What happens when the people closest to a story are asked to compromise its truth in order to get it made?
That question sat at the center of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, a powerful Geena Davis Institute event exploring authentic storytelling and representation through research, literature, and lived industry experience.
Hosted at 72andSunny’s Brooklyn office during Black History Month, the evening brought together authors, actors, producers, and creative leaders for a conversation about authorship, adaptation, and access. What made the event especially compelling was its structure: hard data on representation gave way to live readings from landmark literature, followed by an unfiltered conversation about who gets to tell stories—and who still has to fight to be heard.
The evening opened with a clear message: representation is not a symbolic issue—it is an economic, cultural, and creative one.
Laura Schulson and Alec Brugeman of 72andSunny welcomed attendees and connected the event to the agency’s broader Black History Month programming focused on expanding the creative pipeline. Marielle Holden, lead of the GDI New York Council, reinforced the growing urgency of this work, noting the Council’s rapid growth and the increasing demand for spaces where research and advocacy can influence industry decision-making.
Then the conversation widened.
Madeline Di Nonno grounded the evening in data from GDI’s benchmark research, framing the persistent gap between audience reality and on-screen representation. Her remarks on intersectionality emphasized a truth entertainment often overlooks: underrepresentation compounds. Race, gender, disability, sexuality, and class do not operate in isolation—they shape one another.
The statistics sharpened the stakes. Audiences are diverse. Revenue data increasingly rewards inclusion. Yet lead roles and creative authority remain deeply unequal.
That tension carried directly into the evening’s emotional center.
Authors Virginia Deberry and Donna Grant reflected on the 22-year legacy of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, a novel that remains culturally resonant because of its emotional honesty and nuanced portrayal of Black womanhood.
Their story about Hollywood was revealing.
At one point, a major studio reportedly suggested casting white actresses to portray their Black protagonists. The suggestion wasn’t merely offensive—it exposed a long-standing industry impulse to strip culturally specific stories of the very perspectives that make them meaningful.
They refused.
That refusal became one of the night’s clearest lessons: protecting story integrity often requires saying no to power.
Live readings brought those themes into sharper focus. Performed by professional actors including Harry Lennix, excerpts from the authors’ work filled the room with emotional weight—desire, regret, vulnerability, ambition. The readings reminded the audience that representation is not just about visibility; it is about emotional specificity.
Later, the panel discussion moved from art to infrastructure.
Harry Lennix spoke about his nonlinear path—from seminary student to teacher to actor, producer, and director—offering a grounded perspective on creative persistence. His central message was practical: technology has lowered barriers to production, and emerging creators have fewer excuses to wait for permission.
Yolanda Brinkley pushed the conversation further.
Drawing from her work with Diversity in Cannes, she challenged the gap between corporate rhetoric and actual greenlighting power. Visibility in programs and initiatives matters, but access without decision-making authority remains limited. Her critique landed because it named a familiar frustration: inclusion often stops at the door of real influence.
Dr. Tyra Lindsey-Warren brought the discussion back to opportunity and adaptation, sharing that Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made is in active development conversations for screen adaptation.
The possibility of adaptation raised the evening’s central question once again:
Can Hollywood evolve enough to tell these stories without flattening them?
By the close, the tone had shifted from reflection to challenge.
The final call wasn’t simply about representation on screen. It was about solidarity off screen—about collaboration, economic partnership, and creative power-building among women and underrepresented creators.
Not just being seen.
Being positioned to decide.
As CEO of GDI, Di Nonno anchored the event in research and industry accountability. Her framing of intersectionality helped connect representation data to real-world structural inequities.
As a leader at 72andSunny, Schulson helped contextualize the event within broader efforts to expand the creative class. Her presence reinforced the importance of agency-side influence in cultural storytelling.
Brugeman helped frame the event as part of an ongoing collaboration between GDI and 72andSunny, underscoring the value of industry partnership in advancing representation.
As GDI New York Council Lead, Holden highlighted growing community engagement and the increasing demand for local, industry-facing advocacy.
Founder of LIi Communications, Lindsey-Warren connected literary legacy to screen adaptation. Her perspective emphasized strategic authorship and long-term stewardship of Black stories.
New York Times bestselling author and co-creator of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made. She brought firsthand insight into the creative and ethical cost of protecting authentic narratives.
Grant spoke to the persistence required to preserve story integrity in an industry that often pressures creators toward compromise.
Lennix brought a creative practitioner’s perspective, emphasizing discipline, adaptability, and self-initiated storytelling in today’s production landscape.
Founder of Diversity in Cannes, Brinkley delivered one of the evening’s sharpest critiques: representation without greenlight power is not enough.
As host partner, 72andSunny provided both physical space and strategic alignment. Their continued collaboration with GDI reflects a shared commitment to expanding creative access and representation.
Through Dr. Tyra Lindsey-Warren’s leadership, LIi Communications helped bridge literary storytelling and industry adaptation.
Entertainment doesn’t only shape what people watch—it shapes what people expect.
When authentic stories about women and girls of color are diluted, erased, or reinterpreted through narrow industry assumptions, the loss is cultural as much as commercial.
That’s why GDI’s work remains essential.
Research gives the industry measurable truth. Events like this give that truth voice, urgency, and human consequence.
Ignoring this work means accepting an entertainment ecosystem where audience diversity grows while storytelling power remains concentrated.
The cost is not abstract.
It affects whose humanity gets centered—and whose remains negotiable.
GDI membership offers more than access to events.
It provides entry into conversations with the people shaping culture—executives, creators, researchers, and advocates working at the intersection of storytelling and impact.
These conversations are intentionally curated and not widely accessible. Membership connects you to exclusive research, meaningful industry dialogue, and a community committed to shifting how stories are told.
Become a member to access the insights driving the future of entertainment.
