Ep107: Recognizing, Mentoring, and Promoting Diversity In Hollywood | with Monty DeGraff, ACE

<blockquote> <p>“This moment is necessary as much as it is uncomfortable.”<br /> <cite><a href="https://cinemontage.org/monty-degraff-mentor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">- Monty DeGraff</a> (Comments on diversity in Hollywood June 2020)</cite></p> </blockquote> <p>According to a 2019 survey of 1700+ post-production professionals (thanks to <strong><a href= "https://www.bluecollarpostcollective.com/surveys-studies" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Blue Collar Post Collective</a></strong>), 1.5% of those surveyed identified as ‘African-American’ with over 80% identifying as ‘White.’</p> <p>Let this sink in for a second...<strong>1% of people in post identify as African-American.</strong></p> <p>How is this possible? Is there a systemic reason for this? Or on the contrary, should we just accept that <em>“it is what it is?”</em></p> <p>Seasoned editor Monty DeGraff, ACE (<em>Star Trek: The Next Generation, Law & Order, Daredevil, Man In the High Castle, Narcos: Mexico</em>) worked in Hollywood post-production for 9 years before he met another black person like himself. Over the years, he’s seen very little increase in the number of black people working in post-production, largely because there has never been a real incentive to change it.</p> <p>In this interview, Monty and I address some of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li><em>Why aren’t black people getting the opportunities they deserve?</em></li> <li><em>In the midst of the COVID- 19 pandemic where many of us are forced out of work, can we finally take the time to examine our own responsibility in the racial epidemic that is happening in Hollywood?</em></li> <li><em>Can we honestly evaluate where our internal biases have informed the status quo?</em></li> <li><em>Can we recognize that white privilege doesn’t mean you had an easy life, it just means the color of your skin didn’t contribute to your hardships?</em></li> </ul> <p>This is an incredibly candid and uncomfortable conversation (as it needs to be) where Monty opens up about ho