The HFPA’s progress towards reform is continuing, as this week we have put more key pieces in place that will help lead the transformational changes that we promised less than a month ago. We said on May 6^th that we would move swiftly to show our commitment to reform and that we would regularly update the industry on our progress.

These announcements cover three key tenets of our reform plan – accountability, ethics and transparency, and inclusion. There is still more work to be done. As we continue to move forward with our timeline, we are confident that these changes will create a diverse, respectful, and transparent environment not only for new and old members of the HFPA, but for our partners in the industry who interact with the Association.

On Monday, HFPA hired two outside law firms to independently investigate any reports that are made to the previously announced hotline that will allow anyone to report an incident, complaint, or allegation, including on an anonymous basis. 

Those two firms are Kendall Brill & Kelly and Ramsey & Ehrlich.  The team from Los Angeles-based Kendall Brill & Kelly, led by former, long-time federal prosecutor Robert Dugdale, has deep experience in the entertainment industry, and specializes in investigating workplace misconduct, fraud, waste and corruption.  The team from Berkeley-based Ramsey & Ehrlich is led by former federal prosecutor Ismail Ramsey and has substantial experience investigating whistleblower complaints and allegations of racial discrimination and organizational misconduct. 

Last week, HFPA hired Convercent, a company that manages the world’s most complex and advanced global ethics programs, which has begun work to have the new hotline established around June 1^st.