By Tarice L.S. Gray

Filmmakers of color have traditionally struggled to have their stories embraced by Hollywood. Last month, at a Congressional hearing on the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal (PDF), Representatives Maxine Waters and Judy Chu, both of California, voiced concern over the dearth of minority content in television.

The hearing, held in South Los Angeles, near the heart of the television and film community, was one of several that various Congressional committees have held on the proposed blockbuster merger, which would combine the nation’s largest cable operator and a television giant that includes the NBC TV network, Universal Pictures movie studio and cable channels USA, Bravo and MSNBC.

Maxine Waters

It featured sharp comments, charges and rejoinders from several of those called to testify. It also included a warning from Rep. Maxine Waters to Comcast to obey the committee’s request for information on programming and workplace diversity issues. She added, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times , that “she was not interested in gestures of goodwill or hearing about how much Comcast and NBC Universal had given to the ‘NAACP, Al Sharpton and the Urban League.’”

Part of the reason for the hearing is the lack of programming featuring racial minorities on mainstream television and cable networks. Gone are sitcoms like Girlfriends (CW), which ran nine seasons and ended its run in 2008; The Game (CW) which ended last year after three seasons; and The George Lopez Show (ABC) which had a five year run ending in 2007. These shows were replaced by the short-lived Cavemen (ABC) in 2007, and Vampire Diaries (CW) in 2009, which featured white actors in the lead roles.

Up to now, the online protests by fans, and those involved in the shows, including George Lopez , nothing seems likely to change. So many filmmakers of color are changing by moving to the web to tell their stories.

BET launched a series, Shop Talk,  in February, starring actor Malik Yoba (Why Did I Get Married Too?). Award-winning actor/director Robert Townsend (The Five Heartbeats) produces the web-based original series Diary of a Single Mom.  Veteran director/actor Bill Duke (Hoodlum) is developing content for the internet while working in mainstream Hollywood. Duke said, “I think that webisodes are a very vital and important and immediate way of being involved in the entire [filmmaking] process.”

Actress Ruth Livier is a part of that process. She is producing the web series Ylse which she pronounces “ill say, think illegal and sexy.” It’s a comedic take on the world of talk show television in Spanglish. Before launching Ysle, Livier tried the traditional Hollywood road of getting her script produced. When she started, she was already on an award winning show, Resurrection Blvd., on the Showtime cable network.

“I wrote it as a half hour spec for TV.” she said. “I was doing Resurrection Boulevard and I had a couple of readings. It was great! I had Bruno Campos (Resurrection Blvd., Nip/Tuck) come in and he did a role. Then it just sat there.” Not wanting her script for Ylse to die an untimely death, she decided to research the web. Livier said, “I started to see people take a camera and do their new media projects and upload videos, and I said, well, this is a great opportunity for me, let me see if I can actually produce it.”

Shortly after she launched Ylse two years ago, the Mexico native heard from an online journalist in Texas who did a review. Now her web series has a small fan base and its success has earned her membership into the esteemed Hollywood union, Writers Guild of America/West.

Sonya Steele (ER, an African-American woman, was already a member of the WGA when she started writing her web series Celeste Bright.  Her writing career had stalled after working in Hollywood for nearly a decade. Steele and a gathering of friends talked about the decline in jobs for African Americans on screen and behind the scenes. Although the conversation preceded the House Judiciary hearing on minority opportunities in Hollywood this month, they already felt the impact of the statistics. According to testimony on June 7 from UCLA Sociology Professor Darnell Hunt, minorities comprised 33 percent of the U.S. population, but only 9 percent of Hollywood writers.

The lack of opportunity makes the internet all the more enticing as a content producing platform. An artist can initiate their own opportunity and control their own image. Steele said, “When you’re on a TV show, you’re servicing the vision of that show’s creator, or if you’re writing a script for a studio you’re getting notes from executives and your agent. But the web just afforded an opportunity for me to write and produce, the story I wanted to tell that was my pure unadulterated vision that shows who I am.”

The web series, Celeste Bright, was written by Steele, about an African-American woman who works in the world of high finance and plays with the big boys of Wall Street. She suffers the consequences of doing so without a moral compass. Steele says that Celeste Bright is a universal figure and the content she creates on the show is for everyone. She said, “When you get down to it, your goal is always to write in a way that reveals universal truths about the human condition. People just do it through different points of view, but ultimately you reveal, just whatever the truth is. I think that’s what resonates with people.”

The idea of creating a web series resonates with artists in need of place to share their work. But there are drawbacks. Duke explained that the internet is the future of distribution and presents a great opportunity for artists of color. But he adds,” The bad news is that no one has totally figured out yet how to monetize it.”

All the unions have structured guidelines to ensure their members are compensated for web-based work once production companies do figure it out. Tamara Krinsky, New Media Program Manager for the WGA/West, explained that they don’t want to make it difficult for companies to use guild talent. There should be a balance. “We on one hand protect the writers in the arena. On the other hand, we are open and flexible enough that we can find a way for everybody to continue working as the field develops.”

So far both Steele and Livier have sown more than they’ve reaped with their web series. Out-of-pocket expenses to produce 10 three-and-a-half minute webisodes of Celeste Bright were around $5,000, not including the favors from production staff members who temporarily waived their fees. For Ylse, Livier invested a little less than $1,000 per minute for the 6-minute webisodes. Both shows have companies that are interested in sponsorship, and Ylse even has Metro PCS as an advertiser. So the future of a lucrative web production could be imminent.

In the meantime, veterans like Duke believe it is important for artists of color to explore web alternatives as a way to express their art and make money. He explained, “If we think of ourselves in limited ways, it’s suicidal. We aren’t allowed the option of being just artists anymore. It’s called show business. The show is not what kills us. It’s the business that kills us.”

Tarice L.S. Gray is a freelance writer and blogger with GrayCurrent.com