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HFPA adds diverse class of new members, names interim CEO
Entertainment Oct 01, 2021
A photo of new HFPA Interim CEO Todd Boehly. Photo courtesy of Eric van den Brulle/Wikimedia Commons.
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The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, best known for its presentation of the annual Golden Globe Awards but under fire for months over a historical lack of Black members, announced the induction of 21 members Friday, six of whom are Black.
Ten of the new members are women, while six are Latino/a, five are Asian and four are Middle Eastern/North African. Adding 21 members represents a roughly 20% increase in the organization’s size.
“We are thrilled to welcome these new members into our family,” HFPA President Helen Hoehne said in a statement. “We are building a new organization, one that is not focused on fulfilling quotas, but instead has diversity and inclusion at its core, has ethical conduct as the norm and has people of color involved in every aspect of the association — from membership to executive leadership.
“That is how we’re growing an inclusive environment, and for us to make this much progress in six months is a testament to our membership and our dedication to building something better.”
The HFPA also announced the hiring of Todd Boehly, co-founder of the Eldridge investment firm and chairman of media company MRC — which owns Golden Globes producer Dick Clark Productions — as the association’s interim CEO.
“Todd Boehly is already a partner of the HFPA who has consistently supported reforms and encouraged change from the beginning,” Hoehne said. “As a results-driven businessman with a proven track record of success, his guidance as interim CEO will be instrumental in achieving meaningful change and greater diversity and inclusion.”
Boehly is also a member of the ownership groups of the Dodgers, Lakers and Sparks.
The changes come amid a continuing re-imagining of the HFPA, which found itself being ostracized by many Hollywood celebrities and studios following revelations by the Los Angeles Times of a historic lack of diversity among its ranks, most notably the failure to include any Black members. The group also came under fire for questionable ethical standards.
The fallout prompted NBC to announce it would not televise the 2022 Golden Globe Awards. Various celebrities, publicists and production houses — including Netflix, Amazon and WarnerMedia — also publicly backed away from the HFPA and the Globes.
The HFPA has insisted it is committed to change. In May, its members approved a list of operational and structural changes, including the expansion of its membership and diversity. The plan calls for a 50% membership increase, with an accompanying loosening of membership requirements to open the organization to a wider array of journalists. The changes also included a series of ethics and transparency measures, including a review of the organization’s press travel and a ban on accepting promotional items.
According to the HFPA, the new members announced Friday will have immediate voting rights for the Golden Globes.
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