The CW has made a very public promise about representation and inclusion with the rollout of their 2018 “Open To All” campaign. Hypable was honored to be invited to the network’s Los Angeles launch event.
From its groundbreaking DC universes to its critically acclaimed comedies, its freshman football dramas to its flagship fantasy epics, there’s one thing that the overwhelming majority of current primetime CW shows have in common — they don’t shy away from progressive politics and a positive portrayal of our diverse population.
The actual worldview of every CW hero — male or female, whether they wear capes or flannel or cocktail frocks — is inherently very liberal, and within its many fictional landscapes, no matter how grim the plot, you’ll find a whole lot of refreshingly normalized representation.
For newer shows, like Legends of Tomorrow, this priority, both on and off-screen, is part of a CW property’s DNA from the inception. For the veteran series, like Supernatural, which started on The WB in an era of television where such considerations were not as consciously taken, the current creatives do their very best to make theirlong-established and rather un-diverse heroes as indiscriminate and empowering of others as possible.
The network has also long supported the social causes of its stars, using their considerable resources to further public awareness about issues that hit close to home among The CW family. In addition to CWGood, the long-term platform that extends the reach of charitable endeavors, 2018 saw the creation of Shethority, an online global collective that aims to help women connect about the female experience and support one another.
This year, The CW has decided to make their commitment to inclusion official, and proudly circulate this mission statement as part of their brand. “We are open to all, and we defy anything that stands in our way,” is The CW’s new mantra, the message they want to be known for.
Get ready to see digital, social and print promotion of this fantastic initiative, as well as on-air television spots in between all your favorite shows as they air live. A huge group of CW stars feature in the first video collateral for the campaign — watch it below.
This piece is very genuinely moving, which, for something that’s effectively a commercial, is really quite inspirational. It’s also a gauntlet being thrown down. Naturally, the idea that “all are welcome” does mean that technically, on paper, our beloved shows are welcome to be loved by people with rather less inclusive opinions, but the fact that The CW is taking a stand to officially and boldly defy division and judgement at every turn means that the content they’re aiming to produce will not be content that particularly caters or appeals to those out there who want to divide or judge us.
“We think this campaign really captures the spirit and mission of The CW and why our fans come to us,” CW boss Mark Pedowitz confirmed at the campaign launch. “We are committed to making sure our viewers see themselves represented on screen, and that we also have diverse voices being heard behind the camera. In fact, 12 of our 17 series this season are created by or executive produced by women or people of color. We are proud of the strides we’ve made and are continuing to make, and #CWOpenToAll reflects that, and helps drive the message that we want to be known as a place where all are welcome to be, and all are welcome to watch.”
As an avid CW viewer, and a member of more than one margialized group, I take this campaign as a promise that we are seen and heard, and as a validation that the network is committed to positive change. This concept is the antithesis of “playing it safe” and is not out to court viewers who would like us to not be seen and not be heard – in other words, those who are not open to all. When The CW declares that they’re open to all, I feel, in this statement, the spirit of a great prophet of our age: If you’re one of us, then roll with us.
My colleague Ariana Quiñónez attended the official launch of The CW’s six-night fall season, which took place on the iconic Warner Brothers backlot in Burbank this past Sunday. Guests and media were joined by many of the network’s stars and showrunners, and the programming included two panels that The CW put together to amplify the voices and values of the diverse group of women in front of and behind the camera who call this network home. It was here that The CW revealed to the audience the Open To All campaign, which emphasized the true dedication to the betterment of our TV industry.
Ariana reports from Los Angeles:
Mark Pedowitz, the president of The CW, opened up the Fall Launch Event by presenting The CW’s 2018 Open to All campaign. “This ad is who we are,” he told the room, “We believe in empowerment, representation, inclusion, and all voices being heard. This was a moment in time for us to stand for something as a company.”
It’s pretty remarkable to watch a major network take a stand for inclusivity — an issue which while should never be partisan, feels all the more radical as of late. The message of the night was “If you can see her, you can be her,” and The CW’s commitment to social awareness took center stage as the event was an effort to highlight “the women who inspire our fans in front of and behind the camera.” Of the two panels, one featured ten female showrunners and executive producers, while the other gave a voice to eight actresses from the DC universe who have launched their online community to inspire young women, Shethority.
What’s most impressive is that The CW is not only tolerating this kind of activism from its stars, but encouraging it and giving the mission of these actresses with Shethority a platform in which to flourish. Shethority began with Candice Patton and Caity Lotz (from The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow respectively) who while hiking together one day discussed how they wished they could give more to the young women and girls they met at conventions.
Later when the DC actresses all got together for the crossover episodes they realized “it was the first time that we had a clan of women instead of just one or two in a scene.” They found strength in numbers, and from that grew Shethority, an online community created to challenge and empower women to take back their own voice. “Our goal is to help girls not feel so alone,” Caity said.
Shethority has a unique position in being able to represent so many different types of women because the DC universe already casts diversely. And with so many different voices leading the campaign, the women are each able to focus on the issues that they’re most passionate about. As Nia Nal, the first trans superhero on screen, Nicole Maines from Supergirl is focused on trans activism, trans rights, and trans inclusivity saying that she wants to push forth “the reality that trans women are women and deserve a place in feminism and the women’s movement.”
Meanwhile, Tala Ashe, an immigrant herself who plays Zari Tomaz, the first Muslim superhero on television on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, is focused on creating empathy for the immigrant experience during a time when it feels like there is an assault on immigrant rights. “Even before they were citizens, my parents were and still are servants of this country,” she said, “It’s been hard to listen to this rhetoric right now that is anti-immigrant.”
The actresses were equally open about how inequality reaches the workplace, especially in the entertainment industry. Melissa Benoist brought up the struggles and frustrations of parity and equal pay, and Candice Patton agreed adding, “We all co-sign that one.” Tala Ashe brought up the importance of making sure that the diversity seen on screen isn’t just used as lip service, saying “The representation has to be there at every level. Our industry has a lot of work to do.” In response to Tala’s comment, Candice opened up about her personal experience portraying Iris West-Allen saying, “It’s not enough to just make a Black woman the lead of your show. You have to write to her experience.”
Candice emphasized that what’s happening behind the scenes is just as important as what is happening on screen — from having a hair and makeup team that knows how to work with Black hair, to having writers in the room who can speak to a Black woman’s experience. “It’s been really important for me to fight for being seen and not have the erasure of Black women on screen. I try to not just be a checked box on this network. I want Iris to be so much more than just the love interest of Barry Allen, because there’s so many young women who want to be seen.”
When asked about the racist hate she’s received online for portraying an interracial couple on television, Candice responded, “This experience is bigger than just me and me receiving hate. I try to remember that whether I like it or not, I’ve been given this position. I don’t have the luxury to be depressed about some guy in Idaho who’s mad that a Black women is in a relationship with a white guy on screen. I have to wear that armor each day because it’s bigger than me. It’s important that Black women are seen as desirable because usually we’re often cast as the sidekick best friend to the lead. So when you cast a Black women as the love interest, you see Black women in a new way.”
Diversity and inclusivity behind the camera was also the topic of discussion for the panel featuring ten of The CW’s female showrunners and executive producers. Because of the platform that television has, Jennie Snyder Urman (Jane the Virgin, Charmed) explained that “Everything is political, everything is a point of view on TV — even what you forget to include is a choice.”
Because of this platform, “If you’re trying to reflect images of the world you need to reflect the world in your room. It makes better writing,” emphasized Mara Brok-Akil, the showrunner of Black Lightning. Several executive producers talked about the importance of inclusivity filtering down to below the line staff like assistants. Keto Shimizu (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow) said, “As female EPs we have a responsibility to mentor. We have a responsibility to help those diverse voices grow up to our level.”
Similarly, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Aline Brosh McKenna highlighted the importance of inclusivity working its way up to the top rings of power, because those in power are making the decisionS that everyone else has to live by.
“Diversity is important in terms of hierarchy,” the Arrow-verse’s Beth Schwartz added. “Don’t put all of the diversity at the bottom.” “Showrunners can change this industry in a year or two, tops, because you’re the visionary and the one who is hiring,” Mara Brock-Akil emphasized. “It is more work, but it can be done.” Nkechi O. Carroll from All-American added, “It has to be a priority. It won’t be easy, but it’s a battle you have to be willing to fight.”’
The CW Open To All campaign also represents another honorable quality for a corporation: vulnerablity. This initiative represents The CW holding themselves accountable in the most transparent ways – viewers are going to want them to keep up their end of the bargain, and have this promise to point to and remember.
The reality of that situations indicates pretty strongly that the network is willing to go above and beyond: this is a commitment to pushing themselves, to putting in the work. It’s certainly a noble thought – we’ll be keeping a close eye on the content the network produces this season to see what they manage to achieve!
The CW returned with its primetime fall schedule last Tuesday, with more series premieres to come this week.
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.