Holly Rosen writes: According to the Geena Davis Institute on Gender In Media, only 31% of speaking roles are given to women. The problem is even worse when you look beyond roles given to young, predominantly white, women in their twenties. It is hard for women to get meaningful roles and remain consistently working in the entertainment industry, and that goes for behind the scenes as well.
Image: Amazon StudiosHowever, Amazon Studios appears to be a solution for women in Hollywood. Its new platform for streaming video is bringing a slew of interesting female roles, as well as presenting new opportunities for artistic freedom and creativity to producers and creators. New shows are joining the successful Golden Globe winner, Transparent, which is written and created by Jill Soloway, on the Amazon platform.
Down Dog, produced by long-time producer and Are You There, Chelsea? writer Robin Schiff, is one of a new slate of 13 pilots with only one episode in the can, featuring a cast primarily made of women with a plot line that revolves around a yoga studio including Nikita alum Lyndsy Fonseca, Paget Brewster and Orange Is the New Black‘s Alysia Reiner.
Alpha House features a cast with solid female roles played by Julie White, Amy Sedaris, Yara Martinez, Brooke Bloom, Alicia Sable and Wanda Sykes.
Women are all over Amazon programming. There’s also the Leslie Bibb starring in Salem Rogers, directed by Mean Girls helmer Mark Waters, written by newcomer Lindsey Stoddart, with a cast that includes Rachel Dratch and Jane Kaczmarek, as well as Mozart in the City starring musical legend Bernadette Peters.
Image: Amazon StudiosAmazon is changing the ratio….quietly and skillfully in a few ways.
Actresses associated with Amazon’s programming are lauding Amazon for creating shows other networks aren’t daring to produce. They like the roles available when stories focus on edgy topics, and are gravitating toward the freedom of expression offered by the streaming video network.
Image: Amazon StudiosThe shows deal with real issues that are meaningful to women such as transgender equality, family, relationships, politics and life decisions.
The studio is also hoping that its philosophy on gender will take its programming to new heights, and it’s happening on both sides of the camera. With Transparent, 20 trans people have been hired in the cast and crew, and 60 have been employed as extras.
Image: Amazon Studios
Can Amazon Studios continue to pave new ground for women in television and film and change the ratio? Time will tell, but they clearly are off to a solid start.