YouTube is making an effort to make digital content creation more female-friendly. The streaming behemoth has launched the YouTube Spaces program, a global production program to support female content creators on YouTube.
Creators who work behind and in front of the camera, including makeup guru Michelle Phan and comedian GloZell, were invited to YouTube’s production facilities to produce videos shining a line on girls’ and women’s perspectives. Participants benefited from the expertise of six well-established creators, including actress Anna Akana and makeup artist Alexys Fleming, who were appointed to serve as creative directors. They’ll mentor emerging content creators and collaborate on projects.
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media will work with the creators to address their representation of gender onscreen. Davis said, “Entertainment today often depicts a society where there are far fewer female characters than male characters, and the characters that are female are often more stereotyped. The “Thelma & Louise” star continued, “We need more strong female voices represented in media so that this gender balance becomes normal to the young girls who are turning on their screens. By taking this step to empower and represent more female voices on YouTube, I hope that more young girls and women around the world can be inspired to be part of the creative community.”
The United Nations is also teaming up with the Google-owned company. Top YouTube creators will be appointed as Change Ambassadors for the UN’s sustainable development action campaign.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki noted that the video-sharing website “has always been a platform where women of all ages and backgrounds can find their voice and tell their stories.” She added that the newly introduced global program and partnership with the UN will “strengthen female voices on YouTube and around the world.”
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
