George O. Davis, executive director of California African American Museum in Exposition Park, came to the post following a 30-year-plus career in the entertainment industry. His Hollywood career included roles as Senior Vice President at Technicolor and Vice President at Sony Pictures Entertainment, a position that took him around the globe, setting up cable channels and facilitating deals to launch and tailor U.S.-produced content for international markets.
He also founded his own digital content distribution consulting firm, Davis Broadband Group Inc. in Culver City, in 2001.
Davis set off on a new sort of journey when he was appointed a CAAM board member in 1999. Serving on the board of CAAM, as well the boards of other nonprofit institutions, led Davis to decide to transition from Hollywood to a public service career.
Davis was appointed executive director of the museum in 2015 after three months as the museum’s interim director following the resignation of 11-year executive director Charmaine Jefferson.
The executive finds some similarities between his role in the entertainment world and the challenge of overseeing CAAM, a state-funded museum with an annual operating budget of $3 million.
“When you look at museums now, they are doing all kinds of different programming,” Davis said. “How do you get people to watch a TV channel or watch a movie, and how do you get them to come into your museum and consume history and content? We are in a period of disruption (in entertainment) right now, and museums are the same.”
Davis’ office reflects both his entertainment industry background and his love for travel, art and history – particularly African American history. He considers himself a mentor for younger employees who may have an arts background, but less experience in business and management.
Davis called his personal business style “structured but flexible,” and said leading a state institution often calls for certain formality. Still, he admitted to being an occasional contrarian, reflected in his choice to hang the poster for the Spike Lee film “Bamboozled,” the satirical story of a modern televised minstrel show, on his office wall. The poster shows characters wearing blackface.
“I’m a pretty middle of the road guy, but that’s my other side I guess, of artistic freedom,” he said with a smile. “I like to mix things up a little bit.”
– Diane Haithman
