MIPCOM to Host Inaugural Diversity Summit

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PARIS: MIPCOM is launching its first-ever Diversity Summit, which includes a series of talks and panels to explore issues of diversity in entertainment, both on-screen and in the boardroom.

The event will be held in partnership with A+E Networks as the premium sponsor, and additional sponsors include Afrostream and Sonar. The inaugural Diversity Summit will be held on Tuesday, October 18, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Carlton Hotel, with around 100 leading international content creators and talent expected.

The board of Diversify TV, a group that champions and promotes diversity in all its forms across the international television industry, is working with Reed MIDEM on the programming of this event. The board includes David Cornwall, the managing director of Scorpion TV; Nick Smith, the senior VP of format production at all3media International; Bunmi Akintonwa, the CEO of distribution and production company Little Black Book; and Liliane Da Cruz of Reed MIDEM. The full lineup of speakers will be announced shortly.

Cornwall said: “Audiences have more choice than ever before. When people don’t see themselves represented on TV, they turn elsewhere. The commercial imperative for diverse content has never been stronger.”

Laurine Garaude, the director of the television division at Reed MIDEM, added: “The first edition of this Diversity Summit is a key step for the industry, and MIPCOM can build on its position as the largest international business platform for the television industry to drive this agenda forward. The content industry should reflect the reality of our societies, and provide opportunities for each individual, for every talent to find his or her place.”