Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1339678
50 C I N E M O N T A G E G R O U P I N T E R V I E W the finishing editor for another show, so I had worked with them before. So I now was brought on to this pilot that is Asian American, and I am Asian American. My parents are from the Philippines, I am the first generation, born here in America. The culture was of a different Asian culture, and though it is not my culture, I am very familiar with Asian and Asian American cultural politics and ethnic studies. So when I see a scene and they're walking into a backyard full of bonsai and I hear quintessential Asian music, it comes off as racist to me. The company is run by two women, Caucasian women, and I saw them as allies. However, I do notice that all the content they're creating is ethnic content. They had an editor on there before I even got on, and I told him that using that type of music occurs to me as fulfilling a stereotypical soundtrack that we have for people, and we've moved beyond that. And so when I finally finished t h e j o b, I a s k e d t h e e x e c u t i v e producers, "So are you bringing on someone else from that culture to be an executive producer as well?" and they said, "No, we're the executives." Suffice it to say, I didn't get a callback to work on the series at all. Q What progress have you seen over the years? Lillian Benson: When I started in the f ilm business, I assisted an Afri- can-American editor. I learned over the years just how rare that was. My current job at Wolf Films (NBC Universal) is the most diverse editing environment I have been a part of. Of the 15 editors across five series, three are women, two of whom are women of color, and five other editors are men of color: two African American, two Latinx, and one Pan Pacific Asian. Change can happen. Maysie Hoy: It is more diverse now. You didn't used to see multiple people of color in the workplace. The world has changed and the old guard is changing with it. Plus the newer generation has a better understanding of what the world can be and they are more vocal about it. Q CineMontage: What are your ideas about what we can do as individuals and union members to create positive change? Bobbi Banks: We can begin to hire outside of our usual hires, be more sen- sitive to others and create a more open environment. Also, networks, studios a n d gu i l d s co u l d s e t u p n e two r k i n g. mentoring and internship programs and partner with other organizations. Ruben Navarro: To me, the main tool we all have is communication. If we all share and listen, then we can empathize and learn from each other to make our workplaces better and, most important, safe for all of us to be who we are. I want to go to work knowing that I can be the Hispanic queer and happy person that I am. Maysie Hoy: As individuals we can hone our awareness of other people's feelings. We can become aware of what might not be going well for someone on a particular day. Our cutting room is a microcosm of our nation. We can't be myopic in how we see the world. We have to be aware of the lens through which we are looking. Sabrina Gimenez: I want our fellow union members to be more tolerant towards each other, approaching some- one with empathy and kindness when conflict or misunderstandings arise, but also to not discredit anger when our colleagues face oppression or discrimi- nation because it's a very real and valid emotion. When we aim to understand the positionality all folks bring to the table, the industry becomes a better place to work for future generations of filmmakers, and the quality of our shows will reflect that. Dorian Harris: When mem- bers come to me and complain about the Guild, it is usually due t o l a c k o f i n f o r m a t i o n a n d t o disinterest in being involved. I always say, if you don't like or understand what is happening in the Guild, go to a board meeting, run for a board seat, join a com- mittee, call Cathy (sorry, Cathy) or a field rep or a board member or a staff member. Speculating about what you think the board is doing is useless. The Guild is very transparent. That's what I've learned from working with the Membership Outreach Committee to get the Diversity Committee approved by the board. I've also learned that from being a co-chair on the Women's Steering Com- mittee and by running for and getting a seat on the board (after losing once!). Staff and members work very hard to try to transform the Guild to serve our ever-changing needs. Natasha Tony: Often when we step up, then we are tone-policed that our energy is pathologized, you know, that 'I wish I had a lot of money so I could make my own content.'