Macro Teams With Essence And Time To Help Rid Hollywood Of #OscarsSoWhite
A new media partnership is preparing to challenge Hollywood’s diversity problem — a problem that has come to be symbolized by the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.
Multicultural media giant Charles D. King, founder of Macro Ventures, has formed a multi-platform partnership with Essence TV and Time Inc. Productions.
Debuting in 2015, Macro is just a few years old, but the media company is shaping our culture by producing content for African American, Latino and multicultural (ALM) audiences.
It's officially going down! #MACRO & @Essence have teamed up for a multi-platform partnership. #StayMACRO https://t.co/iKWwSKdjJY pic.twitter.com/yZbZHTP1vI
— MACRO (@stayMACRO) September 29, 2017
The partnership was announced by King and Bruce Gersh, senior vice president of business development and strategy for Time Inc.
“As Time Inc. continues to expand each of its brands into TV and digital video, joining forces with Macro and a veteran like Charles is a perfect match,” Gersh said in a press release. “Essence and Macro are creatively aligned to deliver compelling and premium storytelling.”
“Growing up, I remember Essence magazines being displayed prominently throughout my home, and I realized its uniqueness in not only showing but celebrating black womanhood,” King said. “To say that I’m proud to partner with this iconic brand is an understatement. Macro is thrilled to develop these incredible projects with Essence and to further build on the company’s magnificent legacy.”
“I Turn My Camera On,” is a 10-part digital video series that will share the journey of the famous Kelly Rowland, Keke Palmer, Omari Hardwick and many more. The series is slated for Oct. 4, 2017, with an initial airing across social media platforms, Essence.com and People TV.
Make sure to catch the premiere of #ITurnMyCameraOn w/ @LanceGross next Wed. October 4th on #Essence. You won't want to miss it!
— MACRO (@stayMACRO) September 29, 2017
Our culture is demanding more content that accurately portrays our diverse and dynamic world.
Macro’s first major studio release was “Fences,” an emotional showdown between characters portrayed by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. Davis won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the intense drama about an African American family in the 1950s doing their best to get by in working-class Pittsburgh.
Macro’s upcoming content is designed for binge-watching. Get ready:
- “Indivisible” — (working title): an hourlong political drama produced by Van Jones and Macro. Production is scheduled to begin in 2018.
- “Sorry To Bother You” — A black telemarketer with self-esteem issues discovers a magical key to business success, propelling himself to the upper echelons just as his activist comrades are rising up against unjust labor practices. When he uncovers the macabre secret of his corporate overlords, he must decide whether to stand up or sell out.
- “Sin Filtro” — a remake of the 2016 Chilean comedy by Nicolas Lopez with production set to start in 2018. The film follows a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Her life spirals out of control after an acupuncture treatment renders her unable to filter herself.
- “Dawn” — Octavia E. Butler’s sci-fi novel will be adapted into a TV series — a first for the Science Fiction Hall of Famer. Director-writer Victoria Mahoney will pen the series about an African American woman who works with aliens to resurrect the human race 250 years after nuclear war. King and filmmaker Ava Marie DuVernay will executive-produce the “Dawn” series.