5 things / Tyler Perry
This week I learned how amazing of a human Tyler Perry is. In fact, I devoted two of my #1ThingILearnedToday videos to him. I learned on Monday that his new film/tv studio in Atlanta (situated on a former Confederate military base) is one of the largest in the country and is creating countless jobs for African-Americans -- and is the only African-American owned studio in the country.
Later, I learned that the Tyler Perry Studios complex will have shelters and job training for homeless LGBTQ youth, victims of sex trafficking, and homeless women and girls. He is truly paying it forward.
Here are a few other positive things I learned this week
Start-ups with at least one women founder get 21% more venture capital backing in later funding rounds. Further proof that greater diversity leads to greater innovation which leads to greater financial results.
Geena Davis' Center for Women in Media, in conjunction with the University of Southern California's College of Engineering, has created an artificial intelligence software that will screen TV and film scripts for gender and other unconscious bias. Disney will pilot the software next year. This is very promising - but it's even more important to have diverse voices at table creating content.
And finally, PBS does it again...Sesame Street's muppet, Karli, who is foster care, has a parent battling addiction. The storyline is told from Karli's perspective, unlike any other programming around addiction. It's a powerful way to be inclusive of the diversity of experiences that can affect kids.