DEI Pioneer Karen Horne Wants You to Do It For the Money

This week on the 5AM StoryTalk Podcast, we’re joined by KAREN HORNE — DEI pioneer and former Senior VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion North America for Warner Bros. Discovery. Karen and I are going to dig into her life, how she became such a voice for representation and DEI in Hollywood, and the economics of diversity behind and in front of the camera. Let’s throw out the political hyperboles and outright lies and try to understand this issue — and what’s at stake — better together.A BONUS EPISODE with Karen is also available via Apple Podcasts or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at ⁠Substack⁠.Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-karen-horne-talks-the-cultural-economic-impact/id1807437928?i=1000724941764Substack: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/bonus-episode-karen-horne-talks-theIn it, we skip discussing a seminal piece of art not from Karen’s life (which is what I usually do with such bonus content), and instead take a look at the cultural and economic impact of three seminal pieces of diverse art in Hollywood’s history that she selected — ‘A Different World’, Barbie, and Sinners. Of course, we’ll touch on many more, from ‘The Cosby Show’ to ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ and Black Panther. How did/does centering non-cishet white characters and themes impact the success of these films and TV series?Subscribe to the ⁠⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠⁠: ⁠https://colehaddon.substack.com/⁠Get access to this podcast episode, the bonus episode, and hundreds of other arts and culture articles, essays, and educational resources.Tip JarNot up for a paid subscription but appreciate the work that’s gone into making this podcast happen? You can “buy me a coffee” ⁠here⁠: https://buymeacoffee.com/colehaddonLinks:You might find 5AM StoryTalk’s episode with producer Mike Jackson interesting; in it, he bluntly discusses his feelings about Hollywood’s attitudes toward diversity and representation following George Floyd’s murder and then again after Donald Trump’s reelection: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0X6bgskARdOvYaD3p3XYV4?si=f0a84c7b000c4f51Read the Writers Guild of America’s Inclusion & Equity Report 2025 here: https://origin.www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/the-guild/inclusion-and-equity/2025_wga_inclusion_report.pdfRead USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative’s study “Progress? What progress? Inclusion in Hollywood is limited and lacking” here: https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/progress-what-progress-inclusion-hollywood-limited-and-lackingRead USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative’s study “Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Box Office Performance: Do Films with Female and/or Underrepresented Protagonists Make as Much Money as Films with White Male Leads?” here: https://mcusercontent.com/62568938b3a09a6ef20bd8b14/files/77137e04-bc80-acc6-3460-6e323c3572aa/Film_Financial_Performance_Final.pdfSocial Media:Follow Cole at…⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/colehaddon.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/colehaddonwashere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.threads.com/@colehaddonwashere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/colehaddonwashere⁠⁠Email:[email protected] StoryTalk would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.This podcast's music is by ⁠⁠Cary Brothers⁠⁠.