The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has named its first Black woman president in the 72-year-history of the organization, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Stephanie Allain got her start as a 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures executive, supervising John Singleton’s Oscar-nominated film “Boyz N The Hood,” and earning producing credits on classic films like “Beyond the Lights,” “Dear White People,” and “Burning Sands.” Allain served as director of the LA Film Festival from 2011 to 2016 and has been a staunch advocate for diversity in the industry, creating the metrics used to track the percentage of films from women and people of color. Now she has been elected president of the PGA, Allain making history as the first Black woman president in the seven-decade-plus history of the organization.
She was elected alongside former Paramount Pictures President Donald De Line, a former Walt Disney executive whose credits include “Ready Player One,” and “I Love You, Man.” The two were elected at an annual membership meeting and will replace current presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher, who have served since 2018.
In her new role, Allain will lead the 8,000 PGA members, lobbying in favor of producers’ interests and championing greater diversity in the organization and better perks for producers. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted producers greatly, many seeing their incomes drastically drop and struggling to navigate streaming platforms that have moved away from back-end profit deals. Allain and De Line will help navigate the new frontier while also working with producers pushing to organize a labor union.
“We will continue to educate the industry on the role of the producer, support producers’ efforts for fair and commensurate compensation and benefits, welcome and encourage a more diverse membership, and endeavor to attain broader healthcare coverage while educating member on the current benefits and opportunities available to them,” Allain and De Line said via statement.
Congratulations Stephanie!
Photo Courtesy of Film Independent/Los Angeles Times