The Hollywood Reporter held its third annual Raising Our Voices luncheon, celebrating some of the industry's most powerful advocates for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. THR co-editor-in-chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody presented STARZ with the Trailblazer Award for its #TakeTheLead initiative — the network's commitment to amplify narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences with authentic storytelling on and off the screen — and brought STARZ president of original programming Kathryn Busby to the stage.
00:00good afternoon everyone I am honored to represent this year's trailblazer award the
00:13stars is take the lead initiative in recent years the entertainment industry
00:18has made strides towards more diverse programming but stars has made being a
00:22champion of inclusivity a part of its mission to provide compelling programming
00:29from groundbreaking series like outlander power e-valley and its most newest in its
00:36newest series three women yes you cheer for that stars has worked diligently to bridge the
00:44representation gap from internal initiatives to collaborative partnerships stars's efforts are
00:51having a direct impact on the company and are contributing to a broader industry-wide push
00:57towards more representation it was take the lead commitment stars amplifies narratives by about
01:04and for women and under underrepresented audiences with authentic storytelling and representations on
01:13and off the screen is so important stars his commitment to bold unapologetic stories and
01:20characters is inspiring others across the industry now I am thrilled to present this year's raising
01:27our voices trailblazer award that stars is take the lead and welcome stars is president of original
01:34programming katherine busby to the stage to accept this award
01:41wow good afternoon to everybody and thank you so much it is a great honor to be here with you
02:04and accept this trailblazing trailblazer award on behalf of everyone at stars thank you to the hollywood reporter for recognizing our ongoing take the lead commitment to illuminate narratives and characters that have been traditionally overlooked in hollywood
02:24this award is also a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our partners and a creative community of showrunners writers actors and countless others who have contributed to making our stories richer and more inclusive representation matters deeply to us at stars take the lead is not just a slogan it is our mission it is our north
02:54star as president of star as president of original programming i know i'm in a privileged position every day i get to help showcase talented and diverse creators new voices who deepen our appreciation of what it means to be alive in 2024
03:12our commitment to diversity is not just in front of the camera it's also behind the camera it's in the writers room and in all areas of development honestly it's what makes working at stars be so thrilling
03:26stars is proud to champion the voices that have too often been sidelined as we continue in this movement we will not slow down and we will not go back
03:40all of us must work to ensure representation remains at the forefront that our stories continue to get their long deserved time in the spotlight the trailblazer award recognizes a simple idea that our industry can reflect embrace
04:08embrace and celebrate the full spectrum of the human experience i am delighted to be a part of that change thank you again for bestowing stars with this incredible honor thank you
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