Because most people spent more time in 2020 cooped up inside than ever before, film and TV offerings transcended the realm of entertainment to become something more substantial. They served as a crucial, sanity-preserving balm, and a point of connection with others similarly stuck at home. With people consuming so much TV and film, it might sound easy for a studio or a streaming service to win audiences over. Considering just how much content was competing for eyeballs in lockdown, however, it took innovation and foresight to truly stand out.
1. Netflix
For making Black audiences central to its programming strategy
Well before the protests and corporate reckonings in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, Netflix had made a priority of serving viewers a wide variety of Black perspectives that extended well beyond the usual “trauma porn,” the derisive but accurate name for slave narratives and other tragic Black stories. In 2020, however, the streamer ramped up its effort. Over the course of year, Netflix released Uncorked, an aggressively “normal” story of a Black family in the wine business; a miniseries about the legendary entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker; the unconventional superhero film Project Power; the instantly beloved family Christmas movie Jingle Jangle; Chadwick Boseman’s final film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; and the first project from its deal with Shonda Rhimes, a documentary about choreographer, actor, and director Debbie Allen. In addition, Netflix acquired the rights to and began streaming a number of well-liked Black-led shows from the 1990s, including Moesha, Living Single, and Girlfriends. All of this is publicized via Strong Black Lead, Netflix’s name for its social media channel that promote content showcasing aspects of the Black experience. In a year filled with gravely important social issues, Netflix made its inclusive content feel more like a celebration than the checking of of a diversity box.
2. Impact
For exploding the typical Hollywood development system to surface fresh voices
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