Golden Globes Organizers Beg for Netflix Meeting After Streamer Cuts Ties

On Friday, Netflix cut ties with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group that puts together and hosts The Golden Globe Awards, citing in a letter that the group’s previously released plan for expanding and improving inclusion in their membership among other concerns were not enough to effect meaningful change. Now, the HFPA has replied with a letter of their own, pleading for a meeting with the streamer to discuss the measures Netflix says don’t go far enough to address the organization’s issues.

“We have always valued our relationship with Netflix as we seek to bring news about motion pictures and television to the world. We hear your concerns about the changes our association needs to make and want to assure you that we are working diligently on all of them,” HFPA president Ali Sar wrote in a letter addressed to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos (via The Wrap). ” We can assure you that our plan reflects input from our supporters and critics alike, and we truly believe that our plan will drive meaningful reform and inclusion within our Association and in a way that the entire industry can be proud of. We are proud that our plan was overwhelmingly approved by more than 90 percent of the membership–there is no question the membership is embracing this opportunity.

We would love to meet with you and your team so we can review the very specific actions that are already in the works. An open dialogue would help to ensure that we are addressing these concerns as quickly as possible.”

Earlier in the week, the HFPA released a statement that pledged to, in part, increase membership by 50 percent, hold new board elections, and hire professional executive leadership as well as revise membership eligibility critera and have a “specific focus on recruiting Black members”. These shifts came after an earlier report that the group, which only has 80+ members, has zero Black members and while Sarandos’ letter acknowledged the intention fo the HFPA’s pledge, he noted a “collective failure to address these crucial issues with urgency and rigor.”

“We know that you have many well-intentioned members who want real change – and that all of us have more work to do to create an equitable and inclusive industry, but Netflix and many of the talent and creators we work with cannot ignore the HFPA’s collective failure to address these crucial issues with urgency and rigor,” Sarandos wrote.

Netflix is the first studio to directly address the HFPA about their reform efforts, but they are not the only group to speak out. The group Time’s Up as well as several top public relations firms in Los Angeles have also spoken out.

“The window-dressing platitudes adopted yesterday are neither the transformation that was promised nor what our creative community deserves,” Time’s Up president Tina Tchen said (via Deadline). “Any organization or sponsors that set themselves up to pass judgment on our vibrant community of creators and talent must do better.”