NFMLA Panel: Ryan Murphy Televisions' Half Initiative

September 25, 2020 05:00pm PDT - 06:30pm PDT

Join NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for a conversation about mentorship opportunities with Half Initiative, an entertainment industry diversity program established by Ryan Murphy.

  • Moderator: TBA
  • Panelist: Shari Page | Program Director at Half Initiative (Ryan Murphy Television)

Shari Page is the Program Director for Half Initiative, launched by Ryan Murphy aiming to make Hollywood more inclusive by creating equal opportunities for women and people of color behind the camera. Prior to Half, she worked at Film Independent as the Senior Program Manager for Global Media Makers, a cultural exchange program in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, designed to foster relationships between American and International filmmakers. She consulted for Annapurna Pictures in their effort to support The Vidiots Foundation by writing grants and producing fundraising events that included VR events in collaboration with Chris Milk (Withn).

Previously she served as Outfest Forward Manager facilitating the Screenwriting Lab, panels, networking events and also created and launched OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Project from Outfest Film Festival and The LA LGBT Center, an annual yearlong film lab in LA for LGBT youth. She also worked for five years with award- winning casting director, Felicia Fasano, notably on the Golden Globe winning series, Californication for Showtime. Shari holds a Bachelor’s in Education from Southern Illinois University, previously taught middle school and coached basketball in Chicago and holds an MFA in Film from Columbia College Chicago.

About the Half Iniaitive: Ryan Murphy launched Half aiming to make Hollywood more inclusive by creating equal opportunities for women and minorities behind the camera. Less than one year after launching Half, Ryan Murphy Television’s director slate hired 60% women directors and 90% met its women & minority requirement.

Concurrent with the hiring goals, the Initiative launched the Half – Director Mentorship Program in which every director on every Ryan Murphy Television production mentor emerging women and minority directors through pre-production and post-production along with offering a significant stipend for their commitment. These funds provided critical stipends for travel, lodging, and daycare for working mothers, allowing them to meet personal financial obligations while gaining unprecedented access to further education and career growth.

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If you are a current Annual Member of NFMLA, please email andrew@nfmla.org to receive the discounted member’s link for 50% off. If you are not an Annual Member of NFMLA, you can become one here: https://www.newfilmmakersla.com/membership/

After joining as an Annual Member of NFMLA, you can email andrew@nfmla.org to receive the discounted member’s ticket link for 50% off.