Pirates Bay CA (PBC) “Well, we didn’t really discover black people. I mean, not black, black, more like folks who are brownish or mahogany in color. We always knew they were around. We just didn’t use them in our signature Hallmark movies other than as extras or the help,” said Mike Perry, CEO and Chairman of Hallmark, Inc. “Now, we’re going to start using them in key roles. Someday, we may even feature them in leading roles. We’re starting slow but we’re getting started. We’re changing with the times. As they say, everything’s up to date in Kansas City.” Kansas City is the headquarters of Hallmark where you can see their new, diverse leadership in action.
Donald J. Hall, Jr. (pictured at right) serves as executive chairman and his brother, David E. Hall, serves as executive vice chairman, on the board of directors for Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Hallmark First Considered a Separate Channel for Black Actors
“We didn’t want to scare off our prime demographic, white, wine drinking divorced women, by featuring them for years. We considered starting a separate channel, something like BET. We were going to call it the Magnolia Channel but then we found out that Joana Gaines already had that. We even considered the Mahogany Channel but that was taken. So, we thought we’d start slow, introduce some colored folks here or there. We’re still not going whole out. I mean we’re not going to have Asians or Mexicans or anything like that. That would be too much for our audience,” said Perry.
