Karen Horne: Last News

Diego Ramos Bechara editor When discussing the industry-wide changes needed for television to more authentically capture the lived experiences of disabled people, actor Eileen Grubba passionately implored the industry to end what she described as the tokenization of the community. “The industry has got to stop saying, ‘OK, let me go find some kid that’s cute that’s in a wheelchair and give them a series.’ That is soul-crushing to the people who’ve been fighting for decades to make a living,” said the “New Amsterdam” actor, who has faced disabilities since the age of 5.

EXCLUSIVE: Lisa Collins is Warner Bros. Discovery’s new Group Vice President, overseeing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion employee initiatives across North America. She will report to Chief DEI Officer Asif Sadiq.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor A mass exodus of Black women from senior leadership posts across Hollywood during the last few weeks is raising questions about the depth of the film and television industry’s commitment to diversifying the top ranks of the entertainment industry. The high-profile departures have sparked outrage on social media, with mounting concerns that major studios are only performing lip service after pledging to elevate more people of color to positions of influence. In the last month, six Black women executives in prominent leadership roles have abruptly left their positions in the studio system. Many oversaw DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) departments, putting them on the frontlines of larger effort to change corporate cultures and hiring practices. The exits include Karen Horne, who led DEI efforts at Warner Bros. Discovery and Jeanell English, executive VP of impact and inclusion at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. The other prominent executives are Netflix’s Vernā Myers, the streamer’s first head of inclusion; Disney’s LaTondra Newton, chief diversity officer and senior VP; and another Warner Bros. executive, Terra Potts, VP of worldwide marketing. On Monday, Joanna Abeyie, the BBC’s creative diversity director, joined their ranks. And even though the steady stream of departures is alarming, multiple industry sources tell Variety that more BIPOC executives are expected to join them in the coming weeks.

Jeanell English is leaving the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences less than a year after being named to the newly post of EVP Impact & Inclusion. She had been with the group since joining as VP Impact & Operations in 2020.

BreAnna Bell Karen Horne has exited her post as Senior V.P. of North America Diversity Equity and Inclusion for Warner Bros. Discovery as part of the company’s restructuring. A WBD memo from Chief Global DEI Officer Asif Sadiq to staffers, which Variety has obtained, revealed the news on Friday. Horne oversaw the DEI efforts for creative talent development pipeline programs, workforce, content and production while working closely with Sadiq to craft a global strategy for the company. She joined the company in March of 2020, and was responsible for creating and implementing multiple pipeline programs that aim to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities. Prior to her appointment, Horne was at NBC Entertainment and Universal Television Studios as Senior Vice President, Programming Talent Development and Inclusion where she was responsible for overseeing in-front-of and behind-the-camera primetime diversity efforts for NBC and Universal Television. While there, she started the Late-Night Writers Workshop in 2013.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Jeanell English, executive vice president of impact and inclusion, is exiting her role at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. English was promoted to the newly created role in July 2022 by Academy CEO Bill Kramer. In her role, she led the Academy’s initiatives to address underrepresentation across the industry and the talent development programs such as Academy Gold. Over the past year, she’s been a key figure in major initiatives and changes across the organization including developing the infrastructure for the Academy’s inclusion standards and enabling a path for community, advocacy, education and empowerment amongst its members and staff. She also designed and implemented the Academy’s first mid-career talent development program, the Academy Film Accelerator, which advocates for the careers of filmmakers from underrepresented communities.

Karen Horne, who led led Warner Bros. Discovery Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for North America, is leaving the company amid a raft of layoffs and major restructuring since the merger. Executive said Horne’s departure was not part of the broader staff retrenchment but a rethinking of the DEI division.

Warner Bros. Discovery is continuing its directors program after all.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to end its long-running writers and directors training program, which the conglom announced Tuesday as part of a series of layoffs and budget cuts at Warner Bros. TV Group, drew a strong rebuke from different parts of the industry, including a stinging statement on Wednesday by the Directors Guild of America. But what Warner Bros. Discovery hadn’t followed up to explain — and quickly revealed on Wednesday — is that its Writers Workshop and Directors Workshop will live on (albeit it, in a somewhat different form, details TBD) but now move from Warner Bros. Television and be housed inside the conglom’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit.

Warner Bros Discovery has revamped its group focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and announced its new executive team.

Angelique Jackson Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has announced its programming plans for this year’s journalism conferences for the Asian Americans Journalism Association (AAJA), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and the Association of LGBTQ Journalists (NLGJA).The company has set a series of panels, screenings and workshops via WBD brands including CNN, HBO, OWN, Turner Sports and Bleacher Report with the mission of “helping amplify unique voices, supporting creatives of color and advancing representation in media and news.”The first in-person programming is planned for the AAJA conference, which began July 24 in Los Angeles and runs through July 28, as CNN Worldwide returns for the 10th anniversary of its trademark reporter and producer journalism workshops.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorWarnerMedia Discovery Access has announced a new program seeking aspiring music supervisors from historically underrepresented communities.Titled the Warner Bros. Discovery Access Music Supervisor Program (naturally enough), it will provide access to training and experience within the world of TV and film music supervision.

EXCLUSIVE: WarnerMedia Access has announced a new Showrunner Program, naming Angela Harvey, Shannon Houston, Naomi Iizuka, Sabrina Jalees, Taofik Kolade, Kevin Lau, Jessica Meyer, Anna Oyuang Moench, Lisa Payton, Janine Salinas Schoenberg, Jameal Turner, Tessa Williams and Jaboukie Young-White as the writer-producers chosen for its inaugural cohort of 13.

Sasha Urban editorWarnerMedia Access Festivals, a film festival program designed to support emerging filmmakers, is expanding into the U.S. with its debut today at the Sundance Film Festival.The WarnerMedia talent development program offers a handful of filmmakers the chance to attend major festivals and thus benefit from the networking and professional development opportunities offering by rubbing elbows with industry insiders at high-level festivals.

The Bric Foundation, dedicated to increasing representation in the entertainment and gaming industries, today unveiled the lineup for its fourth annual Bric Summit, taking place virtually from February 11-12.