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The state is one step closer to giving a tax credit of up to $5 million to productions that hire minorities and women as writers and directors.
Here's Thede's full statement: “This is a tremendous victory for not only women and people of color in entertainment, but also for New York State and our industry as a whole. Diversity behind the camera is just as important (and profitable!) as in front of the camera and, right now, we can't get in the same rooms as everyone else. This bill just levels the playing field for incredibly qualified and talented creatives. While we aren't fully celebrating until Governor Cuomo signs the bill and allocates the funds in the budget, we are so grateful to Senator Alcántara, Assemblymember Crespo and the countless other advocates on both sides of the aisle who worked hard to finally get this bill passed!”
Neil Dudich, executive director of the Directors Guild of America East, also released a statement: "For years the DGA has pushed the industry to change their imbalanced hiring practices — so that talent, and talent alone, is the defining factor. By encouraging studios, networks and producers to discover the talented New York TV directors and writers that are out there in abundance, this bill can be a meaningful step forward in establishing a level playing field for all."
“I initially became interested in this bill because as an Afro-Latina immigrant, I knew what it felt like to grow up feeling invisible in American culture. It was so rare to see a character of color on television, and when you did see one, it felt like they were tokenized, stereotyped, or killed off quickly," she said. "And while the industry has made some strides on representation in front of the camera, diversity behind the camera is still sorely lacking. I think the overall quality of television, the different kinds of stories that can be told, the overall landscape of the art form will benefit greatly from having opportunities for diverse people to tell their stories. It was a tough battle, but I stuck with the bill because of the future generations of talented women and people of color who would otherwise remain undiscovered, and the inspiration their stories could bring to countless young people and immigrants like myself."
BuzzFeed News also reached out to representatives for Assemblymember Crespo for a statement.