouse, Xenomania.

 

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📸: @lukenugentphotography 🌈

A post shared by MNEK (@mnek) on Nov 27, 2018 at 3:52pm PST

Taking on a personal project of music analysis, MNEK would dedicate time to breaking down the music styles and arrangements of the formative producers such as R&B producer Dark Child, Jam & Lewis and Max Martin, who crafted some of the biggest tracks of the ’90s and 2000s. It was a project that helped the young artist not only compose lyrics but input melodies and other production ideas for Xenomania.

Fast-forward and MNEK has 8 years of experience in the industry and has collaborated with some major artists. Now, he is looking to shape and make an impact on pop music, but this time, solo.

MNEK wants to challenge conceptions around pop music that figure the musical genre as simply following a cookie-cutter template. He maintains that pop is a conflation of sounds and aural influences. For MNEK, pop allows for greater freedom, flexibility, playfulness as well as enabling constant reinvention in music production.

 

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my debut album #LANGUAGE🌀 is out in ONE WEEK!!!!!!!! preorder now from the link in my bio but if you’re more of a handsy person, in the picture above i’m lying on top of several (SIGNED!) physical copies of the vinyl and the cds of the album. they are available to preorder/purchase on mnekofficial.com 🤗🤗🤗 i also think it’s stupid that you still can’t hyperlink in captions but that’s neither here nor there. anyway yayyyy it’s so surreal to be able to hold what is my first real body of work like physically💙. i can’t wait for everyone to hear it!. now, pls abeg you guys don’t let my album flop too hard, otherwise these (and myself) will just lay around in my studio forlorn and unappreciated. and that isn’t the tea…. so.. LANGUAGE 7th SEPTEMBER!! oopssss and thank u for all ur kind words re: Correct! i’m so proud of the song and i’m so happy you guys get it 💙💙 thank u to everyone that helped make the video happen too! BIG MOTHERFUCKING HUGGGGG🤗🤗🤗

A post shared by MNEK (@mnek) on Aug 31, 2018 at 10:54am PDT

The broad application of the title of his debut album, Language, speaks to the way MNEK isn’t interested in conforming to any singular idea of himself as both an artist and a person. Nor does he figure these two identities as mutually exclusive.

For MNEK,  every individual has their own mode of communicating to others, their own language of love, their own language in which to express their race, gender, and sexuality — for our identity is performative, the ‘norm’ is in itself, an effect of multiplied performances.

 

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06.09.18 #LANGUAGE🌀 LAUNCH PARTY

A post shared by MNEK (@mnek) on Sep 8, 2018 at 3:22am PDT

At the same time, MNEK does identify as British-Nigerian and his identity as an openly Black gay male music artist is empowering for Black queer youth since the representation of this community is so lacking.

Given this representational void in the music industry, in discussing with ShortList, whether he feels the pressure to be a public face for the LGBTQIA community, he said,

“I don’t feel pressure. I think there’s fun to have. I want to be real and I want to have fun. And I want to show that being gay and of color doesn’t have to be a sob story all the time.”

At the same time, MNEK spoke about the tension in his image being marketable, in speaking to OUT Magazine, he expressed,

“I will never be typical, no matter how much weight I lose, no matter how much more hair I get. I used to think these things would hold me back, and maybe they will, but I see strength in them now. I saw the impact of me being myself.”

The music video for MNEK’s “Tongue,” by the directing duo Bradley & Pablo, presents a total subversion of the gaze, more specifically, the straight white cis-male gaze. In a series of shot-reverse-shots, the camera conveys the sexual tension between MNEK and his love interest in the narrative of the video.

In short, there is some serious eye-fucking going on. The song’s lyrics convey the coded language typical in queer erotic interaction. To put different, in choosing not to speak, or forcibly not being able to speak and disclose, instead enables the body to be the predominant register in which to communicate.

Additionally, the different modes of black masculinity and gender presentation performed by MNEZ exhibit his identity as fluid, subject to change, never static.

In speaking to DIY Magazine on the title of the album, he states,

“The album is about learning. It’s about me learning what it’s like to be a pop star. It’s me learning what it’s like to be a recording artist. It’s everyone’s first real chance to learn about me. This is how I articulate myself. This is how I feel. This is everything that I want to say. This is my language.”

The solo album will be MNEK’s introduction to a lot of people. Whether MNEK has fears something will be lost in translation, there nonetheless, is a huge community who relate and speak his language and are ready to embrace not only his stunning vocals but what he represents.

Stream his album Language here:

Steven Caple Jr. is the next Hollywood director destined for greatness

Taking on a new project that is a part of a beloved franchise is difficult for any filmmaker. Indeed, there are certain pitfalls that come with making a sequel. Audiences come with a set of expectations, a familiarity with the characters and will always have something to compare the new installment to.

A sequel may not develop the original narrative much further and in other cases, the follow-up film may take the narrative to a completely new direction, sometimes leaving audiences behind and wondering what the purpose of the new installment actually was.

When Steven Caple Jr. got the call to direct Creed II, the director had one feature under his belt with The Land; a gritty story about a group of teenage skateboarders caught up in the drug world in the director’s hometown of Cleveland.

The call evoked a range of emotions for Caple Jr. Initially, there was excitement and gratitude to be offered such a huge opportunity. After all, this was a big film. Then, the fear set in.

In an interview with IndieWire, Caple Jr. described how there was a lot of uncertainty guiding over his decision on the offer. When he received the call, he recounted thinking,

“Is this the right thing for me to do or should I not do it? I don’t want to do sequels for the rest of my life. I really like the first one, am I going to drop another? What are they trying to do?”

In an interview with Marketplace, Caple Jr. pointed out the features of the project that were new to anything he had done before saying,

“I’m dealing with a lot of actors and established characters already which I’ve never done before. Stuff I’ve done in the past — smaller independent films, you know, did the Sundance route, film festival circuit and it ended up in a few theaters and I’ve done some TV work. Now you know, it’s just a bigger scale, a bigger project.”

Evidently, the offer was daunting.

In both watching and reading Caple Jr.’s interviews, you can see where his priorities as a filmmaker lie. He remains grounded, averse to getting caught up in the hype and the money that comes with creating and globally distributing such a huge project.

In speaking to Marketplace, Caple Jr. revealed,

“I just want a good movie. I just want people to respond to it and relate. I’m not really chasing a number at all. You know, I think the studios are obviously, everyone wants a successful box office weekend. But for my career, you know, if it does well, I feel like people will start to respond more to me, the material I put out there, what I’m going to do next.”

Caple Jr. is invested in tonality — citing in the same interview — that the film’s tone derives from the characters and that the filmmaker’s auteurship is embedded in the intimate scenes that follow the relationship between Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) and Bianca (Tessa Thompson).

At the same time, the gritty and raw cinematography of his first feature film also amplifies the filmmaker’s commitment to authentic and resonant storytelling.

 

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BTS…. These guys have something special, man. I thank them for trusting me throughout the process. #creed2

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Creed II is the eighth installment in the Rocky franchise, and for Steven Caple Jr., it signaled the director entering a whole other ring of filmmaking.

Graduating from USC grad school in 2014, Caple’s time at college overlapped with his friend, mentor, and now prominent director, Ryan Coogler. The first Creed helped launch Coogler’s career, who went on to direct Marvel’s hit, Black Panther, that smashed box-office records.

Caple Jr. had to fulfill a lot of expectations held by the film’s big-name star, Michael B. Jordan, who has worked closely with Coogler on the films, Fruitvale Station and Black Panther.  Michael B. Jordan reprises his role as Adonis Creed, the son of Rocky’s former nemesis and late friend Apollo Creed.

In speaking on the director in an interview with Cleveland.com, Jordan heralded the director’s willingness to listen to actors on set, stating,

“Everything is a collaboration, and he’s willing to entertain your idea no matter how crazy it may be.”

Collaboration is key to Caple Jr. He is a big proponent of providing people of color more opportunity behind the scenes, whether they are developing a screenplay, serving as a DP and more.

For such a big film, Creed II also offers a rare and crucial depiction of young Black love on screen. The scene in which Adonis is taking out Bianca’s hair is deliberate, full of intention for Black audiences to see themselves and their identities correctly reflected on screen.

And Caple Jr. is more than on board with this movement of providing of more inclusive representation, advocating more films to be led by black actors and actresses saying,

“I think we’re going to see these waves of films with people of color and women that can sell in the universal market because we’ve proven it.”

On what’s next for the director?

 

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My brothers! Love you guys….Our premiere is tonight! #creed2 styled by @looksgoodonu

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Caple Jr.is now writing an Emmitt Till mini-series for HBO, with Jay-Z, Will Smith and Aaron Kaplan serving as producers on the show. Additionally, he has directed forthcoming episodes for the show Grown-ish, a spinoff of the hit sitcom Black-ish.

With Creed II on track to become a major box-office success, Caple Jr. will certainly broaden his audience and is a serious contender in the film world.

Ava DuVernay continues to boss up with multi-million dollar Warner Bros. deal

Ava DuVernay continues to boss up. The pioneering filmmaker inked a multi-year and multi-million dollar deal with the television branch of the historic heavyweight Hollywood studio, Warner Bros.

According to the studio, the deal is set to span multiple genres from “drama and comedy series, documentaries, digital content, event projects, and longer form projects for broadcast and cable, premium cable, as well as streaming services and other platforms.”

Having already worked with DuVernay on Queen Sugar and the CBS drama series, The Red Line, Warner Bros. expressed their excitement in continuing their collaboration with DuVernay, declaring,

“Ava DuVernay is one of the leading lights in our industry, a brilliantly talented writer, producer, director and entrepreneur whose ability to inspire with her art is exceeded only by her ability to entertain.”

A major gain from DuVernay’s deal with Warner Bros. is that the filmmaker can sell her projects to other networks and not be restricted to a singular distribution platform. In broadening her distribution outlets, more and more people will have access to see her important, critical and formative work.

In the meantime, DuVernay has continued to expand her collaboration with Netflix since the streaming service released her first feature all the way back in 2010, with I Will Follow. Since then, she has debuted the documentary 13th and is directing and serving as executive producer to the scripted miniseries on the Central Park Jogger case, called Central Park Five which is set to be released next year.

Plus, last month it was announced that DuVernay will direct a Netflix documentary on the legendary artist and musical genius, Prince. 

DuVernay’s career, however, is already a firm and emphatic demonstration that she isn’t in it exclusively for herself. She has been helping people all along the way, making sure everyone,and I mean, everyone gets their shine.

One only has to look at her female-led directors’ initiative — a kind of informal enacting of affirmative action by DuVernay for women to direct episodes of her series Queen Sugar

In the short time DuVernay has been directing, she has been a major success.

Importantly, her success has also made serious ground for women and particularly women of color to take their spot at the directors’ chair as well as work behind the scenes.

Peep MIZIZI, the streetwear brand reminding us to take pride in our roots

Fashion has always been a means of self-expression and a visual articulation of one’s identity. But the streetwear and lifestyle brand, MIZIZI is taking this principle to a whole other level.

MIZIZI means “roots” in Swahili. The name is emblematic of the company’s commitment to connecting people to their ancestral ties, as well as empowering black and brown people across the world. Put simply, MIZIZI’s fresh and stylish streetwear collections serve as visual reminders to be proud of one’s roots.

As a young Ghanian-American living in Florida, Paakow Essandoh, was familiar with the struggles that come with reconciling African culture with American culture when formulating one’s own identity.

 

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West Indies Release Date: July 13th | 8 PM CST #StayRooted🌴

A post shared by MIZIZI (@mizizishop) on Jul 8, 2017 at 11:17am PDT

Essandoh recognized a lack of visible expression and representation of African pride in Florida and speculated that his disenchantment must have been shared by many who belong to the African Diaspora.

The idea for MIZIZI came about in the dining halls of the University of South Florida. In an effort to champion underrepresented identities of the African Diaspora, Essandoh and friend and co-founder George Kariuki (who later left the company for other business endeavors), started MIZIZI.

During their time at college, the pair spent hours brainstorming ideas for patterns and designs that could be marketable. Finally, in the summer of 2015, the jersey line officially launched.

But MIZIZI goes beyond the category of a streetwear brand.

It is a global community that connects people belonging to the African diaspora. A visual articulation of solidarity and collectiveness and at the same time, a celebration of individual identity.

It’s a connection that is so far-reaching, it extends to the Marvel Universe — with MIZIZI launching an exclusive Wakanda collection — and now a collaboration with the multi-billion company to add to its CV.

Ranging in style from baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer jerseys and bomber jackets, the brand has dropped over seven original collections since its launch three years ago.

With such cultural variety that make up the geographies of the African Diaspora — environments rich in vibrant color, patterns — the designers at MIZIZI have an endless source of inspiration and each national jersey has their own fresh flow.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWyPFhKldce/

On the website, the jersey collections are arranged geographically, from countries in Africa, the West Indies and Latin America with an AfroLatinx collection.

There is also a Black Lives Matter collection — a mode for which blackness is affirmed — a visual way for the identities and humanity of people of African descent not to be denied against Western indifference.

From its roots in Florida, the company has now expanded internationally. Actress Sasha B. Lane (American Honey, The Miseducation of Cameron Post) has joined forces with the company becoming a MIZIZI brand ambassador.

 

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The Divine Feminine cannot be limited by gender. It’s the ultimate power that we all have to create and to love.🍁 📸: @temi.coker

A post shared by MIZIZI (@mizizishop) on Nov 8, 2018 at 5:15pm PST

Amidst a cultural moment where the hashtag #WakandaForever dominated social media platforms, the enthusiastic reception of Black Panther was evidence of a global population that continues to look to art, in all its forms (film, music, fashion, art), as a means to connect oneself to their ancestral ties.

MIZIZI is not exempt from this and the streetwear brand has become a movement of its own, connecting people of African descent with the important message to #StayRooted.

Janelle Monae is expanding her Android universe with Universal Pictures

After releasing the visually dazzling, digitized time-space and visual albumDirty Computer earlier this year, Janelle Monae is continuing to expand her Afrofuturist Android universe by signing a first look production deal with Universal Pictures.

With her futuristic and transportive music videos and critically acclaimed performances in Moonlight and Hidden Figures, Monae definitely has an eye for world building and has subsequently taken a significant byte out of the film industry.

The deal with Universal Pictures is with Monae’s production company, Wondaland Pictures, the film division of the singer and actress’ entertainment company, Wondaland.

 

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Thank you for your belief in @wondaland Donna Langley & Universal . We look forward to going on this journey ! To our peers & fellow creatives we can’t wait to collaborate with you . Family, friends, & day one supporters we hope to make you proud . We are humbled by the opportunity. 🙏🏾 #WondalandPictures 🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬 “Universal Pictures announced that the studio has entered into a first-look production agreement with Janelle Monáe’s Wondaland Pictures, the film division of her multimedia company Wondaland. 🎬 Alongside its creative in-house team of executives including CEO ‪Monáe, Managing Partner Mikael Moore, Creative Director Chuck Lightning and Executive Producer Nate Wonder, Wondaland and Universal Pictures will develop multi-genre content with an emphasis on championing underrepresented voices and groundbreaking perspectives. 🎬 “There is an exciting, artistic revolution taking place in our industry, and Janelle and the talented team at Wondaland are at the forefront,” said Donna Langley, Chairman, Universal Pictures. “Their forward-thinking, inclusive approach to content and storytelling make them a perfect fit for our studio.” 🎬 The deal further strengthens the collaborative relationship between Monáe and Universal: She stars in Universal’s upcoming Robert Zemeckis-directed movie Welcome to Marwen, opening Dec. 21, and Focus Features’ Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet due out next year.”

A post shared by Janelle Monáe (@janellemonae) on

The upcoming projects will follow Monae’s pattern of mixing genres and amplifying marginalized voices and providing space where these underrepresented identities are affirmed and celebrated.

Universal Pictures Chairman, Donna Langley, released a statement on the deal, saying,

“There is an exciting, artistic revolution taking place in our industry, and Janelle and the talented team at Wondaland are at the forefront. Their forward-thinking, inclusive approach to content and storytelling make them a perfect fit for our studio.”

Monae will appear in an upcoming Universal animation film, Welcome to Marwen, and the Harriet Tubman biopic, Harriet, set for release in 2019. She has also recently been added to the cast of Disney’s Lady and the Tramp remake.

Always leaning in the direction of the technological, the deal with Universal is indicative of Monáe’s is an effort to create narratives that are more inclusive, elevate the idea of being who you are and how you chose to identify, for every individual is an agent of their own self-definition.

As Monae asserted in the radio interview with Hot 97 earlier this year,

“Freedom is not free. You got to actively fight for it. We have the power to shape the culture and undo the culture that does not serve us.”

The Lion King doesn’t drop until summer and people are already losing it

If the reception of a teaser trailer is any indication of how hyped people are to see a film, the live-action reboot of the Disney classic, The Lion King is bound to be a major box-office success. Within only 24 hours, the teaser received close to 225 million views.

Disney released the trailer on Thanksgiving Day, knowing full well that families across the U.S. would gather together to watch the one-minute-plus video. With each viewing,  all were transported to a nostalgic place of their first and repeated viewings of the film.

Much of the excitement surrounding the reboot of the treasured Disney classic came from a desire for us to relive our childhoods and for parents to relive the moment they watched the film. They might not show it but our parents are just as excited and eager to reembark on Simba’s journey as we are.

At the same time, seeing the enlarged name of “Knowles-Carter” appears in title sequence on screen was plenty of incentive for people to watch the trailer.

https://twitter.com/LovemyDimples/status/1065776171122663425

Though some haters online anticipated Nala’s voice to have Beyoncé’s Texan accent, the Béyhive swarmed to the defense of their Queen.

Whether the superstar’s Southern accent hinders an authentic portrayal of a “lion accent,”  for sure, will be revealed once the film is released in July 2019.

Nonetheless, the response from Beyoncé’s fans on the release of the teaser trailer is evidence that the Twittersphere will most definitely be buzzing with unconditional support from the Béyhive.

The addition of CGI isn’t the only thing that is new to the reinstallment of the film. The cast is notably different too.

The original film included the voices of Mathew Broderick as Simba, Jeremy Irons as Scar, Moira Kelly as Nala, Rowan Atkinson as Zazu, and Nathan Lane as Timon.

In short, the original cast was predominately white, with the exception of James Earl Jones’ whose god-like voice in portraying Mufasa has become a hallmark of the film. It’s hard to admit and accept, but some of the most beloved movies from our childhood are racist and employ racist tropes.

Before some of you roll your eyes, at our contemporary PC culture, let’s just point out and address that some of the supporting characters in many of our favorite Disney films reproduce racial stereotypes and offer pejorative depictions of ethnic identities and cultures.

Let’s just let it sink in that the main crow in the Disney classic Dumbo, is called Jim Crow. The crows speak in the Black vernacular and serve the stereotypical role in classic musical films to be the source of Black comedic relief.

The Crows Lol GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Similarly, in the Jungle Book, the orangutan’s character serves as another source of Black comedic relief and entertainment. Singing in Louis Armstrong like fashion, the leader of the troop is King Louie.

When the head Orangutan, expresses his desire to be a man like Moguli, singing lyrics, “I wanna be a man, man-cub, and stroll right into town, and be just like the other men I’m tired of monkeyin’ around,” it is hard to disentangle these words from the historical development of biological racism that remains steeped in culture today.

It is a racist discourse that advanced a linkage between Black people and primates, in order to solidify their ‘sub-human’ status, legitimize imperialism and the enslavement of populations.

https://giphy.com/gifs/disney-friday-the-jungle-book-nNSPGODe6j1Sw

Plus, let’s not forget that the author of The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling was a white imperialist who wrote “The White Man’s Burden;” a poem that praises white colonizers for leaving their idyllic ‘civilized’ lives behind in the West to undertake their paternal civilizing mission to the ‘natives’ of Indonesia.

While Aladdin, Pocahontas, Lady and the Tramp, and Peter Pan are other examples to add to this list. All of these examples described are indicative of the type of racial coding that is implicit in many animation films and are intentionally portrayed to depict Black and brown people as foolish, ‘uncivilized’ and ‘backward.’

Returning back to the original Lion King, the hyenas in the film stand in stark contrast to the main characters in the film.

The depiction of the hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed and their buffoonish witless behavior are the most racialized characters in the film. They are highly villanized in their accents and vernacular. They also stand in stark contrast to the other characters in the film who have American and British accents.

Plus, the hyenas refuse to live under the lion’s rule and consequently exist on the margins and are banished to the Elephant Graveyard, that pretty much functions like a ghettoized space. The depiction in the original film ultimately aligns with traditional Hollywood conventions wherein Black and Hispanic perform racial stereotypes and are sources of comic relief.

The Lion King Laughing GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

I know I may seem like the ultimate buzz kill and deliverer of bad news but I am simply encouraging us to be more critical of the images we see on screen and how they have implications for viewers, especially younger ones. But there is still a lot to be optimistic and hopeful about with the live-action version of the Disney classic.

If you peep the cast for the reboot of the film, you will see the likes of Donald Glover, the actor-producer-comedian-director-writer-singer whose highly politicized ‘This is America’ brazen music video explores what it means to be Black in the United States.

Glover has a huge following from his TV series Atlanta, his role as Lando Calrissian in the reinstallment of the Star Wars franchise, and finally, his rap persona as Childish Gambino. His inclusion in both Star Wars and The Lion King demonstrates that Disney isn’t afraid to have the star’s name attached to their projects. If anything, they see it as a benefit.

With the cast predominately a Black ensemble, we can see that Disney is aware of the financial viability of creating projects that cater to Black audiences.

Plus, given that Disney owns Marvel, the success of Black Panther is further proof that audiences (Black or not), are in support of providing diverse cinematic representation, even if Black artists are only lending their voice to the screen. It’s enough for many.

Gabrielle Union and Ellen Pompeo get real about women of color in the industry

It’s no secret that the entertainment industry has undergone a major shakeup in recent years. 

The Sony email hacking scandal, the emergence of the #TimesUp movement, in addition to Hollywood being rocked by the sexual assault allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein, have marshaled greater dialogue around the systemic issues that characterize the entertainment industry.

Now, more than ever, there is a greater call for diversity, inclusion and equal pay.

Female actresses have known for a long time that their male co-stars get paid more than them. The extent of this monetary disparity, however, has not always been known to actresses and indeed, the wider public.

In a discussion with, for Net-a-Porter’s third annual “Women In Television” issue, Gina Rodriguez, Ellen Pompeo, Gabrielle Union, and Emma Roberts, spoke candidly about diversity and equal pay in their industries.

In the Net-A-Porter interview, Gabrielle Union described the fear of being a woman of color and not wanting to look the like “ungrateful brown person” in the room when she is granted a job that is already limited to women of color in Hollywood.

The Being Mary Jane star declared,

“It’s f*cking hard because if you do speak up, you run the risk of losing your space.”

Union is not alone in her stance, with Rodriguez nodding agreeably with Union’s comments throughout the interview.

Many actresses, in particularly actresses who are women of color, encounter the obstacle of feeling their stance on the issue of equal pay would be self-indulgent, considering that the entertainment industry and being an actress are incomparable to any other industry or profession. 

Nonetheless, Union emphasized that when it comes to negotiating process in preproduction, she ultimately won’t feel good on set if she feels, “undervalued and my money doesn’t match my level of contribution.”

Union dished out some serious #facts about the industry.

“For people of color, when has an award ever paid off financially later? When it comes time to sell this piece of art, you’re going to have me prancing around the country and the world like a show pony, but all these other people that don’t have to do all the selling work of it are making way more, and I’m not going to get the credit. If it’s a win, it’s not going to be because of me, and if it’s a failure, it’s my face that’s everywhere.”

In the interview, Pompeo called on white actors to demand diversity on set. Pompeo says,

“I think it’s up to all productions to make sure that your crew looks like the world we see. As Caucasian people, it’s our job. It’s our task. It’s our responsibility to make sure that we speak up in every single room we walk into that this is not okay. And that we can all do better. It’s our job because we’ve created the problem.”

Pompeo’s comments throughout the interview could have been an introductory university course, titled, How to be a White Ally: 101.

Pompeo stopped mid-way through the interview with Net-A-Porter to point out the lack of diversity on set for the interview,

“When I show up on set, I would like to see the crew look like the world I walk around in all day. This day has been incredible, and there’s a ton of women in the room. But I don’t see enough color. And I didn’t see enough color when I walked in the room today.”

Pompeo’s 2017 contract renegotiation for the show Grey’s Anatomy made headlines as last year, as the actress demanded better pay, in the wake of her male co-star Patrick Dempsey leaving the series.

The demand ultimately landed Pompeo a $20 million salary for the television program that has been running for 14 years and for which she plays the lead character. Pompeo is now the highest-paid actress in dramatic television.

Though gender inequality and unequal pay are characteristic in all industries, actresses have a powerful, albeit, a unique platform to discuss the issue and be an advocate for equal pay and call out the rampant gender discrimination of the entertainment industry. 

Actresses need to take note from the likes of Union and Pompeo and utilize their celebrity status and influence on public opinion by advancing a dialogue on equal pay and diversity.

Study proves Netflix’s ’13 Reasons Why’ increased risk of teen suicide

A survey conducted by the University of Michigan has found that the controversial Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, increases the risk of suicide amongst vulnerable youth.

The TV drama has generated controversy for its depiction of suicide, as the series centers around a 17-year-old student, who before her death, records cassettes detailing 13 reasons behind taking her own life.

The premise of the show and its depiction of suicide has and continues to raise concerns amongst mental health experts who argue that the show has the potential to negatively impact impressionable young viewers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JebwYGn5Z3E

The study was conducted in the psychiatric emergency department at Michigan Medicine and featured the responses from 87 young people between the ages of 13 and 17, plus a parent or guardian, of each participant.

Michigan Medicine researchers developed a 44-item questionnaire for those who had seen the show to evaluate several aspects of youths’ engagements with the series’ content. Teens who were hadn’t watched the series were not asked additional questions.

Half of the show viewers in the hospital sample stated the controversial television series contributed to their suicide risk. Though some youth who were a part of the sample hadn’t seen the series, 13 Reasons Why, after its release in March 2017, developed into a cultural phenomenon amongst teens.

 

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Made famous by the series, the phrase “Welcome to your tape,” became a trend on social media, in addition to postings of teen girls wearing blue nail polish in honor of the main character, Hannah Baker.

When Michigan Medicine researchers asked suicidal adolescents whether the show had contributed to suicide-related symptoms, teen viewers noted their identification with the protagonist Hannah Baker, as a primary factor in their engagement with the series.

Victor Hong, the medical director of psychiatric emergency services at Michigan Medicine, stated that,

“The main character is easy to identify with. She’s a teen girl who has suffered from sexual assault, bullying, and anxiety -which, unfortunately, impact too many of our youth today.”

 

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Cultural critics of the show maintain that the series glamorizes suicide, with some critics of the show additionally citing the graphic depiction of sexual assault as having a negative impact amongst young viewers.

Nonetheless, this recent study is a part of a larger body of literature amongst mental health experts that have highlighted the negative impact the series has on viewers. A study in the same year the series was released had found that Google searches for “suicide” and “suicide methods” had spiked after the series’ release.

While medical experts are not broadcasting that the show directly increases suicide risk, they do stress that the show has implications for viewers who are struggling with mental health.

 

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Given that mental health is an issue that is particularly endemic to the youth demographic, with 1 in 5 young people suffering from some form of mental illness, it is well founded that experts in the field side with caution and warning over the series.

It is for this reason that medical researchers advocate the need for further research to assess how media content that focuses on youth suicide can influence the mental health and heighten the risk of suicide amongst viewers.

Though the second season was released in May and includes a viewer discretion warning, advising the show to be watched with an adult present, the show’s treatment of suicide remains a heavily debated topic.

Pull up to this year’s African Diaspora International Film Festival

Established in 1993, the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) is an international film festival that showcases contemporary black life through a global lens.

The ADIFF was created in an effort to utilize cinema’s didactic capacity and provide more opportunities for African filmmakers and filmmakers of African descent in the global film market.

“ADIFF’s mission is to present these films to diverse audiences, redesign the Black cinema experience, and strengthen the role of African and African descent directors in contemporary world cinema.”

A formative part of ADIFF’s mission is to illuminate how greater exposure to the other narratives and experiences have a direct correlation to the prosperity and social sustainability of our communities.

“The future of our communities of color is directly tied to the expansion of our experiences, the depth and breadth of our reach and interaction with other communities and the framework from which our talent can stand front and center. Our vision is to see an informed and talented community coming together to exchange ideas and strategies for improving our respective worlds.”

In exhibiting films from an array of different nations, the ADIFF’s diverse programming elucidates how black people are not a monolithic group, for there is not one way to be a black person.

In doing so, the ADIFF offers an important outlet for African and African-descent filmmakers to give voice to the untold experiences and interpretations of what it means to be a person of the African Diaspora.

In showing black people as nuanced and complex, these representations vehemently thwart and subvert hegemonic stereotypes of blackness.

This year’s festival program features films that explore the global phenomenon of colorism, the struggle for emancipation under the forces of nationalism and dictatorship, the tensions that come with navigating the world of modern dating and more.

Featuring the work of both established and emerging filmmakers of color, the festival offers an important platform for exhibiting different artistic styles, modes of storytelling and filmmaking practices from African filmmakers and filmmakers of African descent.

The festival will run from November 23 – December 9. The festival’s exciting program is bookended by opening and closing nights and jam-packed with gala screenings, panel discussions, and talk-backs after film screenings.

Films will be screened in several locations including, Cinema Village, Riverside Church, Teachers College, MIST Harlem, and Dwyer Cultural Center.

Why Apple is investing billions into independent NYC film studio A24

Having announced a 1 billion dollar budget to produce original video content, Apple has just penned a major deal with the NYC-based independent production company, A24.

While there is a lot of mystique around the production company, having only launched in 2012, what is clear, however, is that A24 has an eye for discovering original narratives that are delivered through unique modes of storytelling.

With the film market flooded by films coming out of the Marvel Universe and reboots of decades-old film classics, the projects of A24 have stood out over the past few years and subsequently, the company has increasingly made a name for itself.

The indie production company has produced some major hits to audiences, including the Academy Award Winning film for Best Picture, Moonlight. Other major successes include Spring Breakers, Ex-Machina, Room, The Disaster Artist, The Lobster, American Honey, A Ghost Story, The Florida Project, Lady Bird, Hereditary, Eighth Grade and finally, Mid 90’s.

Having experience working for major film production companies, the founders of A24 David Fenkel, John Hodges, and Daniel Katz, saw a gap in the film market.

Each of the founders recognized the viability in independent filmmaking and identified the presence of an audience whose mindset is more steeped in critical thinking, who desire content that is more challenging and requires more active spectatorship.

A24 aren’t interested in a cookie cutter approach. In fact, their mission is antithetical to this. It may be odd to say, but A24 simply has a gift and talent for finding and distributing cool films.

A24 has established itself as the film industry’s most innovative company; not scared to take risks. The films are often highly stylized and breakdown genre boundaries and conventions. Some films offer a gritty and raw aesthetic, while others are saturated in vibrant color; an aesthetic that marshalls a demographic who are accustomed to seeing life through Instagram filters.

With the company named after an Italian highway, AutoStrada 24,  the founders of the indie production company aren’t interested in following a pre-existing trajectory or route for film production and distribution. Instead, they have and continue to create a new path for themselves — a niche route — a trajectory for filmmakers to share their work and stories.

A24 has attracted big-names directors such as Sofia Coppola and Denis Villeneuve, and at the same time, has transformed unknown filmmakers into Oscar-nominated directors. They have offered an important platform to first-time directors, filmmakers of color and women directors and are initiatives that are indicative of the A24’s awareness of the institutional barriers that are characteristic of Hollywood.

The deal with A24 follows an earlier announcement of Apple ordering an untitled morning-show television drama. The cast includes big-name stars, Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, and Reese Witherspoon.

The tech-giant has stepped up its game in providing original video content. There is a revival of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories is in the works, along with a television series inspired by the life of NBA superstar Kevin Durant.

In addition, Apple has signed a multi-year deal with Oprah Winfrey who will oversee the production of movies, TV shows, books, applications, and other content for the company.

Although not many details have been released on the deal, what we do know is that the deal is a “multi-year partnership.” It is also unknown whether Apple will release its video content via iTunes.

With rumors circulating that Apple will be creating its own streaming service sometime next year, following the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and more recently Disney, we can expect the tech giants video content will be distributed on its own streaming service.