The Hollywood Commission, the organization chaired by Anita Hill that has the mission of addressing harassment and abuse in Hollywood, has expanded its reporting platform MyConnext to now be accessible to all film and TV workers industry-wide.
Last year, the Hollywood Commission launched its MyConnext platform, which is an independent reporting tool and online resource for entertainment workers to address harassment, discrimination, and bullying. The platform also gave access to the Ombuds Office, which acts like your own personal human resources department, a person who can provide free, independent, informal, unbiased, and confidential information about how someone can report and what their next steps are.
When the platform launched in 2024, it was only available via partner organizations, specifically DGA, IATSE, WGA West, Amazon MGM Studios, and Netflix. But it’s now accessible widely for people who work at any studio and whether or not they belong to a union or guild.
The Ombuds provides neutral guidance and human support, including information about the importance of record-keeping, explanations of how confidentiality and anonymity work, and what to expect from reporting processes. They also provide a safe space to talk about concerns or issues and can help resolve conflicts or bring issues to the attention of industry leaders.
“One year ago, we launched MyConnext with our participating organizations, and since then, their leadership and commitment to worker well-being have paved the way for this expansion,” said Malia Arrington, executive director, the Hollywood Commission. “In the year since launch, one of our most important discoveries has been what an invaluable resource the Ombuds has been, and what an opportunity it is to bring it to everyone. As the first-of-its-kind, industry-wide resource, the Ombuds is an industry-wide game changer.”
Lillian Rivera, the MyConnext Ombuds, said, “Serving as the MyConnext Ombuds has been an eye-opening and profound experience. Hearing workers’ stories firsthand — often when they are at their most vulnerable and sensitive — and having the opportunity to help them figure out their paths forward is making a real difference in these individual lives. I think they appreciate that I’m a real person — not a phone tree of mysterious options, not a chatbot or AI. I’m excited to be bringing our office to all workers across the industry.”
The Hollywood Commission launched in 2020 and started with a comprehensive survey of industry workers to assess what changes still needed to be made in a post-MeToo world, and the MyConnext platform was designed based on those responses. One of the features is the ability to “Hold for Match” anything you report such that the system lists a report as pending until another person submits a report about the same person.
While it’s not meant to replace reporting to your studio’s own HR, having a helpful guide and personal assistance about how to report and next steps in the process can be extremely valuable, especially for those working at small companies or on independent projects who don’t know where to turn.
Workers can access the MyConnext Ombuds at www.myconnext.org/ombuds-scheduling.
