By Sandy Cohen, Entertainment Writer
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) --The organizers of Time's Up say the movement to eradicate discrimination in the workplace will have a presence at Sunday's Oscar show, but there are no plans for a red-carpet dress code.
Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, actresses Laura Dern and Tessa Thompson, producer Katie McGrath and attorney Nina Shaw talked about the movement's progress and next steps with news reporters Thursday.
They stressed that while Time's Up made a splashy appearance at the Golden Globes earlier this year, with most women wearing black and several actresses walking the red carpet with activists, the movement is bigger and broader than awards shows.
"We're trying to build something that's sustainable, lasting and serious," DuVernay said Thursday at the meeting at the Sunshine Sachs publicity firm's offices in West Hollywood, California.
Time's Up was "launched on the red carpet, but was never intended to live there," Rhimes said.
Besides the black dresses at the Globes, Time's Up supporters wore white roses at the Grammy Awards. No such uniformity is planned for the Oscars.
Formed after the Harvey Weinstein scandal revealed widespread sexual harassment in Hollywood, Time's Up has grown into an international, multifaceted and multipronged approach to fighting workplace discrimination, organizers said. They outlined the various avenues of the effort at Thursday's news conference.
A key element is the legal defense fund, which has amassed $21 million and scores of attorneys to date. In partnership with the National Women's Law Center, the fund connects victims of harassment or discrimination with attorneys, who are either volunteering their services or having their fees underwritten by donations.
Since Time's Up was founded about two months ago, it has received some 1,700 requests for legal assistance, said attorney Tina Tchen, a lawyer and former director of the White House Council on Women and Girls. More than 1,200 of those cases have already been referred to attorneys, she said.
The movement may have started in Hollywood, but it's become global, Rhimes said, with participation in Kenya, South Korea, Pakistan and Kuwait. From the tech sector to farm workers, women are coming together to demand fair treatment, she said.
"The intention really is that a large portion of our leadership will come from other industries," Rhimes said.
Representatives for farm, domestic and restaurant workers have been actively involved in the expanding movement, she said.
On Friday, Time's Up is announcing its new StoryCorps initiative. StoryCorps is a storytelling collective that invites ordinary people to share tales from their lives, which are eventually uploaded into a Library of Congress collection aimed at fostering greater human understanding. The Time's Up partnership invites women and men to share stories about their lives at work.
It's not just about sexual harassment, organizers said, but about illuminating what it takes to create fair and equitable workplaces where people of all races, genders and ethnicities are recognized and valued. It's about seizing on the momentum generated by the outrage over Weinstein and those like him and channeling it toward change.
Branches of the Time's Up movement have been meeting regularly since the beginning of the year. Various sectors of the initiative are dealing with men, people of color and people overseas, organizers said.
Hollywood men have held their own Time's Up meetings, organizers said, and international outreach continues to grow.
No invitation is needed to participate, either, they said. Like all grass-roots movements, it grows with personal interest.
"There's actual work being done," DuVernay said. "It's not just a press opportunity… It's not just an awards-show protest movement."
Nikki Baker Becomes CEO At Fallon
Fallon has appointed Nikki Baker as its new CEO. Baker, who joined the creative agency in 2018 and has served as co-chief creative officer with Leslie Shaffer since 2021, succeeds Rocky Novak, who has been in the role since 2019.
Baker’s promotion to CEO comes at a time of significant momentum for the agency, including six consecutive years of growth and award-winning work.
Baker’s recent career highlights include creatively leading the Walmart partnership with the Publicis Groupe team and spearheading innovative campaigns such as the award-winning “RomCommerce” 23-episodic series and the internet-breaking Mean Girls campaign, among hundreds of other campaigns together with the brand over the past few years. Together with Shaffer, Baker has also been instrumental in elevating Fallon’s creative output for longstanding clients like Arby’s, Mattress Firm, and Front Door/American Home Shield.
“I’ve always been an admirer of Fallon, even before I joined. The chance to lead the agency is an absolute honor. Fallon is a place like no other with amazing talent and a legacy of building big, innovative, creative ideas,” said Baker. “Rocky has represented the best of Fallon. He’s been a great leader, and I couldn’t be more excited to take the reins and lead the agency through to the next chapter. With creativity at our core, we’re going to be as ambitious as ever, push boundaries, and continue embracing emerging platforms to deliver work that truly resonates in culture.”
Prior to joining Fallon six years ago, Baker held positions as creative director and art director at agencies including DDB and GSD&M, working with major brands such as McDonald’s, Southwest Airlines, and Wrigley. Her work has been recognized by... Read More