Achieving diversity, equality and inclusion in Hollywood requires an active commitment. It takes resources to lift people out of marginalized communities or with neglected identities and put them on the path to success.
Streetlights, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing this work in the entertainment industry, has maintained this commitment for the past three decades.
The organization was founded after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Streetlights’ mission is to help young, ambitious talent from historically underrepresented communities find continuing employment and financial stability through careers in entertainment. Graduates have continued to thrive thanks to the program, earning great resumes and winning countless awards.
“Everyone who comes through our program starts with an equal playing opportunity,” says Adele B. Wilson, CEO of Streetlights, who has been with the organization since 2007.
The nonprofit opens those doors and ensures that its graduates are prepared to walk them through programs that provide job training, employment, emergency financial aid, career advancement, and even a path to membership in the local IATSE federation.
Street lights are a number of big companies – City National Bank among them – long supporters.
“I am proud to represent City National, which has deep experience in this field, as a board member of Streetlights, an organization that for 30 years has strived to make diversity, equality, and inclusion part of the fabric of the entertainment industry,” Karen A. Clark, senior vice president of the city’s National Bank and director of multicultural strategies.
Streetlight has built its Hollywood Transformation Program on two pillars, the first of which involves preparing those aspiring to work in the film industry for their future careers.
“Our program is transformative because we are a comprehensive training program,” Wilson says. “When someone comes to us, we not only give them professional training, but we also give them a full week of life management skills training.”
Streetlights’ approach also shows how the consistent pursuit of diversity, equity, and inclusion improves Hollywood’s storytelling, as well as the industry’s bottom line.
“It’s important that every section of the set is filled with people from a variety of backgrounds,” says Wilson. “if [every department] – From writers’ rooms to stylists, from hairdressers to makeup and hair – they had heads [people] From colour, there will be more originality continually across the board and more representation on screen. It is a commercial offering, and like any other business, the more diverse the business, the more attractive it is.”
The show’s long-standing focus on acting has become sharper in 2020 as nationwide protests over police killings of unarmed black people prompted accounts across industries.
“Systematic racism is a big issue in the country and in every business,” Wilson explains. The entertainment industry is parallel to other businesses. [In 2020]The entertainment industry responded with great force, realizing that it needed to diversify its ranks among the unions [and] between groups and crew members. after, after [2020]I think everyone pays more attention.”
By providing a path for rising talents to find work in Hollywood, Streetlights programs have helped build representation above and below the line. Wilson refers to a Streetlight alumnus who is recruited to help add Nuance to a plot on a TV show. The writer was able to use his real experiences to add credibility to the production, and even secure written accreditation in the process.
Streetlights has an impressive roster of alumni who have stepped into award-winning productions – and even earned some awards themselves. The organization aims to nurture the next generation of industry professionals, whatever they may need.
In 2021 alone, the organization offered work to graduates who had been put off during COVID-19 and created a talent pool that put participants in industrial jobs a few days after they graduated.
Street lights build quality, not just quantity. Participants who managed to secure specific jobs also saw a significant increase in wages.
“[Our graduates are] An example of what can emerge when we invest in, and partner with, companies that walk the DEI talk,” says Clark, emphasizing the program’s overall impact in shaping the future of Hollywood. “We celebrate all Streetlight alumni who embody excellence in the organization and are an example of what we can achieve in the a fair world.”
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