soona’s role in closing the gender gap

Discover how soona, a fast-growing startup, is working to close the gender gap in photography and creative industries, and what you can do to help.

soona crew
soona crew
written by
soona crew
written by
March 23, 2021
-
1
min

awards season is upon us. like in the last few years: we’re seeing a renewed surge of conversation around the gender inequality problem in Hollywood.

here are the facts:

  • women comprised 16% of directors working on the top 100 grossing films in 2020. In 2019: 12%. In 2018: 4%.
  • women of color directed only 13 of the 1,300 top-grossing films released from 2007-2019.
  • only 9.7% of rostered directors on the AdAge Production Company A-List are women. [Women in Hollywood

we know that on-screen representation matters. but off-screen representation is just as important. directors—and people in other creative roles—inform the media we consume.

throughout my career in production and advertising, I watched as the statistics stayed the same over the course of nearly two decades. I had never met a female director in commercial work—until I became one. after all: 91% of the advertising we see on a daily basis—YouTube / Instagram / Twitter ads / billboards / bus ads / TV ads / the list could go on forever—is created by men.

at soona: we decided to do something about it.

over the last year: we’ve renewed our focus on recruiting and training female talent to lead our creative teams and generate the content that our customers use on their social media.

in 2020: 50% of the people making content at soona were women.

achieving this number wasn’t difficult. it was just a matter of building community. by leaning on organizations like Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) - we were able to gain access to international female talent.

we focused on outreach via platforms like Instagram or TikTok - gathering equal numbers of male and female audience members.

finally: we made efforts to hire based on talent (not just based on references and resumés - which are often the most leaned-upon in our industry at large).

ultimately: those of us in positions of power in the industry have a choice to make. when we see bleak statistics like the ones at the top of the page: we can become discouraged or we can become inspired. it’s true—our industry still has so far to go. but I have confidence in our ability to keep making the effort.

awards season is upon us. like in the last few years: we’re seeing a renewed surge of conversation around the gender inequality problem in Hollywood.

here are the facts:

  • women comprised 16% of directors working on the top 100 grossing films in 2020. In 2019: 12%. In 2018: 4%.
  • women of color directed only 13 of the 1,300 top-grossing films released from 2007-2019.
  • only 9.7% of rostered directors on the AdAge Production Company A-List are women. [Women in Hollywood

we know that on-screen representation matters. but off-screen representation is just as important. directors—and people in other creative roles—inform the media we consume.

throughout my career in production and advertising, I watched as the statistics stayed the same over the course of nearly two decades. I had never met a female director in commercial work—until I became one. after all: 91% of the advertising we see on a daily basis—YouTube / Instagram / Twitter ads / billboards / bus ads / TV ads / the list could go on forever—is created by men.

at soona: we decided to do something about it.

over the last year: we’ve renewed our focus on recruiting and training female talent to lead our creative teams and generate the content that our customers use on their social media.

in 2020: 50% of the people making content at soona were women.

achieving this number wasn’t difficult. it was just a matter of building community. by leaning on organizations like Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) - we were able to gain access to international female talent.

we focused on outreach via platforms like Instagram or TikTok - gathering equal numbers of male and female audience members.

finally: we made efforts to hire based on talent (not just based on references and resumés - which are often the most leaned-upon in our industry at large).

ultimately: those of us in positions of power in the industry have a choice to make. when we see bleak statistics like the ones at the top of the page: we can become discouraged or we can become inspired. it’s true—our industry still has so far to go. but I have confidence in our ability to keep making the effort.

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