CAA Amplify Town Hall With Dwayne Wade, Yara Shahidi, Doc Rivers And Kendrick Sampson To Address Systemic Racism

Tom Tapp
·4 min read

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Creative Artists Agency announced on Wednesday that it will host a virtual CAA Amplify Town Hall on Wednesday, June 17th. The event will bring together leaders in entertainment, sports, media, brands, technology and social justice in a call to action to end systemic racism. The discussions aim to provide critical action steps for real and permanent change.

Featured event speakers and participants will include:

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Carmelo Anthony, NBA All-Star, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

Joy Buolamwini, Founder of Algorithmic Justice League

Christian Cooper, Biomedical Editor and Comic Book Writer

Melody Cooper, Film, Television, Theater and Comic Book Writer

Patrisse Cullors, Artist, Writer and Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter

Arne Duncan, Managing Partner, Emerson Collective and Former U.S. Secretary of Education

Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Doc Rivers, Head Coach, Los Angeles Clippers

Kendrick Sampson, Actor, Activist and Co-Founder, BLD PWR

Yara Shahidi, Actress, Producer and Change Agent

Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner

Justin Simien, Writer and Filmmaker

Dwyane Wade, NBA Champion, Founder, CAA AMP

Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation

Jeff Weiner, Executive Chairman, LinkedIn

“This is the moment to turn words of support and belief into actions that create momentum, actions that become habits, and habits that become the change that is necessary. It is up to all of us — no matter how well-intentioned we may have been in the past — to do the honest, sobering and essential work of dismantling systemic racism, including in our own organizations,” said Richard Lovett, President of CAA. “We are grateful to the presenters and guests joining today’s conversation, and hope the gathering plays even a small role in encouraging a more informed business community to become better partners and advocates for black colleagues, artists, and industry peers.”

CAA has long focused on issues of diversity and inclusion, implementing short- and long-term strategies to create sustainable change, within the agency and beyond.

Most recently, CAA appointed Co-Head of Basketball Marketing and Servicing Lisa Joseph-Metelus, to the CAA Board. The agency’s new leadership structure formed in January, underscoring the company’s continued growth and next-generation strategy.

CAA’s three Amplify Conferences, launched in 2017, have included some of the world’s most forward-thinking diverse executives and influential figures in entertainment, sports, media, brands, technology and social justice. More than 90 percent of Amplify attendees and speakers have been people of color. The conference has become a powerful platform for leaders to meet and collaborate on creating solutions to some of the most pressing social and business issues of our time. Two of CAA’s business-centered initiatives were launched during past Amplify conferences, including the CAA Motion Picture Cast Diversity Index. The primary goal of this research was to determine the correlative factors of diverse casting, diverse audiences, and box office success; and the broader implications on the business case for diversity in motion picture programming. Building upon Amplify’s legacy of creating multicultural opportunity and connection for multicultural artists, business leaders, and activists,

Further accelerating the path to success for promising diverse writers, CAA developed the Television Showrunner Mentorship Program. The six-month program included more than three dozen diverse, mid-level writer clients, each paired with a showrunner mentor, to provide support and knowledge to help navigate careers toward showrunning. CAA has also developed a series of programs, including The Writers Boot Camp, a full day workshop designed to help accelerate the careers of diverse, emerging television writers; and the Creators Summit Series, comprised of networking and educational events hosted in partnership with leading diversity organizations to provide greater access and opportunities to underrepresented voices.

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