As of the 2016-2017 season, women made up 28% of all creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography in television. What this breakdown looks like is:
· 23% are creators
· 17% are directors
· 33% are writers
· 39% are producers
· 28% are executive producers
· 22% are editors
· 3% are directors of photography
It doesn’t take a genius to see that this is a male dominated industry but when we learn about women like Candace Rodney, we maintain hope that the next years numbers will improve. Candace entered the entertainment world as an attorney, working as part of the Business and Legal Affairs department by way of Creative Artists Agency and Lionsgate. With an eye on redefining the images of women and people of color on television, she took an opportunity at Lionsgate Television to negotiate development and production agreements on behalf of shows like Orange is the New Black, Mad Men, Weeds, Nashville, and Boss.
Having great vision for where the future of television was headed, by recognizing the power of streaming, she landed a position as the Executive Director of Pay Television at Sony Pictures Television. As we stream our favorite shows, we might not stop to think of the people who make this possible. Candace is one of the women whose direct efforts result in the binge-worthy content that we all enjoy. While at Sony, her keen sense of observation caused her to speak up regarding the lack of diversity and inclusion throughout this sector of entertainment. This led Candace to run and become elected as the two-time President of Sony Pictures Black Employee Resource Group, a position that allowed her to further empower, educate, and advocate for minority talent opportunities on and off screen.
Not being a stranger to getting the shows we all love produced, she has advanced into the role of Vice President of Development at Wilmore Films, which has an overall deal with ABC Studios. This is the perfect place for Candace to continue working her Black Girl Magic. Wilmore Films dedication to content that’s authentically character first, provides the perfect foundation for her drive to create culturally defined television that represents the world around us. This is how we get great shows like Insecure, Black-ish, and Grown-ish. This is definitely, growth.
Stay tuned as Candace, and her community of women executives uniquely positioned to shift the above statistics, continue contributing to changing the television world with every extraordinary project they touch.
CALLING ALL WOMEN: During the entire month of March, we will be honoring Women's History Month by accepting submissions/pitches related to women. If you have something to say about being a woman, how you embrace women (even when they're different from you), the impact you see women having in the world, or anything else related to womanhood, we want to hear from you!
Please send all pitches/submissions to submissions@theextraordinarynegroes.com.
We look forward to hearing from you!