April 11, 2024 – Cablefax
Another T. Howard Dinner is in the books, with a packed house turning out at Cipriani for the foundation’s Diversity Awards Dinner celebrating industry leaders and companies committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in the media and entertainment industry.
BET Media Group President & CEO Scott Mills, who received the Executive Leadership Award, addressed the current climate’s “war on diversity.” He offered up BET, which turns 45 next year, as a company that’s flourishing.
“We’ve been growing share, growing property, growing reach, generating double-digit revenue growth. And all of that is anchored in one thing,” he said. “It’s anchored in our focus on diversity—the diversity of our workforce, the diversity of our leadership team, the diversity of our partners, the diversity of our culture, the diversity of our community. Clear evidence of the economic value that can be created by prioritizing diversity.”
Mills also took a moment to thank the distributors in the room.
“We love to be of service to our community. And we recognize that we can only be in our service our community because of the extraordinary partnership and support that we see from our distribution partners,” he said.
Carlsen Resources Founder & CEO Ann Carlsen was honored with T. Howard’s Lifetime Achievement Award, with a video montage of leaders, including Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav and Starz’s Sofia Chang, celebrating her decades of placing executives in media roles. She quoted Kahlil Gibran’s “Work is love made visible” as what has driven her over the years.
“I love to be able to sit with somebody and help them turn the light on, hold the mirror up, ask the questions,” Carlsen said. “Everybody needs that so make sure you have that person or persons that will put the mirror up and help you along in this in this journey.”
Cablefax Editorial Director Amy Maclean was the night’s Diversity Advocate Award honoree.
“Cablefax launched its annual Diversity and Women’s magazines long before many companies even contemplated hiring a Chief Diversity Officer or crafting a DEI program. Our goal has always been to shine a light on what the industry is doing. And some of those early magazine issues—let’s just say the page count was rather light,” she said. “That’s not a problem today. We receive hundreds of nominations for these issues and our daily newsletter features a range of voices and perspectives. Though we know there’s always more work to be done.”
~ By Cablefax Staff | April 11, 2024