Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF LA) and Pepperdine University are working together to address the entertainment industry’s gender gap in business funding. A press release has announced that the gender equality nonprofit and the college will study the lack of funding for women-led businesses as part of WIF’s Entrepreneurial Pathways initiative. Entrepreneurial Pathways seeks to increase opportunities for women-run businesses.
First unveiled at the recent WIF Annual Gala, the study will look into “the drivers and inhibitors of funding for women-owned businesses in the screen industries.” WIF LA Board President Amy Baer, WIF LA Board Treasurer Stasia Washington, and WIF LA Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer are leading the project. Alicia Jessop, Academic Director for Sport Administration at the Pepperdine University Institute for Entertainment, Media, Sports, and Culture (IEMSC), and Executive Doctorate student Sharifa Batts (MBA ’18) will conduct the research.
“[We] will examine the paucity of funding for female-led companies and will then create an action plan to connect women to the tools and resources needed to raise capital,” Schaffer vowed at the June 12 gala. “Every week I read a story in the trades about a man receiving tens of millions in seed money for his business, while equally qualified women struggle to raise $2 million. We are going to change this.”
“Built into Women In Film’s work is the importance of creating opportunities and networks for women both on-screen and behind the scenes. Through professional development, education, and programming, WIF empowers its community to transform culture by working towards parity in employment and representation,” said Baer. “Entrepreneurial Pathways is a crucial step to helping women access capital at the top of the system, a major roadblock to a gender-balanced industry.”
WIF honored Amy Poehler, Issa Rae, Elizabeth Debicki, Cathy Schulman, and more at its Annual Gala earlier this month. The event also saw the launch of ReFrame Rise Directors Program, ReFrame’s new initiative supporting established female filmmakers. Desiree Akhavan (“The Miseducation of Cameron Post”) and Haifaa al-Mansour (“Wadjda”) are among its first class.
