Hulu said that ain’t my business! The streaming service refuses ads on abortion and gun safety
Credit: Eva-Katalin/Getty
By Keisha Larry-David // Politics // EEW Magazine Online
If that ain’t my business was a person.
The Disney-owned streaming service, Hulu, has Democratic campaign groups fuming because it refuses to run ads on abortion and gun safety—both critical, albeit polarizing, midterm election issues.
According to a Democratic Party official, Hulu failed to run advertisements submitted last week and did not say why – an issue first reported by The Washington Post.
In a joint statement, the executive directors of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) said Hulu’s “censorship of truth is outrageous, offensive, and another step down a dangerous path for our country.”
“Voters have the right to know the facts about MAGA Republicans’ agenda on issues like abortion – and Hulu is doing a huge disservice to the American people by blocking voters from learning the truth about the GOP record or denying these issues from even being discussed,” they said.
“Even though Democrats think they’re Jesus with an infallible perspective—I am the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6)— when it comes to politics, truth is subjective. And I say this as a lifelong Democrat,” said political pundit and EEW Magazine reader, Kalyan Chandra.
“In fact, what is true is defined by which party one most closely aligns with. Those in favor of protecting gun rights and the unborn will simply not be voting liberal in the midterm elections or any other elections for that matter,” added Chandra, who is based in Washington, DC.
At present, it appears that Hulu is keeping out of the political fray. After all, both non-MAGA and MAGA voters watch Hulu.
The DSCC, DCCC and DGA on July 15 submitted ads about the GOP’s record on abortion and gun safety laws to three Disney-owned platforms: Hulu, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, and their sports channel ESPN. The ads were also submitted to Facebook, YouTube, Roku and NBCUniversal, according to the national Democratic Party official.
A few days later, the ads went live across Facebook, YouTube, Roku, NBC, and broadcast and cable TV, but all was silent on Hulu without confirmation of acceptance or rejection.
Just nothing.
When requesting further insight, the Democrats’ vendors were told, the decision not to run the ads was “content related,” according to the party official.
The committees say their calls and emails from a lawyer for the committees to Hulu have gone unanswered. On Thursday, Hulu sent a message confirming that the ads had been accepted, but then a follow-up message was sent saying the confirmation had been sent in error, according to the national Democratic Party official.
A spokesperson for Hulu did not respond to a request for comment.
A person familiar with Hulu’s policy who spoke to the post anonymously said the company does not publicly disclose its advertising guidelines but does prohibit advertising that takes a position on a controversial issue—political or otherwise.
“In other words, the spokesperson said, ‘Hulu ain’t got that to do, child. We ain’t trying to be out here struggling like Netflix,’” joked Chandra, alluding to Netflix’s issues with subscriber retention.
The person speaking on behalf of Hulu explained, ads are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Interpretation: This is a business decision, and Hulu continues to mind the nonpolitical business that pays them. So, enjoy the programming, folks.
But, you’re going to have to get your political ad fix—if you’re looking for that kind of thing—somewhere else.
This Oct. 2021 image provided by Rideback Rise shows comedian Hasan Minhaj, left, giving a master class, in Los Angeles, that showcased the type of programming Rideback Rise will provide to its fellows and others. (Jenna Kim/Rideback Rise via AP)
Hollywood film producer Dan Lin — known for movies such as Disney’s live action “Aladdin” and “The Two Popes” — is launching a nonprofit with more than $1 million from the Ford and MacArthur foundations as well as several other philanthropies. His goal is to help more people of color create and produce film, television, digital, and audio projects.
“There’s no shortage of talented, diverse creators, artists, and entrepreneurs,” said Lin, founder and CEO of the film and television company Rideback. “The only scarcity is opportunity, the funding and the risk-taking that’s always existed at the center of this Hollywood content machine. We’re really determined to break through these restricted access points, enlarge the funnel, and activate more creatives of color.”
Just three in 10 film directors are Black, Latino, Asian-American, multiracial, or Native American. And only a third of film writers are people of color, according to a recent study by the University of California at Los Angeles.
Rideback Rise, the company’s nonprofit arm, which hopes to raise $2 million in total this year, will oversee a fellowship program for writers, directors, podcast creators, and other artists of color selected each year who want to launch a project.
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Each fellow will receive a $50,000 stipend plus access to a fund that will allow creators to obtain material to adapt for their projects, such as books that could become screenplays and support to market their projects to potential buyers. Lin says it’s important to help creators use content from existing materials because some financial backers of film and other projects believe that content by diverse artists and for diverse audiences might not generate significant profits.
While developing their projects, fellows will receive coaching and mentoring from filmmakers and other professionals in the entertainment industry through Rideback, while also collaborating with other fellows. Fellows can then bring their projects to either Rideback or another production company with the nonprofit’s support.
Once projects are completed and become commercially viable, Rise will receive royalties ranging from 2% to 10% on each project, depending on its budget and format. Lin hopes that, over time, those fees will eventually help make Rideback Rise a self-sustaining organization.
