CBS Launches ‘Eye Speak’ To Help Advance Careers Of Women

By Cynthia Littleton, Variety
Published Feb. 21, 2018, 3:06 p.m. ET

CBS has unveiled a corporate initiative dubbed Eye Speak designed to advance the careers of female CBS employees and open doors for talent across the industry.

Eye Speak is spearheaded by Jo Ann Ross, president and chief advertising revenue officer for CBS Corp. The initiative will include events hosted throughout the year to offering networking and “fireside chat” opportunities with prominent women with CBS Corp. The plan is to build themed events and educational programs around CBS shows and CBS stars.

“I am extremely proud to be associated with ‘Eye Speak’ because it addresses my passion to help women at CBS learn, grow and flourish,” said Ross. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to continue building on the positive impact that the CBS Women’s Networking Group and other women’s initiatives have already had on so many.”

Eye Speak will formally launch on March 14 with a panel event at Los Angeles’ Pacific Design Center presented in conjunction with the Association of National Advertisers’ #SeeHer campaign. That effort is a bid by top advertisers to pressure networks to encouraged more nuanced portrayal of women and women’s issues across media by 2020. Participants in the kickoff event will include NCIS star Maria Bello, Star Trek: Discovery’s Sonequa Martin-Green, Madam Secretary’s Sara Ramirez, Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez, and producers Lori McCreary (Madam Secretary), Aline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), and Jennie Snyder Urman (Jane the Virgin).

“Eye Speak is another initiative showcasing that CBS understands the role media plays influencing how women and girls see themselves, and another bold step to reduce unconscious bias,” said Stephen Quinn, chair of the ANA’s #SeeHer initiative. “Together we are working hard to attain our goal of improving representation of girls and women in media 20% by 2020, the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote.”

In keeping with the Eye Speak mission, CBS will also host a Season 2 premiere screening of CBS All Access’ The Good Fight in New York on Monday at the Wing, a workspace facility designed to aid female entrepreneurs. Good Fight stars Christine Baranski, Rose Leslie, and Audra McDonald will be on hand for the screening along with executive producers Michelle King and Brooke Kennedy.

(Pictured: Jo Ann Ross)