Ava DuVernay Says She ‘Walked in There Like a White Man’ to Pitch ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ to Disney

Hollywood powerhouse CAA held its first Amplify conference at the Montage Laguna Beach Wednesday morning with the intention of using its formidable heft to kick open doors for a more diverse group of storytellers, performers and leaders.

The conference at the Montage Laguna Beach had a star-studded roster of Hollywood, politics and sports figures, including former Universal boss Ron Meyer, former Obama administration officials Valerie Jarrett, Susan Rice and Van Jones, activist and podcaster DeRay Mckesson, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, as well as DuVernay and Abrams.

Holland mentioned the competition among shows designed for white audiences is stiff –but underserved demographics like African-Americans and Latinos provide an avenue for monster ratings.

DuVernay got her start in TV after winning the Sundance award for best director for 2011’s “Middle of Nowhere,” and getting “no movie offers or anything like that” after.

Shonda Rhimes offered DuVernay a chance to direct an episode of her ABC hit “Scandal,” helping her along her current stratospheric ascent to directing a Disney tentpole.

Abrams, who has been at the forefront of casting a diverse set of headliners — as DuVernay pointed out when she mentioned his hit TV show “Lost” — mentioned some pushback he got when making his upcoming horror movie, “Overlord,” about historical inaccuracies in what’s essentially a sci-fi fantasy.