The Weinstein name is tarnished. One of the consequences following the depressingly lengthily list of sexual abuse and harassment allegations faced by Harvey Weinstein has been his subsequent removal from Weinstein Co. And quite rightly so. After being fired as an employee Harvey also resigned from the boardof the movie company he helped to found.
In the weeks following, repercussions against the Weinstein Co snowballed steadily. Many of the company’s remaining board members resigned and there seems to be a general consensus among Hollywood professionals that since the allegations materialised, there is little intention to work with the now smeared company on any upcoming films. Following Gal Gadot’s brilliantly poignant refusal to sign up for the Wonder Woman sequel unless producer Brett Ratner, who has long been accused by actresses of sexual misconduct, was no longer associated with the film, it’s refreshingly difficult to imagine the post-Weinstein world of film continuing relationships with such individuals and the studios they run.
So, in short, Weinstein Co. is hanging by a thread. Now on the brink of bankruptcy, there have been talks of who, if anyone, will buy out the studio and attempt to take it forward. It’s recently come to light, however, that one woman has since put in a bid to buy Weinstein Co and she’s got the most brilliantly perfect idea for what to do with it if she wins.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet, a former Obama administration official who ran the U.S. Small Business Administration between 2014 and 2017, sent a letter to the Weinstein company’s board of directors proposing to buy the company and to install a female-led board of directions of which she would become chairwoman. If that’s not the best and probably only way to legitimately implement progress in the film industry while at the same time sticking a middle finger to the ethos that the Weinstein Co. once stood for, I don’t know what is.
In the letter seen by the Wall Street JournalWall Street Journal, Contreras-Sweet wrote: ‘I believe we have now reached a crossroads where it is imperative that a woman-led board acquire control of the company and create content that continues to inspire audiences around the world, especially our young girls and boys’.
One of the conditions of Conteras-Sweet’s bid is apparently that the company would have to put both a mediation process and litigation fund in place to compensate Weinstein’s alleged victims. She also said that ‘reorganising the Company as a woman-led venture will be an inspiration to the industry and a new model for how an entertainment company can be both financially successful and treat all its employees with dignity and respect.’
If Maria Conteras-Sweet wins the bid for Weinstein Co, she intends to change the name of the company of course. And while the board are yet to publically comment on the proposal, Gloria Allred, an attorney who represents some of the Weinstein accusers has said that she supports the Conteras-Sweet bid and said in a statement that: 'Saving the company will benefit employees, shareholders, vendors and if her proposal is accepted, it will be very important to victims'.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.