Women In Reality Film Initiative
(WIRF)
What Is WIRF
WIRF aims to change the negative and toxic narratives about minority women through the creation of a national infrastructure that provides female content creators with platforms & resources to create, own and distribute content that not only entertains, but also uplifts, educates, informs and inspires. Research has shown that the inclusion of women in media is essential to address racial & gender biases and inequities in employment, salaries and influence. Using a holistic model, WIRF, will serve as a content development incubator that will empower current & future content creators by arming them with the tools & resources needed to demand equity, equality and socioeconomic freedom. Programs will provide innovative, high quality “edutainment”, that is entertaining, informative and shows realistic aspects of life & culture, including mental, physical, spiritual & financial health. WIRF Media will also create platforms for politics, news and information that impacts women’s families and communities.
Why WIRF Is Important
Research shows that media & entertainment has the power to promote negativity and false narratives of women, particularly women of color or it can uplift, inspire, and empower. The WIRF Initiative is a collaborative project that is choosing to do the latter. Based on the Cultivation Theory that hypothesizes that the more an individual watches television, the more likely they are to cultivate attitudes and behaviors that reflect the program being consumed. This research is particularly startling when we consider that African Americans collectively watch twice as much television as any other ethnic group and 70% more likely to watch Reality TV.
Empowering Women
The WIRF Initiative will take active steps to demand more counterbalanced programming and provide more female creators with access to capital and needed resources to better represent the narratives of minority women through media. WIRF will build a national coalition to advocate for increased wages, paid leave, caregiving/childcare support and increased representation of women in media & entertainment.
Our key focus areas include Access, Content Creation & Dissemination, & Education & Engagement
01.
Resource Building & Financial Support
WIRF Media will create new, culturally tailored access points for minority females in media & entertainment. Efforts will support the increase in women roles and ownership to address gaps in salary and improve organizational culture towards the need for more women-centric resources like paid leave and childcare.
03.
Education & Engagement
WIRF Media will address inequities experienced by minority women in media by increasing opportunities for target audiences to receive information and resources about the business aspects of media, entrepreneurship, financial education and women’s advocacy. Activities include working with schools and universities to create a new pipeline of minority women in media & entertainment.
02.
Content Creation & Dissemination
WIRF Media will serve as an incubator for content creation developed by and for women that equitably and realistically represents minorities and other marginalized voices in media. Approaches will integrate buy-in and feedback from targeted audiences that will be balanced to meet the needs of both women, advertisers, industry leaders & consumers. WIRF will also increase access and use of technology & digital platforms to maximize reach and dissemination.
The From The Bottom Up Foundation, Inc. in association with AIB TV is proud to welcome women, partners, and collaborators to WIRF Media; an initiative created to help empower Black female content creators, writers, directors, producers, entertainment execs and talent, in front of the camera and behind the scenes! WIRF Media is designed to redress the inequities women of color face in the media daily.
Our mission is to provide women content creators with platforms and resources to create, own and distribute content that not only entertains, but also uplifts, educates, informs and inspires.