MTV Entertainment Group commits $250M to content from Black, POC and female filmmakers

Lashan Browning and Adam Gonzalez will lead the initiative

Dec 3, 2020

ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group just announced they’re making a major commitment to developing more diverse content. The company has pledged to spend $250M over the next three years to develop content led and produced by production companies owned and operated by women and Black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC).

As part of the newly formed Studio, MTV Entertainment – whose portfolio includes MTV and VH1 – will provide funding, production infrastructure, services and staff to foster new creative, formats and ideas that will fuel the unscripted content needs of today and tomorrow.

Lashan Browning and Adam Gonzalez were brought in last year to pilot the initiative. They have already been producing and creating unscripted content and will form their own respective third-party production ventures with an equity investment made by MTV Entertainment.

Browning began her career working for Spike Lee, went on to executive produce a season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta and Cartel Crew, and was part of Oxygen’s start-up team.

Gonzalez executive produced VH1’s Teyana & Iman in addition to America’s Next Top Model and Mob Wives where he first worked with MTV Entertainment’s Nina L. Diaz, president of content and chief creative officer.

The news comes on the heels of MTV Entertainment’s global effort to create cultural change and provide opportunities to advance representation both behind and in front of the camera.

They recently announced the First Time Directors Program in partnership with Angela Bassett, Idris Elba, Salma Hayek, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, John Leguizamo, Eva Longoria and Courtney B. Vance to executive produce 50 original movies that will give rise to multi-cultural narratives and voices.

The company also unveiled Culture Code, a comprehensive diversity, equity, and immersion initiative that will offer best-in-class training through a multidisciplinary approach in collaboration with social justice partners.

“As a former showrunner, this endeavor is something very close to my heart,” Diaz said in a statement. “Having come up on the production side where this kind of pipeline didn’t exist, it is a great privilege to help launch a new generation of creative powerhouses into production ownership.”

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