Thanks to Frances McDormand’s acceptance speech at the Oscars, inclusion riders have become a hot topic in Hollywood. Now “Ghostbusters” reboot director, Paul Feig, is throwing his support behind them.
Feig announced on Twitter Tuesday that his production banner, Feigco Entertainment, will make inclusion riders a studio standard for all film and TV projects. An inclusion rider is a stipulation in an actor’s contract that a project’s producers must hire a diverse cast and crew.
Feig credited the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at his alma mater, USC, for assisting him on implementing the stipulation, which was first introduced by the initiative’s leader, Dr. Stacy L. Smith.
Thrilled to announce that Feigco Entertainment is officially adopting an #inclusionrider for all our film and TV productions moving forward. Thank you to @Inclusionists and Stacy L. Smith for their guidance and inspiration. We challenge other companies and studios to do the same.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have also pledged to adopt inclusion riders, with the head of strategic outreach for their Pearl Street Films production company, Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni, making the announcement on Twitter Monday night.
Specific requirements listed in inclusion riders can differ from actor to actor, but McDormand’s inclusion rider specifies that unless producers can prove a need for “story authenticity” makes honoring the requirement impossible, auditions for all supporting roles must include at least one woman and one person “from any other under-represented group” — which it specifies as referring to “people of color, disabled, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender or Queer, or having a combination of these attributes.”
Feig, who directed a reboot of the 80’s classic “Ghostbusters” with an all-female main cast in 2016, signed a TV deal for Feigco with Lionsgate Television earlier this month. He joins other Hollywood stars like Ashley Judd and Michael B. Jordan on the list of actors pushing to make inclusion riders an industry standard.
The Scene at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast Austin 2018 (Photos)
TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin took place on March 11, concurrent with the 2018 SXSW Film Festival.
TheWrap CEO Sharon Waxman, Play Big Inc. founder Nancy Giordano, Fusion Media President and CCO Camila Jimenez Villa, IFC EVP of Original Programming Christine Lubrano, Flipboard managing editor Gabriella Schwarz, and Pussyhat Project founder Jayna ZweimanJayna Zweiman at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast Austin.
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Flipboard managing editor Gabriella Schwarz and Pussyhat Project founder Jayna Zweiman at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric speaks with other attendees at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
TheWrap's CEO and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman welcomes attendees at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Sharon Waxman introducing the Power Women Breakfast, Austin.
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Sharon Waxman announces TheWrap's Power Women Summit.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric speaks at the Power Women Breakfast, Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric speaks with Sharon Waxman at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Photographed by Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric speaks with Sharon Waxman at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Photographed by Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees listen at the Power Women Breakfast Austin.
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Mitch Waxman for TheWrap
The scene at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrapNathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric speaks with Sharon Waxman at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric speaks with Sharon Waxman at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric speaks with Sharon Waxman at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
Photographed by Nathan Rocky for TheWrap.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendee asks Katie Couric a question at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Katie Couric embraces Sharon Waxman at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast.
The scene at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
An attendee at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
President and COO of Fusion Media Camila Jimenez Villa speaks on the #MeToo panel.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Nancy Giordano, founder of Play Big Inc., speaks on the #MeToo panel.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Camila Jimenez Villa, Christine Lubrano and Nancy Giordano at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
#MeToo Panel at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Camila Jimenez Villa speaking on the #MeToo Panel
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Nancy Giordano speaking on the #MeToo panel
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Camila Jimenez Villa speaks on the #MeToo panel.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Nancy Giordano speaks on the#MeToo panel.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
The #MeToo panel at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Mitch Waxman for TheWrap
The #MeToo panel at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
The #MeToo panel at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
An attendee listens to the #MeToo panel at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
The Pink Ceiling CEO Cindy Whitehead listens to #MeToo panel.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
The Pussyhat Project founder Jayna Zweiman listens to the #MeToo panel.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Jayna Zweiman speaks to Gabriella Schwarz, managing editor at Flipboard.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Jayna Zweiman speaks to Gabriella Schwarz.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Jayna Zweiman speaks to Gabriella Schwarz.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric listens to Jayna Zweiman and Gabriella Schwarz.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
An attendee at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric and attendees at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Jayna Zweiman mingles with Power Women Breakfast attendees.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees mingle and share photos of the Power Women Breakfast Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Sharon Waxman and Katie Couric taking a selfie at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees check in at the Power Women Breakfast, Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
The scene at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees exchange contact info at Power Women Breakfast Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees mingle at the Power Women Breakfast.
at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Sharon Waxman with attendees at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
The table setting at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast, Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendee at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast, Austin.
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Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Photographed by Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Photographed by Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast, Austin.
Photographed by Mitch Waxman for TheWrap
Nathan Rocky for TheWrap
Katie Couric taking a selfie with an attendee
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Katie Couric speaks with an attendee
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Attendee
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Attendee with her caricature
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Katie Couric and other industry leaders gathered to inspire change at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Austin on March 11
TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin took place on March 11, concurrent with the 2018 SXSW Film Festival.