The Evolution of M@L

I built the first half of my career working in corporate marketing, communications, philanthropy and foundation giving. There are wonderful people who work in those sectors who truly want to make a real difference in empowering women, uplifting LGBTQIA+, low income and communities of color, while also providing for themselves and their families. Many use their salaries and connections to give back, manage what’s within their power to level the playing field of gender and racial equality, and model respectful behaviors in the workplace.

For years, I was one of those people trying to change things from the inside. I saw firsthand that these institutions that we were upholding, because of their influence over communities, powerful relationships, and resources, could be effective-ish. After all, this is how you were expected to make a living— especially in a major city— and if you wanted to be a filmmaker or communications professional, even though you knew the practices and those in power were deeply flawed.

In truth, working in those sectors, my colleagues and I have experienced gender and racial-based oppression for years. And though I fought against it and tried to be the advocate in the room, I was very much a product of the system. Furthermore, even though my personal goal was to spotlight diversity, I was part of communications teams that deployed marketing campaigns for corporations that exemplified performative allyship.

90% of my executive leadership teams and key decision makers were white males. Elevating your male counterparts or superiors, playing to egos, and indulging innuendo kept you in good standing. Inappropriate comments and treatment of women, LGBTQIA+ and non-white employees were often made in my presence. Diverse representation in hiring, promotions, products, or imagery was not a priority. A preferred vendor was often a white male-owned business.

Censoring or finessing progressive content to appeal to conservative male opinions, ideals, and wallets was strategy. Celebrating the spirit and humanity of Pride and Diversity history months was a customer facing PR play, not a core value. Inclusion meant one representative from each race, culture, gender, and sexual orientation in the employee population was sufficiently checking a box.

Being offered a lower salary or unequal pathways for career growth in comparison to our male or white counterparts— or not being fairly compensated for our work— or worse, profiting from low-wage workers was the norm. Premium benefits and healthcare packages were not offered to all employees. Mental and physical wellbeing programs were often a hollow recruiting tactic, not a true investment.

Sexual harassment was prevalent and abusers were protected. Sexual favors to advance my career were requested, and though I said no and reported it, I was fired for not complying to trade my body for a promotion. My silence was given a paltry price tag and a legal gag order, invalidating my self-worth and changing the trajectory of my career. Despite losing my job, and deviating from my path of working in network television or for a major studio, I am aware that as a white woman, to even make the choice to say no and have opportunities to change course, is a privilege.

This construct of “business as usual” must be dismantled.

We must recognize and address the capitalist society we were born into, the cycle of oppression, and systemic sexism and racism that has been so detrimental, discriminatory, and predatory to women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color, chiefly the Black community. It is within this system that myself, and countless others in our own small ways, have remained silent to survive.

Now more than ever, we are trying to carve out careers where we do not compromise our core beliefs. Leverage our skills and platforms for knowledge sharing and to demand calls for action and establish new or deepen relationships with community leaders. To sustain the fight for equality and eradicate racial oppression long after a global pandemic and changes in leadership. To not allow this to just be a moment, but rather a transformative movement.

We must educate ourselves, listen, and be willing to do the work. We must be self-aware, apologize, not invalidate someone’s experiences, and be comfortable with being corrected. We must no longer give a pass to those whose language or behavior has crossed the line. We must be vocal, consistent change agents to ensure all genders, races, ethnicities, sexualities/sexual orientations, and those with disabilities are free to take part in a flourishing, equitable, and safe working environment.

How can we evolve into a just society when so many are oppressed? White men and women must acknowledge that we have benefited from our privilege, be actively pro-feminist, anti-racist, and an ally to those marginalized individuals and communities whose voices must take center stage. We must pull up a seat for the next woman, or give up our seat at the table to underrepresented groups. We must dismantle the systems that our silence has cosigned for far too long. It is when we rise together, each doing our part, that we can enact real change.

In 2015 when I started my small business, M@L Productions, our mission was and continues to be, in front and behind the camera, to empower women, the LGBTQIA+, and communities of color by featuring underrepresented voices to inspire positive societal change through media and entertainment. To foster diverse teams and champion stories of those often marginalized in society. Our commitment to that has never wavered.

However, I still believed I needed to work within institutions that I perceived were more powerful than me to gain access, validate my work and keep me at a particular income level. And in doing so, though I am deeply proud of the community stories we’ve told and the relationships built, I do think so much of it was rooted in service to the corporate patriarchal system.

While building the production company, I’ve returned to a number of non-profit, service industry, and eventually corporate roles to support myself and its growth. But being the liberal Robin Hood of right-wing corporations no longer felt like a role I could play.

I was deeply impressed with my friend Liz Jansen, Executive Director of Women Unite! (WU!), who, with her college friends, created the women-led non-profit, while living their values through their work. In response to the 2016 election, how severely things were escalating, and how our fundamental human rights were being attacked, they organized a 501c3 to combat this misogynistic, racist, homophobic presidency that was having a profound effect on the progress we had made to date.

From inception, I witnessed how the organization matured through fundraising, fighting for equal rights and social justice issues, and was intrigued by the key problem WU! was addressing: that the funding landscape is inherently unequal. Being a part of the system, I knew this was true. But it’s difficult to confront yourself, how you’ve contributed to the system, and how you’ve made your living juxtaposed with what you fundamentally believe.

I was inspired by WU!’s work with true grassroots organizers that advance community-led solutions by taking an intersectional approach to change, so I wanted to explore these themes in our next film. That— together with smaller dollar amounts, natural movement-building, and consistent community activism— we have the power to move the needle from the outside.

This film— made entirely in quarantine from pre-to-post production, very low budget, free from corporate bias and patriarchal oversight— is a love letter to the women and girls who transform our communities, and a core M@L belief that when women support women, anything is possible. Our intention was to point the lens to feature the world as is it should be, and honor some of those individuals and organizations who are making revolution a part of our evolution.

Whether it be this documentary short, or future feature length documentaries, narratives or television/web series of any genre, M@L Productions is committed to a balanced cast, crew, and diverse storytelling. Additionally, we are grateful to our male allies who stand with us in the fight for equality, my husband being one of them, who stepped in as co-editor and a constant sounding board of support.

It is important to note, that this film was made during the height of protesting for Justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the countless Black men, women, and children who have died at the hands of police brutality. M@L stands in solitary with Black Lives Matter, and believes that you cannot fight for women’s equality (women-identifying, trans, femme, and gender non-conforming) if that does not include fighting for Black liberation and the abolition of racial prejudice and injustice.

We hope you will watch Women Unite! Amplify. Advocate. Disrupt. and consider using your voice, spending power, and sphere of influence to invest in communities that are long overdue to thrive. We hope that you will support the small businesses, smaller non-profits, and frankly, the powerful women-, BIPOC-, and LGBTQIA+-led grassroots organizations and movements that are really making the difference, and need our authentic allyship to make this a more just and equitable world.

Before you patronize corporations or brands, download media, or give to larger non-profit organizations, be both an educated consumer and philanthropist. Think about what— and who— they fund, their access to wealth revenue streams, the diversity of their leadership teams, how they treat their employees, and if your dollars are actually making an impact for true progressive change. When you can shop small, women-owned, LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC-owned businesses, please do so.

Supporting small businesses and independent brands can be as simple as replacing everyday products you use with a lesser-known brand with an equal or higher quality. Raising demand for these products and services will make larger retailers shift their buying and hiring. These small changes benefit those who don’t have access to the same traditional loans and marketing strategies to sustain their companies that, in turn, invest and uplift their communities and our collective economy.

Consider how your volunteer hours or the money you’re donating could really advance a smaller organization. Organizations that are committed to boots-on-the-ground work, and are the lifeblood to a marginalized community providing vital resources that benefit a group of individuals who have not had the privileges you’ve been afforded. Share these ideas, products and organizations with your families and friends. It’s these small acts of advocacy and generosity that are within your power to make the strongest ripple effect.

Drop a line and share with us any artists, thought-leaders, media, organizations, small businesses, or groups you feel we should feature, shop or support! This is a lifelong journey and we are here to listen, learn and grow. There is much anti-racist and feminist work to be done. Stay vigilant in the fight for liberation and equality. 

Music by Rita J

M@L Graphics by Greg Sorkin