The percentage of minority TV directors working on broadcast and cable series dropped from last year, according to a Directors Guild Of America report released Thursday.
TV shows directed by minority males during the 2011-12 season dropped to 13% from 14% last year while white males directed 73% of primetime shows on cable and broadcast, an increase from 72% last year, according to the report.
Minority female TV directors increased their percentages to 4% from 3% last year, while white women remained flat at 11% according to the DGA.
“Our industry has to do better,” said Paris Barclay, the DGA‟s First Vice President and Co-Chair of the Diversity Task Force of the DGA National Board in a statement.
Of the eight shows cited in the report that hired no minorities or women directors during the 2011-12 season, seven were cable shows: Chemistry (Cinemax); Dallas (TNT); The Inbetweeners (MTV); Retired at 35 (TV Land); Veep (HBO); and Workaholics (Comedy Central). CW’s Supernatural was the lone broadcast network entry.
“In this day and age, it‟s quite disappointing that so many shows failed to hire even a single woman or minority director during the course of an entire season – even shows whose cast and crew otherwise is notably diverse,” said Barclay. “And, „We just don‟t know anybody,‟ doesn‟t cut it anymore – the pool of talented and experienced women and minority directors grows every year, and too many of these qualified, capable directors are still overlooked.”
BET's The Game, Let’s Stay Together andReed Between The Lines (pictured), along with VH1's Single Ladies garnered a 100% mark from the DGA for hiring minority and female directors for at least 30% of its episodes, while Disney XD’s Lab Rats generated an 80% mark, according to the report.
