Update: After NBC’s dramatic announcement that it will not broadcast the 2020 Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association released a statement and timeline for further changes to its membership and business practices.
“Regardless of the next air date of the Golden Globes, implementing transformational changes as quickly – and as thoughtfully – as possible remains the top priority for our organization.
We invite our partners in the industry to the table to work with us on the systemic reform that is long overdue, both in our organization as well as within the industry at large.
Our below timeline demonstrates our commitment to achieving these goals with extreme urgency:
HFPA – Reform Milestones
Week of May 3
- Members meet, consider, and overwhelmingly vote to approve and implement the Board’s plan for transformational change
- Board continues to meet with advocacy groups to develop initiatives to fulfill the HFPA’s commitment to add at least 20 new members by August 2021 and increase membership by 50% in 18 months
- Eradicating the new member one year moratorium on voting; All new members will have all voting rights day 1.
- Board and members approve hiring of Ropes & Gray to amend and restate Bylaws and other governing documents to implement member-approved plan for transformational change
Weeks of May 10 and 17
- Revise and approve new Code of conduct in consultation with Publicists and studios
- Continue outreach to potential new member candidates
- Publish Code of Conduct and establish Hotline for reporting of violations
- Engage independent third party investigator to review and respond promptly to all Hotline claims
- Interview candidates and engage new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) consultant
- Identify and recruit independent, outside professionals and non-Board members and form Accountability/Oversight Board (“Advisory Board”) to oversee HFPA Board in implementing plan for transformational change
- Interview Executive Search Firms to commence search for Chief DEI/HR Officer and identification of potential CEO/CFO and other executives to lead HFPA
- HFPA website to be continuously updated to show progress against plan and to list promised Member information (biographies, publications, affiliations, etc.)
Weeks of May 24 and 31
- New DEI Consultant and other outside experts conduct mandatory member trainings for DEI and sexual harassment
- Board and Advisory Board continue work on identification of applicants to fulfill commitment to add at least 20 new members by August 2021
- Grants Officer and subcommittee of members continue work to increase support of internship, mentorship, and scholarship programs for students from underrepresented backgrounds interested in international journalism
- Identify and recruit independent, outside professionals for new Credentials Committee, which will oversee new membership application process and reaccreditation of current members based on same criteria as new members
- Continue review of committee structure / compensation
- First reading of Bylaw Amendments at General Membership Meeting (“GMM”)
Weeks of June 7, 14, and 21
- Focus groups with members, Advisory Board, and Ropes & Gray to review amendments to Bylaws and other governing documents
- Board assesses and evaluates recommendations of Executive Search Firm for new Executive Officer team
- Form new Credentials Committee
- All above work streams on trainings, mentorship, and recruitment continue
Week of June 28
- Second reading of Bylaw Amendments at GMM
- Ballots for voting on Bylaw Amendments mailed to members
- Implement new policies on Gifts, Travel, Conflicts of Interest, and Press Conferences
Week of July 5
- Members vote on Bylaw Amendments by ballot
Weeks of 12 and 19
- Approved Bylaw Amendments become effective
- New Officer and Board elections under amended and restated Bylaws
- New membership process opens per new criteria enacted in amended and restated Bylaws
- All existing members required to meet same standards as new members for reaccreditation of their membership
Week of July 26
- New member process continues
- Reaccreditation continues
Week of August 2
- New members admitted to HFPA
- New Board elected, including independent members, in accordance with amended and restated Bylaws
- New CEO/CFO and other Executive Team approved and engaged to manage HFPA
- Existing Board and Officers resign upon election of New Board and hiring of Executive Team”
It goes without saying that if organizations such as TIME’S UP and the 100 PR firms that have pushed the HFPA to make these reforms approve these changes there would be more than enough time for NBC to “reinstate” the 2020 Golden Globes calendar. So, in many ways, the situation is still in flux.
Original story below.
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Earlier today, we recapped what had been a very hectic weekend for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is the governing body behind the Golden Globes. The avalanche of negative press came after the HFPA announced plans to help add diversity to its group (which consists of less than 100 people, with no Black members) over the next year. The first bit of backlash came from Netflix pulling out from any association with the HFPA (and thus, the Golden Globes). And this was followed by a groundswell of equally damning comments from Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Amazon Studios, and more. (Hell, even Tom Cruise is joining the boycott.) But it appears that the final straw for NBC, the network behind the Golden Globes telecast, came from the decision from Warner Bros. to distance itself from the HFPA.
According to a new report from Variety, NBC has announced its intention to not air the 2022 Golden Globes ceremony due to the controversy that surrounds the HFPA and the clear backlash against the organization that has recently sprung up.
Here’s the official statement from NBC (via Variety):
“We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform. However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.”
This comes on the heels of news that Warner Bros. is following in the footsteps of aforementioned studios like Amazon and Netflix by not associating with the HFPA, adding yet another major studio to the boycott. NBC is clearly seeing the writing on the wall, with this wave of negative press and is choosing to distance itself for at least one year.
Adding to the intrigue is a recent interview (before the NBC news was announced) with THR from NBCUniversal executive Susan Rovner, who is the new head of the NBCUniversal TV and streaming arm of the studio. In the interview, she mentions how she doesn’t have much experience with dealing with the Globes, as a TV executive, but she does “hope they make real change.”
And when the idea of taking the Globes off of NBC and perhaps moving it to Peacock, she said, “It’s possible. Every option is on the table.” Of course, we didn’t know at the time that the other option would be for NBC to just say “no thanks” to the HFPA and not air the ceremony next year. But it’s clear that NBC wasn’t committed to the Globes in 2022 to begin with.
What does this mean for the Golden Globes in terms of how it is positioned in awards season? Clearly, without a network airing the ceremony, the interest from various other studios and awards season competition with be greatly reduced. We’ll just have to wait and see.