IRLE Publications

This report is the tenth in a series of annual studies produced by UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) to explore relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry. Housed within the IRLE and Division of Social Sciences, the recently launched Entertainment and Media Research Initiative (EMRI) – which explores equity and access issues affecting entertainment industry workers and tracks the viewing habits of increasingly diverse audiences – produced the report. This report draws attention to the racial, ethnic, gender (including transgender and non-binary) identities and, starting this year, disability status of those working in key above-the-line jobs in Hollywood’s top films and TV shows in any given year.

Media Contact

Barbra Ramos, bramos@stratcomm.ucla.edu; Willa Needham, willaneedham@ucla.edu

The 2023 Hollywood Diversity Report: Part 1 Film — the tenth in a series of annual reports — examines relationships between diversity and the bottom line in an industry in flux during uncertain times. It considers the English-language films among the top 200 theatrical film releases, ranked by global box office, and the top 100 English-language streaming films, ranked by total U.S. household ratings, to document the degree to which people from underrepresented groups were present in front of and behind the camera in 2022. It discusses any patterns between these findings and box office receipts and household and 18-49 viewer ratings by key audience demographics. The report also charts any trends that may reveal the degree to which the industry is progressing on the diversity front over time and how theatrical releases may differ from streaming releases in terms of diversity.

Media Contact

Barbra Ramos, bramos@stratcomm.ucla.edu; Willa Needham, willaneedham@ucla.edu

This is the ninth in a series of annual reports to examine relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry. Part 1, which focuses on 2021 Hollywood theatrical and streaming films, was released in March 2022. This report, Part 2, considers the latest television season since the previous Hollywood Diversity Report release, the 2020-21 season. It examines 407 scripted broadcast, cable, and digital platform television shows from the 2020-21 season to document the degree to which women and people of color are present in front of and behind the camera. It discusses any patterns between these findings and conventional and social media audience ratings.

Media Contact

Barbra Ramos, bramos@stratcomm.ucla.edu; Willa Needham, willaneedham@ucla.edu

This reports provides a comprehensive analysis of California's Car Wash Worker Law consisting of a combination of quantitative data analysis of wage claim filings and qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with car washers, labor law attorneys, Deputy Labor Commissioners and industry stakeholders conducted between January and March 2022. Six major findings and four policy options highlight the need for increased personnel in the Labor Commissioner's Office as well as more punitive measures to prevent wage theft.

For the past five years, the UCLA Labor Studies Program has offered a course for students involved with the work for social justice, entitled Spirituality, Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Social Justice Activism. In this course, students learn about the role of spirituality and mindfulness practice in the work of non-violence and social justice. With grant support from the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute, the UCLA Labor Center conducted a survey of students who had enrolled in the course, and analyzed how the course teachings were continuing to benefit them today.

Media Contact

Media Inquiries: Citlalli Chávez-Nava, 310-562-0943, citlallichavez@ucla.edu

The 2022 Hollywood Diversity Report: Part 1 examines relationships between diversity and the bottom line in a Hollywood context still distorted by the virus. It considers the top 200 theatrical and all major streaming, English-language film releases in 2021, ranked by global box office and total household ratings, in order to document the degree to which women and people of color are present in front of and behind the camera. It discusses any patterns between these findings and box office receipts and 18-49 viewer and household ratings by key audience demographics. The report also charts any trends that may reveal the degree to which the industry is progressing on the diversity front over time

Media Contact

Barbra Ramos, bramos@stratcomm.ucla.edu; Willa Needham, willaneedham@ucla.edu

This article focuses on the mechanisms created to intentionally include and allow for the full participation of workers and learners throughout the research process, which is consistent with the core components of more critical community-engaged scholarship (e.g., real-life social problems are defined, investigated, and addressed with or by the community.

This is the eighth in a series of annual reports to examine relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry. Part 1, which focuses on 2020 Hollywood theatrical films, was released in February 2021. This report, Part 2, considers the latest television season since the previous Hollywood Diversity Report release — the 2019-20 season. It examines 461 scripted broadcast, cable, and digital platform television shows from the 2019-20 season in order to document the degree to which women and people of color are present in front of and behind the camera. It discusses any patterns between these findings and conventional and social media audience ratings.

Media Contact

Barbra Ramos, bramos@stratcomm.ucla.edu; Willa Needham, willaneedham@ucla.edu

This study analyzes the concept of time theft and the lack of protections for the stability of workers’ time, and thus their income, and provides insights into efforts to protect workers’ time and social well-being through burgeoning workers’ movements.

This report is the eighth in a series of annual studies produced by UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) to explore relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry. The Division of Social Sciences’ Hollywood Advancement Project, from which this report series stems, has three primary goals: 1) to generate comprehensive research analyses of the inclusion of diverse groups in film and television, including lead roles, writing, directing, producing, and talent representation; 2) to identify and disseminate best practices for increasing the pipeline of underrepresented groups into the Hollywood entertainment industry; and 3) to consider the broader implications of diverse industry access and media images for society as a whole.

Media Contact

Barbra Ramos, bramos@stratcomm.ucla.edu; Willa Needham, willaneedham@ucla.edu