Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment and The Asian American Foundation on Wednesday unveiled the results of their collaborative study “Red Light, Green Light: Overcoming Roadblocks to Asian American Creative Executive Success in the Entertainment Industry.”
Topics explored in the survey included barriers to entry and promotions, day-to-day challenges, and factors that contribute to attrition and industry pivots for those working at entry, mid, and senior levels. The report also shares recommendations on how to improve the experiences of Asian American creatives in the industry and foster an environment that will allow Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander creative executives to thrive.
Key findings from the survey were as follows:
- Respondents felt that their Asian American identity is a double-edged sword.
- Creative executives of Asian descent brought diversity and unique insights, but were also tokenized and seen as diversity hires.
- Asian American creative executives grappled with the expectations of fitting into Western norms or meeting high standards of Asian culture knowledge.
- Asian American women faced challenges in regards to the intersection of gender and ethnicity.
- This includes sexism, age-related biases, compensation disparities, and difficulties in career advancement, particularly for mothers.
- A majority of respondents across levels felt that they experienced different treatment because of their racial/cultural background or how they looked.
- Experiencing differential treatment because of how they look or their racial or cultural background was most acutely felt by entry (50%) and senior level (68%) staff.
- A majority (62%) of respondents across all ranks reported lack of mentorship as a challenge.
- Additionally, 88% of respondents expressed a desire to have mentors from their racial/ethnic background, echoing the adage: “You can’t be what you can’t…
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