Earlier this week Procter & Gamble announced half of its commercials would be women-directed by 2023. The conglomerate also mentioned it would be teaming up with Queen Latifah and Katie Couric on a gender equality project — the details of which the duo disclosed during a keynote event at creative and marketing industries fest Cannes Lions, Deadline reports.
Latifah is starting The Queen Collective, which will work with P&G brands to help feed the pipeline of women directors in TV, film, and commercials, as well as fund and distribute women-driven projects.
The “Bessie” star called on more women to helm stories of all genres, from sci-fi to fantasy to action. ““We want [women] to tell their story and we’ll bring it to market. It’s very exciting,” she said at the fest’s Agents of Change panel. “I’m going to get on the phone every hour. Maybe I can point [people] in the right direction.”
In March Latifah signed an overall production deal with Lifetime. As part of the pact she will EP “Where Did the Women of Hip Hop Go?,” a doc which explores the history and future of women in hip hop and rap. The “Girls Trip” star will also topline and EP “U.N.I.T.Y.,” a one-hour special that will see Latifah re-record her Grammy-winning hit of the same name.
The Oscar-nominated actress previously starred in Lifetime’s remake of “Steel Magnolias” and its pic about the Flint Water Crisis, “Flint.” Up next for Latifah is “Hope’s Wish,” an inspirational film about a young woman diagnosed with a life-threatening illness who works on a project with Make-A-Wish. Latifah’s also a regular on Fox musical drama “Star,” which wrapped its second season in May. A Season 3 premiere is TBD.
As for Couric, she announced a new P&G-backed series, “Getting There,” in which she’ll profile successful women such as Issa Rae, “Barefoot Contessa’s” Ina Garten, and Instagram exec Eva Chen for The Skimm. The journalist is producing via her company, Katie Couric Media.
“I’m thrilled to see so many brands and companies not just selling soap or shampoo but care about changing the world, to wield so much influence. I thought why stop at advertising and why not extend into content,” Couric explained. “We’re going to be partnering with brands that share my value and that want to make the world a better place.”
Speaking about the need for better representation for women, she said, “We have to make sure that girls can do anything and we need to encourage them at an early age. We need more women in executive and managerial ranks, not just as window dressing, and that will have a trickle down effect. We need not only more women, more women of color and diversity in general. That makes the storytelling richer and better for the audience. Organizations have to acknowledge there’s a problem and continue to talk about it,” she concluded.
Couric has been working in TV journalism for nearly three decades. Her numerous credits include “CBS Evening News,” “Today,” and “60 Minutes.” Couric has also produced projects such as “Flint,” Nat Geo docuseries “America Inside Out,” and “Gender Revolution.” Up next she’ll produce “Unbelievable,” a Netflix drama series based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning article and a “This American Life” episode about a teen charged with lying about having been raped. “Erin Brockovich” writer Susannah Grant is showrunning.
