Latino activists have announced plans to hold a protest outside Paramount Pictures this weekend in response to what they describe as the studio’s “dismal hiring record of Latino talent.”
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and the National Latino Media Council (NLMC) issued a media advisory Tuesday, saying they will stage the first of “many demonstrations” targeting the Hollywood studio on Saturday, Aug. 25, at 11 a.m.
It's going down THIS Saturday (8/25). Please feel free to join us! @ParamountPics #RepresentationMattershttps://t.co/Bk2r5YGczu
— NHMC (@NHMC) August 21, 2018
The announcement comes after the two groups held a news conference in Pasadena on July 31, where they accused Paramount of having “shameful numbers when it comes to Latino employment, in front of and behind the camera.”
The groups said Paramount has the “worst record” of all the Hollywood studios.
Read More: Latino Leaders Blast Paramount Studios for ‘Shameful’ Lack of Latino Talent
Citing a recent study on diversity in the movie industry, they said of the top 100 grossing films the studio released in 2016 and 2017, just 20 had Latino talent including seven Latino actors and one director. The movies did not have a single Latino writer, they stated.
The NHMC and NLMC have called on the studio to sign a memorandum of understanding, explaining how it plans to hire more Latino talent.
Paramount has previously said its representatives “met with NHMC in a good faith effort to see how we could partner as we further drive Paramount’s culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging.”
