Variety To Host First-Ever Conference On Diversity And Inclusion In Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Variety, the definitive voice of the entertainment industry, today announced that the media company will host the industry's first-ever conference focused on diversity – including gender, ethnicity, aging and sexuality – on film, television and digital outlets. Over the past several months, the conversation around these topics has intensified, and Variety will lead the dialog by engaging some of the most senior corporate executives and talent in the creative community. The conference is called "Inclusion."

Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Studios, and multi award-winning musician Pharrell Williams will have keynote conversations with Variety editors in addition to a host of panels on topics ranging from LBGTQ rights to advancing Latino entertainment to the cultural importance of creating programs designed to support underrepresented groups in Hollywood. PwC's U.S. Chairman Brian Cullinan will moderate a fireside chat with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

"There is no issue in Hollywood today more important and relevant than diversity and inclusion," said Michelle Sobrino-Stearns, group publisher of Variety. "It is Variety's privilege and responsibility to lead an industry wide dialogue and bring the decision makers of our community together to promote solutions to counter the lack of minority talent in film and television. This is an issue that transcends the entertainment business, and we are excited to play a role in the broader conversation."

"Age discrimination is an incredibly important issue, not just to AARP's 38 million members nationwide, but across all facets of society," said AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins.  "We hope the dialogue at the Variety conference will lead not only to greater awareness of the issue, but to more and better opportunities for talented actors, producers, directors and others in the creative community – whatever their age."

According to a 2016 report from The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, minorities remain underrepresented in Hollywood on every front (nearly 3 to 1 among film leads and directors). In addition, the study shows that U.S. consumers crave diverse film and television content. In fact, "films with relatively diverse casts enjoyed the highest median global box office receipts, and [in television] social media engagement peaked for broadcast scripted shows with casts that were greater than 30 percent minority."

Variety's conference will be held on November 1, 2016 at The Montage in Beverly Hills. AARP, PwC and City National Bank are sponsors. For ticket and/or sponsorship information, please contact Kimberly Cervantes at [email protected].  For additional information, please see www.events.variety.com.

About Variety:
Variety remains the seminal voice of the entertainment industry for 111 years and counting. Featuring award-winning breaking news reporting, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights and intelligent analysis of the industry's most prominent players, Variety is the trusted source for the business of global entertainment. Read by a highly engaged audience of industry insiders, Variety's multi-platform content coverage expands across digital, mobile, social, print and branded events and summits.

In 2015 Variety's "Actors on Actors" on PBS was awarded the Emmy for best entertainment programming at the Television Academy's 67th Los Angeles area Emmy Awards. "Actors on Actors," which is an interview special that features pairings of prominent actors discussing their craft, was produced by PBS SoCal in partnership with Variety Media, LLC. Follow Variety on Facebook facebook.com/variety; Twitter, @variety; Instagram, @Variety; Pintrest and Snapchat. The Variety Group – Variety, Variety.com, Variety Insight, Indiewire, LA 411, NY 411 – is owned by Variety Media, LLC, a division of Penske Media Corporation.

About AARP:
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million that helps people turn their goals and dreams into 'Real Possibilities' by changing the way America defines aging. With staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and promote the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare security, financial security and personal fulfillment. AARP also advocates for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world's largest circulation magazine, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @aarp and our CEO @JoAnn_Jenkins on Twitter.

About PwC:
At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We're a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 208,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.

PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

About City National 
With $41.2 billion in assets, City National Bank provides banking, investment and trust services through 74 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville and Atlanta.  In addition, the company and its investment affiliates manage or administer $55.7 billion in client investment assets.

City National is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies.  RBC serves more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the United States and 36 other countries.

For more information about City National, visit the company's website at cnb.com.

Media Contacts:
David Shane
Shane Strategies for Variety
[email protected]
310.601.0640

Lucy Neugart
Shane Strategies for Variety
[email protected]
415.624.9256

SOURCE Variety

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