Malal Yousafzai Launches Extracurricular Apple TV Programming Partnership

Women’s rights activist Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai is building on her longstanding relationship with Apple with an exciting, original programming partnership for Apple TV+. The alliance will produce dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation, and children’s series, — all born of Malala’s historic ability to inspire people of every age in every country in the world.

“I believe in the power of stories to bring families together, forge friendships, build movements, and inspire children to dream,” said Malala Yousafzai. “And I couldn’t ask for a better partner than Apple to help bring these stories to life. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support women, young people, writers, and artists in reflecting the world as they see it.”

Malala and her new production studio Extracurricular is an extension of Apple’s long-running relationship with the young women who was shot in the head by Taliban forces. Sitting in her Swat Valley school bus on Oct. 9, 2012, Malala remained unconscious and in critical condition at the Tawalpindi Institute of Cardiology. In a symbolic girls education nightmare watched by the entire world, Malala was then airlifted out of Pakistan to the UK to seek asylum.

The brilliant humanitarian and activist, inspired by her own education activist father Ziauddin, recovered at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham UK. In addition to offering world class medical resources, Birmingham has a large population — about 20% — of Muslims from all over the world.

When Malala founded Malala Fund to champion every girl’s right to 12 years of safe, free, quality education, Apple proudly became her first Laureate partner “supporting the organization’s work with local advocates and teachers in eight countries where girls face significant education challenges. Apple also assists with technology, curriculum, and research into policy changes to support girls’ education. The partnership has since expanded, and in Brazil, Apple’s 10 Developer Academies have partnered with Malala Fund to advance girls’ education opportunities there and around the world”, writes the Apple Newsroom. .

The voice of young women worldwide, Malala Yousafzai graduated virtually from Oxford University in Fall 2020. She wrote an essay published on Vanity Fair “Not the Ending I Imagined”: Malala on Her Virtual Oxford Graduation”.

Malala will join Apple’s burgeoning roster of creative visionaries, including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Idris Elba, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Octavia Spencer, Kumail Nanjiani, Alfonso Cuarón, and more.

100 PR Firms Demand At Once, Radical Change at HFPA Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Until reading just now the recent LA Times story about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — sponsor of the Golden Globes — AOC thought that the organization was prestigious. Reading now about the lackluster credentials of members, I can’t imagine that Hollywood publicists have let this group get so out of hand in its protectionist tactics and massive organizational ego.

Just one example from The Times: “While working as Hollywood correspondent for the leading French newspaper Le Monde in the 1990s, Claudine Mulard was rejected from the organization three times, with no reason given.”

Reeling under a class action lawsuit brought by highly credentialed journalists refused membership in the HFPA, Monday brought a massive headache to the organization.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that when publicists — the gatekeepers of "talent" — are upset with you, you are truly facing an existential crisis, activated by the reality that the organization has not one single Black member.

Now publicists are taking matters into teheir own hands. with representatives of more than 100 firms — “virtually every major one on both sides of the Atlantic “— signing on to an unprecedented missive hammered out in recent days. The opening paragraph reads:

As publicists we collectively represent the vast majority of artists in the entertainment industry. We call on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to swiftly manifest profound and lasting change to eradicate the longstanding exclusionary ethos and pervasive practice of discriminatory behavior, unprofessionalism, ethical impropriety and alleged financial corruption endemic to the HFPA, funded by Dick Clark Productions, MRC, NBCUniversal and Comcast.

After pointing out the lack of diversity in the organization, the missive from 100+ agencies — listed individually — continues:

To reflect how urgent and necessary we feel this work is, we cannot advocate for our clients to participate in HFPA events or interviews as we await your explicit plans and timeline for transformational change.

While we stand ready to support your good faith efforts, please know that anything less than transparent, meaningful change that respects and honors the diversity and dignity of our clients, their colleagues and our global audience will result in immediate and irreparable damage to the relationship between our agencies, our clients and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and those who sanction the institutional inquity and insular culture that currently define it.

The eyes of the industry and those who support it are watching.

We share the story from the perspectives of other media:

Golden Globes: NBCUniversal Says It's Using Its "Influence" to Pressure HFPA to Reform Hollywood Reporter

Walk It Like You Talk It: Hollywood Publicists Threaten to Pull Clients From All HFPA Press Until Plans to Diversify Are Shown The Root

HFPA Board Responds After Publicists Press Group Over Lack Of Black Members & Threaten To Urge Clients To Not Show For Golden Globes Deadline