The News

Karin Chien

Karin Chien Keynotes Sundance: “We’re at a point when more money is available to make movies and television than ever. Yet we producers find ourselves organizing for the right simply to be paid. We fight to receive a nonzero number. There’s nothing more important we can do for our tribe than to hold onto our value, for each other. Solidarity is not an exclusive event. So to the writers and directors who are listening, please ask your producers what we are being paid. And if there isn’t parity, do something! Make noise. Create good trouble. Do the things every storyteller at Sundance is celebrated for – question, subvert, interrogate. This is especially necessary if you stand in greater privilege. I’m in a fight right now for parity. The systemic devaluation that I internalized working as an independent producer helped sustain an environment of outrageously unequal compensation when I went to work at a tech company. In Silicon Valley, equity is not a metaphor. Take a moment to search for ‘equity gap Silicon Valley.’ The data is just starting to surface.”

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