Hollywood Commission hopes to combat abuse with reporting platform

Following the 2020 rape trial of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, a survey of nearly 10,000 workers by the Anita Hill-led Hollywood Commission revealed a sobering result: Few people believed the perpetrators would one day be held responsible.

The vast majority, however, were interested in new tools to document incidents and access resources and helplines.

Four years later, the Hollywood Commission is trying to make this request a reality.

On Thursday, the nonprofit launched MyConnext, an online resource and reporting tool that will allow workers at five major entertainment industry organizations to get help reporting incidents of harassment, discrimination and abuse.

The website allows entertainment industry employees to speak live to a mediator, create time-stamped recordings and submit these reports to their employer or union. (Any entertainment professional can access the resources section of the site to learn more about what it means to report an incident and understand complicating factors such as mandatory arbitration.)

So far, the commission has partnered with the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America, select U.S.-based Amazon productions, all U.S.-based Netflix productions, and producer Kennedy/Marshall Co. film and television company, founded by filmmakers Kathleen Kennedy. and Frank Marshall. The International Alliance of Theater Stage Employees is expected to join later this year, according to the commission.

MyConnext is not intended to replace these organizations' individual reporting platforms. Rather, it is designed to provide an additional option and serve as a one-stop shop for workers looking for help or resources. The commission did not specify the cost of this initiative.

One of the key features of the MyConnext reporting platform is called “hold for match”, which allows a worker to complete a record of an incident and instructs the system not to send the report to one of the partner organizations until another report regarding the same person is detected. . At that time, both reports will be sent.

It's very difficult for an individual to come forward, said Hill, chairman of the Hollywood Commission, founded in October 2017 to help root out abuse in the entertainment industry. Let's say, for example, Harvey Weinstein: it was very difficult to prove a case when there was only one person because there was a tendency to turn that into a situation of what we call he said, she said.

However, with this feature, employers could potentially recognize a pattern of abuse. And that, Hill said, could be a game-changer.

We ultimately hope that [the tool] it will raise the level of accountability, and accountability is, ultimately, what I think everyone wants,” Hill said. The commission conducted the 2020 survey, as well as a follow-up survey this year that found a similar desire for resources to report harassment.

Information, in reality, is power, Hill said.

Advocates say these resources have become even more crucial amid what they describe as a rollback of Hollywood's promised efforts to create a more inclusive industry for women. Fears of a rollback intensified after Weinstein's sexual assault conviction in New York was overturned last month by a state appeals court, which ordered a new trial. Weinstein's California conviction remains.

What is so important, even today, in light of overturning a conviction, is ensuring that people who have been harmed can choose what is most meaningful to them, said Malia Arrington, executive director of the Hollywood Commission. You need to be informed about what all of your different choices might mean to ensure that you go into any path with your eyes wide open.

With this in mind, the platform takes a multi-pronged approach. The resources section helps workers understand their options, including the general process for filing a complaint, as well as where to access counseling and emotional or professional support.

Members of participating organizations also have access to a secure platform through MyConnext that allows them to record an incident, whether or not they submit it as an official report, send anonymous messages, speak with an independent mediator and to submit abuse reports.

Speaking with an advocate allows workers to get their questions answered confidentially and from a live human, said Lillian Rivera, the mediator employed by MyConnext.

He is a human who will listen to people, who will not pass judgment, who will support them and who will be able to guide people towards all their options, and to really put the power in the hands of the worker so that They can make the decision that's best for them, Rivera said.