The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which is best known for presiding over the annual Primetime Emmy Awards, announced Thursday that it has “launched a comprehensive evaluation across the organization” to figure out how to better address “the need for diversification” within its ranks.
To that end, it has retained ReadySet, a consulting firm that specializes “in the creation of more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces and cultures,” and tasked it “with helping the Television Academy develop a strategic action plan for the Los Angeles-based organization, beginning with an analysis of the Academy’s overall policies and procedures and its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.”
Part of this effort will involve surveying TV Academy members, leadership and staff “to assess staff and member composition, attitudes and perceptions regarding DEI, opportunities for improvement and expansion of current practices.”
Frank Scherma, the chairman of the TV Academy, said in a statement, “We recognize the power of television to tell our stories, shape our conversations and influence the way that we see the world. For this reason, it’s important that our industry reflect the world at large on- and off-screen. Now, more than ever, we believe we must increase visibility, equity and power for those marginalized and underrepresented in our industry. For the Academy, that work starts with our membership, leadership and staff.”
The Academy says it intends to provide updates to its membership through various communiqués and on its website as work progresses over the course of the year.
This announcement comes less than two weeks after the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the annual Golden Globe Awards, was exposed by the Los Angeles Times as having zero Black journalists among its 87 voting members.
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