TalkAboutTheTalk presents its message from The Brotherhood/Sister Sol in a powerful style, ultimately asking the question, “Do we want one America or two?” On the other hand, the video was produced by Saatchi & Saatchi in New York, a White advertising agency that exemplifies the two Americas created by an industry where exclusivity reigns and diversity is a dream deferred and denied. Granted, the Saatchi & Saatchi team included Sheldon Levy, a top-flight professional who deserves recognition and respect. Yet it’s difficult to separate the contradictions posed by these types of efforts.
If Saatchi had shown one iota of commitment to diversity in the past, or hell the present, this video might almost be touching and sincere. But their track record reveals it for what it is, and that’s the agency paying lip service to blacks while hoarding all the power for their tight circle of white friends.
ReplyDeleteInstead of finding a black director or writer and giving them the support to film this, Saatchi let the white creative director grab all the glory, and the directing credits, and the writing credits.
So at the end of the day all that’s happening is a white ECD gets a rare chance to play director and kickstart his own directing career, a white production company gets first dibs on the next Saatchi job since they did a favor for the white creative director, and end result is black talent is completely shut out at Saatchi, just like always.