It's 2020, and the Oscars still aren't doing much to improve Hollywood's image as a predominately white and male industry.
After several years of nominees and winners so monochromatic the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite became fitting, this year's nominees are, once again, a variety of older white men.
GO DEEPER:
No women were selected for directing and only one person of color was among the 20 acting nominees. Among the acclaimed non-white actors who got snubbed:
Even Beyoncé was left out of the Oscars for the song "Spirit" from The Lion King. The sole non-white actor up for a trophy is Cynthia Erivo, who played the abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet.
As if anticipating the nominations, Latino industry leaders today announced they had formed a new effort in collaboration with the office of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti that aims to double Latino representation in Hollywood by 2030.
The pairing, called LA Collab, is working to connect talent with content producers and, full disclosure, LAist Studios, KPCC's podcast production vehicle, is also part of the effort.
Latinos represent about 49 percent of Angelenos and are considered one of the fastest-growing populations nationwide. They also happen to spend a lot of money at the movies, which makes them a crucial audience for studios.
So crucial that studios that want to stay alive need to be in business with them, said Beatriz Acevedo, co-founder of LA Collab and founder of the Latino media company Mitú.
"There's no company that will survive in the future without being in business with Latinos," Acevedo told KPCC's Take Two. "This is the demographic that is the youngest This is the demographic that is growing GDP. This is the demographic that is growing consumption rate."
