HFPA Addresses Plans to Increase Diversity and Expand Membership

Board members for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group behind the Golden Globes, have vowed to make significant changes which will address the critical issues that have come to the forefront in recent months, Variety has learned. 

The HFPA plans on admitting 20 new members this year, with a goal of increasing membership by 50 percent over the next 18 months. The organization, which has just 87 members, hopes to include people from “underrepresented groups,” however, its primary focus is on recruiting Black members since the total currently sits at zero. 

The organization plans on setting a Sept. 1 deadline on its efforts to retain a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant, and develop a “comprehensive” DEI strategy, in addition to a chief human resources officer and chief DEI officer. 

The HFPA came under fire again in February when a Los Angeles Times report revealed over 30 members flew to France to visit the set of Emily in Paris where Paramount, as one member put it, “treated us like kings and queens,” covering the expenses for a two-night stay in a five-star hotel that cost $1,400 per night.

According to TheWrap, members will no longer be allowed to accept promotional items under these new guidelines, a change from the previous rule where they were forbidden from receiving gifts valued at over $125 from a single project. The HFPA plans on reviewing the structure of press travel, and “strengthen conflict of interest disclosures.”