A diverse group of stakeholders led by Fusion TV is launching a new foundation to help diverse content creators find distribution.
The Creative Thread Foundation is billed as a "a non-profit organization focused on breaking down barriers of entry for underrepresented content creators and those working behind the scenes in media and entertainment."
The coalition was launched in Washington Wednesday, July 26, with the blessing and support of the Congressional Multicultural Media Caucus chairs Reps. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.),and Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and with an assist from co-founder and Fusion TV Correspondent Kimberly Brooks.
Founding partners, there are over 60 of them, include everyone from Viacom, 21st Century Fox, Disney, Amazon,Fusion, the National Association of Broadcasters and AT&T, to Black Mamas Matter and Green 2.0. (a complete list ishere).
The goal is to create mentorship programs and "talent pipelines" and get stakeholders to work together, all pulling on the same oar, as it were, toward a more inclusive media platform for content.
On a related note, during the Univision Upfront presentation,Fusion announced that it had created theFusion TV Creative Board of actors, filmmakers, academics, and musicians to help identify "the next generation of creators and build a pipeline of diverse talent the network can tap into."
(Photo via the George A. Spiva Center for the Arts's Flickr. Image taken on May 16, 2013 and used per Creative Commons 2.0 license. The photo was cropped to fit 16x9 aspect ratio.)
