Cablefax The Magazine October 2022 - 30

JoAnn Alfano
EVP, Scripted Current Series
and Head of International
Business Development
Universal Studio Group
If you don't know Alfano by name, you
certainly know her work. HBO Max's
" Hacks " and Netflix's " Never Have I
Ever " are two of more than 70 series
under her purview. But one of her
most influential projects came earlier
in her career: " Will and Grace, " the
first broadcast series with two gay
characters. " Nothing may ever top
Joe Biden's 2012 endorsement of gay
marriage on 'Meet
the Press,' when
he credited 'Will & Grace'-a show
I helped develop and worked on to
the end-with shifting the American
public's perspective and advancing
the LGBTQ+ cause, " she says. Alfano
built on that legacy this year by leading
development on a reimagining of
LGBTQ+ drama " Queer as Folk " for
Peacock, which premiered in June.
How does your company encourage
employees to bring their true selves
to work? I'm fortunate to work for a
company that places people at the top
of its priorities. This is demonstrated
daily through everything from providing
healthcare benefits to samesex
couples to the type of content we
bring to audiences to allowing me to
be my authentic self. That kind of care
and support makes it easy to enjoy my
job.
30
Stephen Brown
EVP, Programming &
Development
Fox TV Stations
Brown has carved out a home and
made his mark across Fox's broadcast
stations, but his career in television
hasn't always felt like a dream.
" It's a far cry from my first job in Hollywood
where I was fired for being
gay, " he says. " My experiences as
a gay man, although cis-gendered,
hetero-normative and white, inform
the way I look at the shows we develop,
the way we produce, the need
for broader inclusion in hiring, and
the need to fight against the general,
white, hetero-normative bias we usually
bring to media. " That homophobic
act inspired him to take a stand when
others weren't. In the early days of
Fox TV-produced " Divorce Court, " he
refused to bend when viewers sent in
letters complaining when the show
featured LGBTQ+ and interracial couples.
And when Brown searches for
contestants for " You Bet Your Life "
and other game shows, he makes a
conscious effort to choose those who
represent every corner of America.
What is the state of LGBTQ+ representation
in media? I think we
are nearing a point where the totality
of the many unique experiences of
LGBTQ+ culture are being expressed
on the various screens and platforms
we use now.
October 2022
Tim Calia
VP, Creative Services
Disney Media &
Entertainment Distribution
Calia's influence at the Mouse House
is strong due to his leadership of Disney's
In-Home Creative Team, and
he's devoted any extra energy to inspire
companywide
change.
Calia
was a powerful voice within Disney
following the passing of Florida's
" Don't Say Gay " bill, participating in
conversations with senior leadership
and Disney's Chairman on how to
move forward from those losses with
positivity. He hopes young people today
will be able to watch Disney content
and have moments like when he
saw the " Puppy " episode of " Ellen " in
1997. " Watching those first moments
of coming out brought me back to
that moment in my history, " he says.
" It was an incredibly brave, honest
and historical moment in the media
landscape. That episode allowed our
community to continue to show up
authentically. "
Advice for allies on how to show up
for their LGBTQ+ colleagues? Be
curious. It's OK to ask questions and
gain different perspectives. We may
have had different paths but it will
only make the relationship stronger
when we seek to understand our differing
life experiences.
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Cablefax The Magazine October 2022

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