“She was working in a time where she had to armor up to go out into the world, and we don’t have to do that anymore, and that’s the beauty of the time we’re in now,” Bayme said on the Her Wardrobe, Her Power panel, presented by South Coast Plaza, at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit on Tuesday in Los Angeles. “We can be vulnerable and we can dress in a way that suits who we are and not have to show up in a man’s world looking like a man unless you want to.”

For Micaela Erlanger, a celebrity stylist and brand strategist who has dressed the likes of Meryl Streep and Lupita Nyong’o, reclaiming that power might be as simple as thinking about “who you want to show up in the world as,” which might differ across the days of the week. “Who you are gets to evolve just as you do when you get dressed,” Erlanger said.

Actress, model and activist Lauren Wasser took on the mission of evolution and reinvention when she suffered from toxic shock syndrome in her 20s, which caused her to lose her legs. She recalled that the tragedy prompted her to “really dig deep and find out what life is really about.”

“It’s not really about what we wear and all this hoopla — it’s really about your heart and you wear the clothes, the clothes don’t wear you,” Wasser said, encouraging audience members to “love yourself, take care of yourself [and] invest in yourself first and foremost,” even if that means slipping into a comfy pair of sweatpants. “I think your body tells you what you want to do … at the end of the day, loving yourself unconditionally and being you every single day when you leave that house is so powerful.”

Listening to your own intuition and finding an individual approach to style — rather than relying on capsule collections or social media trends — is also more likely to bring joy into your life, according to celebrity stylist Katie Bofshever. “Individuals that don’t look like everybody else — that is what’s powerful,” she said. “You should dress to light yourself up and find the core of who you are. Dress for your body and leave the rest.”

And when the doubts of judgements creep up, fashion historian Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell reminded audience members that judgements based on appearance aren’t bad, and are simply a human “evolutionary” trait we all share.

“We are presenting a person to the world, whether we are aware of it or not,” Chrisman-Campbell said. “Be aware of that, and then be aware that this is what makes us human. This is what makes us glamorous. This is something that we are all we are. We are all fashion experts, because we all get dressed every day.”

The post Celebrity Stylists Sound Off on Finding Power in Reclaiming Fashion: ‘Who You Are Gets to Evolve’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

While speaking at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit Actress Roundtable, Hahn was asked about working on the “WandaVision” spinoff series and, specifically, with showrunner Jac Schaeffer, and the star said that having a woman steering the ship did indeed change things.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with mostly women – women writers, directors – and there is a shift that happens where it just feels like a wholeness wanted to be brought to the table,” Hahn said. “This is me speaking crazy generalizations because there’s a lot of men that come to it with a more female point of view or female energy, but there is something a little less black and white or binary about working with a woman. There is not only expected but encouraged complexity.”

She continued, “So that’s the end of like an allowance. That I guess, would be the thing that feels different. There’s a safety and just emotional safety, especially being with a group of women. That coven in particular was vibing and buzzing.”

TheWrap’s PWS Actress Roundtable also included “True Detective: Night Country” star Kali Reis, “Before” actress Judith Light and “Thelma” star June Squibb. Light echoed Hahn’s sentiment about how an emotional safety net can make the work better – though, in her case, it was working with longtime scene partner Billy Crystal who stars opposite her in the Apple TV+ show.

“Because you’re with someone that you know and you love, and there’s comfort in that, you actually can have this incredible freedom,” Light shared. She later added, “It’s such a joy when you know somebody, relating with them, that there’s an intimacy where you don’t express and really push yourself, but because there is comfort you can go forward. You can put yourself into a different place with that person, and we can really love each other in a very deep way.”

Ultimately, Hahn further praised Schaeffer’s writing of Agatha in the “WandaVision” sequel series.

“We wanted to start with a woman without her powers, powerless, getting her powers back and finding the truth … which we also thought was really potent,” the actress said. “It felt very much in the literal sense of trying to get her power, find her voice, and at the same time being chased and in a very tangled, complicated relationship with death.”

TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is the essential gathering of the most influential women across entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. With the theme, “Aspire,” this year’s PWS provides one day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking. For more information visit thewrap.com/pws. For all of TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 coverage, click here.

The post Kathryn Hahn Says Working With Female Creatives on ‘Agatha All Along’ Fostered ‘Emotional Safety’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Ariana Madix, television personality

Diane Warren, Grammy Award-winning songwriter

Michelle Lemuya Ikeny, actress

Cooper Kline and Lauren Greenfield, artist and filmmaker

Ilana Peña, screenwriter

Stephanie Koenig, actress and producer

Ty Stiklorius, Founder & CEO Friends at Work

Yasmin Monet Watkins, poet, actress, screenwriter

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of TheWrap and Shira Lazar CEO and founder of What’s Trending & #Creators4MentalHealth

Alicia Hannah-Kim, actress

Lydia Wrensch, producer

Sharon Waxman and Diane Warren

Madeline Di Nonno, President and CEO of Geena Davis Institute

Ivy Kagan Bierman, Chair, Entertainment Labor at Loeb & Loeb

Jo Cronk, President of Whalar Group

Micaela Erlanger, Celebrity Fashion Stylist

Keely Cat-Wells and Molly Burke

Shira Lazar CEO and founder of What’s Trending & #Creators4MentalHealth

Meghan Grimm, CEO of Clyde Staffing Agency

Kathryn Peterson, Agent at UTA and Elizabeth Goodstein, VP business development, strategy at Madison Wells

Jordan Weiss, Writer and Producer

Sam Javis, Screenwriter

Molly Burke, Activist

Syreeta Butler,  CEO and Founder of Just B Consulting & therapist

Mona Shaikh, Comedian

The atmosphere at the Changemakers 2024 cocktail reception.

Nicole Pollard Bayme, Fashion Stylist & Founder of LalaLuxe

Sarah Rothman, Co-Founder of The Lede Company

Nikki DeLoach, Actress

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of TheWrap and actress Michelle Lemuya Ikeny attend Changemakers 2024.

Sharon Waxman and Ty Stiklorius, producer

Yazmin Monet Watkins, poet, actress and screenwriter

Keely Cat-Wells, CEO of Making Space and Molly Burke, activist

Brittani Nichols, producer

Sharon Waxman speaks on stage at the Changemakers 2024 cocktail reception.

Sharon Waxman

Ariana Madix, television personality and Kellie Gerardi, American astronaut

(L-R) Jordan Weiss, Sam Jarvis, Ariana Madix and Stephanie Koenig

(L-R) Dani Potter, Sharon Waxman, and Nancy Josephson

(L-R) Madeline Di Nonno, Keely Cat-Wells, and Molly Burke

Keely Cat-Wells, CEO of Making Space and Molly Burke, activist

The post Inside TheWrap’s Changemakers Event: Ariana Madix, Diane Warren and More | Photos appeared first on TheWrap.

The institute’s 2024 GDI film study, titled “Charting Progress in Film Diversity,” examines children’s and family programming to “better understand the influence of media on young audiences who are most vulnerable to media effects.”

“Our goal is to drive industry change by providing creators with the data and insights they need to improve how gender, race, LGBTQIA+ identity, disability, body size and age are presented on screen,” the study reads.

The study was presented exclusively at TheWrap’s 2024 Power Women Summit in Los Angeles on Tuesday during a panel sponsored by the Geena Davis Institute. Featured speakers were Dr. Meredith Conroy, the institute’s VP of research and insights; Madeline Di Nonno, the institute’s president and CEO; Janine Jones-Clark, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group’s EVP of filmmaker and content strategies; and Ramsey Naito, Paramount and Nickelodeon Animation president. Ellie Austin, deputy editorial director of Most Powerful Women at Fortune, moderated.

Looking to films that were rated G, PG or PG-13, were made for $10 million or more, were English-language and were made for theatrical or streaming release, the study finds that LGBTQ+ characters accounted for 1.5% of film roles, disabled characters accounted for 2% and fat characters for 6.5%. Additionally, female characters make up 37.8% of screen roles and non-white characters make up 40.5%. The study additionally found characters that are 50 and older is an underrepresented group on screen, making up only 18.7%.

In regards to the study’s use of the word “fat,” the study clarified that it’s used as a value-neutral descriptor in order to differentiate from “obese” or “overweight,” as those terms are “rooted in medical practices that often reinforce stigma and bias against larger bodies,” nor is “fat” suggestive of being outside of some sort of “norm” or “average” (such as “plus size” or “bigger”).

Other key findings included that women are five times as likely as men to be objectified on screen and are three times as likely as men to be presented in sexually revealing clothing. Also, when it comes to the careers women have in film or TV, women are less likely to have an occupation, but are equally as likely as men to be a leader and equally as likely as men to work in business, blue collar professions, education, the arts and the government or royalty.

TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is the essential gathering of the most influential women across entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. With the theme, “Aspire,” this year’s PWS provides one day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking. For more information visit thewrap.com/pws. For all of TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 coverage, click here.

The post LGBTQ+, Fat and Disabled Characters Combined Only Make Up 10% of Film Roles, Study Finds appeared first on TheWrap.

“In 2018, I was struggling mentally, physically, emotionally, and I began to doubt if this work still had a place for me. The weight of expectations, the fear of failure, the pressure of being perfect, and the hurt caused by being overlooked made me question everything,” Chiles said. “I learned that the system wasn’t built for people who looked or even acted like me. For so long, I was told that in order to achieve my dream, I had to fit into a space that felt unnatural.”

The athlete further explained, “It was my best friend Simone who gave me hope and a new path to my dream when I was about to give it up.”

As the Olympic keynote speaker told Elle earlier this year, “Every single time I went into a competition, I was like, ‘Well, what are they going to say this time?’ I was racially attacked. I was always told, ‘You’re not the typical gymnast. You look like a man. You’re too muscular.'”

Speaking on the Summit’s theme of “Aspire,” Chiles added, “The journey from aspiration to reality is never a straight line. My career has been defined, not only by the time I soared, but by the time I experienced deep hurt and disappointment and then chose to rise again.”

She also praised “women who refused to accept limits, who showed us that not only do we belong in these spaces, but we can thrive and redefine them.” And Chiles called out her doubters, who questioned her childhood goal to one day “stand on the podium with a gold medal around my neck.”

“News flash for the people who said that would never happen, I think gold definitely is my color,” Chiles beamed as the audience laughed.

Chiles was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as well as the silver medal-winning team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. A bronze individual medal that was awarded to her in the 2024 Olympics for her floor exercise was, controversially, revoked by an arbitration court, and given to Romanian Ana Bărbosu instead.

“I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey,” Chiles said in a statement at the time. “To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful.”

At the Power Women Summit, she said that competing often took a heavy toll on her mental and physical well-being, adding, “I learned that I would have to change the culture and rebuild what society believed was acceptable.”

“But each time I’ve been knocked out, I found a way to stand back up, wipe the tears and go again, not just for myself, but for every little Black girl watching me, for every child dreaming big and waiting to see someone who looks like them rise above the noise and success,” Chiles continued. “My journey is our open door.”

TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is the essential gathering of the most influential women across entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. With the theme, “Aspire,” this year’s PWS provides one day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking. For more information visit thewrap.com/pws. For all of TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 coverage, click here.

The post Jordan Chiles Reveals Teammate Simone Biles ‘Gave Me Hope’ When She Almost Quit Gymnastics | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

“Terrible, horrible things are going to happen, and we are going to be responsible for wrapping our arms around those who do not have the same position and privilege that we do but still need us to be there,” Abrams told Oscar winner Laura Dern in a one-on-one conversation in Beverly Hills. “Our responsibility is not to wallow, but to work. More than hope, determination is our superpower.”

Last year, Abrams became senior counsel for Rewiring America, a nonprofit group that promotes electrification campaigns across the U.S. in an effort to drive down carbon emissions. The group was established in the wake of the approval of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided billions in funding and incentives to expand renewable energy.

“No one is saying you have to get rid of what you have, but you want something new, if you want something nicer, you should be able to afford it, especially if it makes it healthier for you to do what you do every day,” Abrams said. “It doesn’t have to be painful to be good. And that comfort is the piece that is so important, because it lets individuals make choices that don’t feel like sacrifice, and instead, it feels like community.”

Abrams also told the Hollywood producers and executives in attendance that Rewiring America is consulting businesses on how they can de-carbonize in affordable ways. Dern said such consulting work was a big help while shooting the Apple TV+ series “Palm Royale,” which she is an executive producer on.

“It took amazing companies and organizations to guide us to how to become electric on set, to remove our dependency on fossil fuels, even in base camp, to come up with meals,” Dern said. “I have no idea how to transition meals for a crew that would be more thoughtful and waste free.”

While the Inflation Reduction Act has helped spur renewable production, the incoming Trump administration is expected to eliminate wide swaths of environmental regulation and to once again pull out of the Paris Climate Accords, which the U.S. exited during Trump’s first term as president and then rejoined under President Joe Biden.

Unlike his first term, Trump’s push to kill climate action on the federal level will be buoyed by a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that overturned the Chevron Doctrine, a legal precedent established by the 1984 case “Chevron v. National Resource Defense Council,” which gave federal agencies latitude to interpret ambiguous laws when establishing regulations. A Republican-controlled federal legislature is expected to use that decision to push for significant elimination of regulatory power.

Despite what’s to come, Abrams said she’s not giving up, stressing that the 2024 election was “a loss, not a landslide” for Democrats.

“The reason that matters is that losing means you didn’t get it,” she said. “Landslide means you probably can’t get back to it. We lost, but we didn’t lose our power, we didn’t lose our citizenship, we didn’t lose our voice, we didn’t lose our imagination. And we refuse to lose our positioning and our platform.

“I don’t believe in resistance. I believe in insistence.”

TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is the essential gathering of the most influential women across entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. With the theme, “Aspire,” this year’s PWS provides one day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking. For more information visit thewrap.com/pws. For all of TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 coverage, click here.

The post Stacey Abrams Says Democrats’ Responsibility Is ‘Not to Wallow’ Through Trump’s 2nd Term | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

For our fifth annual Changemakers package, in conjunction with the Power Women Summit, we have expanded our list to 51, shining a wider spotlight on the many women driving the industry with their strategic leadership and individual achievements as well as some extraordinarily impressive women on the rise. You’ll find studio heads whose savvy decisions dictate what we watch in our spare time; quiet superstars who guide careers and get the deals done; producers and filmmakers and showrunners with singular creative visions; and a handful of performers whose fearlessness broke barriers and hearts. 

We kick it all off with a look at the three women who made “Emilia Pérez” such a groundbreaking, stirring cinematic experience: Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldaña.

Congratulations to all 51 Changemakers. And here’s hoping for more positive progress in 2025. 

The post Changemakers: 51 Women Who Made a Difference in 2024 appeared first on TheWrap.

As one of the most inspiring and consistent athletes of her generation, Chiles has shattered records, broken barriers and championed critical conversations about body positivity and mental health for female athletes.

From her history-making performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she led Team USA to a gold medal, to her breakout performance at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games securing a silver medal under immense pressure, Chiles has consistently proven herself as a leader and inspiration. Her achievement as one of three Black gymnasts to top the podium at the 2022 U.S. Gymnastics Championships further underscores what it means to rise to the occasion.

Off the mat, Chiles has become a powerful advocate for female athletes, using her platform to promote mental wellness, body positivity and empowerment. Her role as the ultimate “hypewoman” for Team USA reflects her ability to uplift others, a skill she carries into every arena she steps into.

The Power Women Summit speaks to Chiles’ story of setting bold goals, overcoming obstacles and inspiring others to reach their highest potential. From her legendary Olympic performances to her history-making achievements as a collegiate athlete at UCLA, Chiles continues to prove that there are no limits to what can be accomplished with determination, resilience and passion.

Sponsors include South Coast Plaza, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Lionsgate, Whalar, Paramount Global, CLEAR, Universal, Hallmark Media, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery, FX, Yahoo!, Searchlight Pictures and NBCUniversal.

For sponsorship inquiries, contact Lynne Segall, CRO of TheWrap, at lynne@thewrap.com. 

For media inquiries, contact DKC Public Relations, at thewrap@dkcnews.com. 

About Power Women Summit

TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is the essential gathering of the most influential women across entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. With the theme, “Aspire,” this year’s PWS provides one day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking. For more information visit thewrap.com/pws. 

About TheWrap

TheWrap is the leading, authoritative digital news organization covering the business of entertainment, fashion and media. Founded by award-winning journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009, TheWrap is the only independently owned Hollywood trade, serving as a reliable and trusted source of breaking news, investigative reporting, expert analysis, exhaustive awards season coverage and in-depth features for over 15 years.

The post Gold Medalist Jordan Chiles to Give Power Women Summit Keynote appeared first on TheWrap.

Moderated by Shira Lazar, the CEO and founder of What’s Trending and #Creators4MentalHealth, the panel “Her Influence: Building Your Brand” will bring together top creators and entrepreneurs across industries to talk about how they are utilizing social media and digital platforms to build their personal and professional brands. 

Jackie Aina (@jackieaina) is a Nigerian-American content creator promoting inclusion within the beauty industry. She is the founder of the lifestyle brand FORVR Mood and Lavishly Jackie, a self-care, home and luxury content vertical across social media platforms. Most recently, she starred in and executive produced the docuseries “The Black Beauty Effect.” For her advocacy efforts, Jackie was deemed the NAACP’s first-ever “YouTuber of the Year.”

Kellie Gerardi (@kelliegerardi) is an astronaut, researcher and creator, who made history when she flew on the Galactic 05 research mission in 2023. As the 90th woman in history to fly to space, Gerardi is on a mission to enable a new generation of scientists and using social media as a platform to do so. Her second spaceflight is scheduled for 2026, where she’ll be leading an all-female research crew aboard Virgin Galactic’s new Delta class spacecraft. 

Drea Okeke (@drea_knowsbest) is known for her relatable comedic skits and videos that highlight her Nigerian heritage. She hosts the podcast “Do It 4 The Content,” where she shares strategies for aspiring creators looking to turn digital passion into income. Drea also runs the TikTok Masterclass “Next Level Influence,” offering an interactive course on building a brand, growing an audience, and mastering the algorithm to maximize engagement.

Shira Lazar (@shiralazar) is an Emmy-award winning host, creator and founder of What’s Trending. Most recently, Lazar launched #Creators4MentalHealth, an initiative focused on bringing mental health tools to the creator economy through events and community programming. Lazar also shares her insights in AI and the creator economy in her weekly newsletter, The Alpha.

At the Summit, attendees can also attend the panel “Her Platform, Her Rules: Execs Leading the Creator Revolution,” presented by Whalar. Moderated by Whalar North America president Jo Cronk, the conversation will bring together creator and “Challenge Accepted” host Michelle Khare and YouTube’s Global Managing Director & Head of Creators Kim Larson. 

Jo Cronk is the North America President of Whalar, fostering relationships with brands, creators, and platforms. She has led partnerships with global brands such as Amazon, Estee Lauder, Google, NFL, and Spotify, and developed marketing collaborations with platforms like LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok, and YouTube. In 2023, she co-founded Whalar Group’s Creator venture studio, Moby Ventures, to develop innovative products and brands with and for creators.

Michelle Khare (@michellekhare) is the host of the Streamy-winning docuseries, “Challenge Accepted.” Each week on her YouTube channel Khare immerses herself in a new community, taking on high-stakes challenges from training with the Secret Service, FBI and 911 Dispatch to training as a ballerina or attempting to earn a black belt within 90 days. 

Kim Larson is head of YouTube’s creator and gaming team, managing individual creators as well as service providers, talent partners, game publishers and influencer marketing agencies.  In her previous role at Google, she managed global brand services for top brands, pioneering the use of machine learning to build data-driven creative best practices for the industry.

These sessions are open to all attendees of the Power Women Summit on Dec. 3 at The Maybourne Beverly Hills. More panels and speakers will be announced soon. To purchase tickets and for more information about the Summit, visit thewrap.com/pws. 

Sponsors include South Coast Plaza, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Lionsgate, Whalar, Paramount Global, CLEAR, Warner Bros. Discovery, FX, Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Disney.

For sponsorship inquiries, contact Lynne Segall, CRO of TheWrap, at lynne@thewrap.com. 

For media inquiries, contact DKC Public Relations, at thewrap@dkcnews.com. 

About Power Women Summit

TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is the essential gathering of the most influential women across entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. With the theme, “Aspire,” this year’s PWS provides one day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking. For more information visit thewrap.com/pws. 

About TheWrap

TheWrap is the leading, authoritative digital news organization covering the business of entertainment, fashion and media. Founded by award-winning journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009, TheWrap is the only independently owned Hollywood trade, serving as a reliable and trusted source of breaking news, investigative reporting, expert analysis, exhaustive awards season coverage and in-depth features for over 15 years.

The post Jackie Aina, Kellie Gerardi, Drea Okeke Join Power Women Summit 2024 appeared first on TheWrap.

Moderated by Producers Guild of America (PGA) CEO Susan Sprung, this conversation takes audiences behind the scenes of the year’s top shows and films. From storytelling as a tool for reshaping perspectives to the evolving production landscape, audiences will gain insights into what it takes to bring projects to life in Hollywood and be inspired by some of the industry’s top decision-makers.

Amy Pascal recently produced “Challengers” and “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.” Since leaving her tenure at Sony and founding Pascal Pictures, she has also produced the Oscar-nominated films “Little Women,” “Molly’s Game” and the latest trio of live-action Spider-Man movies, including “No Way Home,” which stands as the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time. She is currently working on “Project Hail Mary,” starring Ryan Gosling; an untitled Noah Baumbach feature starring George Clooney; a biopic about Fred Astaire, starring Tom Holland; and an adaptation of “Murder She Wrote,” directed by Denis Villeneuve. 

Brittani Nichols is an Emmy-nominated writer known for her work on “Abbott Elementary,” which she is also a co-executive producer on. She is also a comedian and actor who has appeared on the Emmy-winning television shows “Transparent” and “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” In 2023, she won the NAACP award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. She also produced, wrote and starred in “Suicide Kale,” which won the Audience Award at both Outfest and Newfest. 

Samantha Quan most recently produced Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. She previously produced Sean Baker’s acclaimed “Red Rocket,” which premiered in main competition at Cannes in 2021 and the fashion shorts “Snowbird” and “Khaite FW 21.” As an actor, Quan is known for her roles in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” She is also a highly regarded acting coach working on projects such as “The Florida Project,” “Instant Family,” “Home Before Dark,” “Swagger,” “Women of the Movement” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

Issa López is known for her recent work as the writer, director, producer and showrunner of HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country,” which received 19 Emmy nominations this year. After a successful filmmaking career in Mexico, López won international praise with her film “Tigers Are Not Afraid,” which garnered 55 awards across film festivals around the world. 

Susan Sprung is the CEO of the Producers Guild of America (PGA), a nonprofit trade group that represents over 8,400 producers working in film, television and new media. On behalf of the PGA, she sits on the Hollywood Commission Leadership Council, the California Film & Television Production Alliance, the Western Council of the Actors Fund, the NAACP Entertainment Advocacy Council, the FilmLA Government Affairs Committee and formerly served on the AMPAS Members at Large Executive Committee. 

At the Summit, attendees can also join the “TV Show Design Lab: Craft Your Own Episode,” presented by the International Screenwriters’ Association (ISA). In this interactive workshop, leading showrunner Ilana Peña (“Diary of a Future President”) and ISA’s Shayna Weber will guide participants through the collaborative experience of developing an episode of a TV show.

Peña served as the creator, showrunner and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated “Diary of a Future President” on Disney+. She has also written projects for Universal Studios and 20th Century Studios, including a reboot of “Working Girl” produced by Selena Gomez. Peña recently completed a four-year deal with CBS Television, developing projects across CBS, CW, Roku and Max. Her additional credits include “Gordita Chronicles” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” where she contributed to episodes and song lyrics and appeared both onscreen and on the soundtrack.

Shayna Weber is a screenwriter, producer and director. Weber has over 20 years of experience in production, having worked on unscripted shows such as “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the award-winning horror-comedy short, “Lunch Ladies,” which has been in more than 100 festivals around the world with 46 wins, and she directed its follow-up short, “VIF (Very Important Film).” Weber and  her writing partner recently sold their first horror feature, “Bruha,” which is in post-production.

These sessions are open to all attendees of the Power Women Summit on Dec. 3 at The Maybourne Beverly Hills. More panels and speakers will be announced soon. To purchase tickets and for more information about the Summit, visit thewrap.com/pws. 

Sponsors include South Coast Plaza, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Lionsgate, Whalar, Paramount Global, CLEAR, Warner Bros. Discovery, FX, Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Disney.

For sponsorship inquiries, contact Lynne Segall, CRO of TheWrap, at lynne@thewrap.com. 

For media inquiries, contact DKC Public Relations, at thewrap@dkcnews.com. 

About Power Women Summit

TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is the essential gathering of the most influential women across entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. With the theme, “Aspire,” this year’s PWS provides one day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking. For more information visit thewrap.com/pws. 

About TheWrap

TheWrap is the leading, authoritative digital news organization covering the business of entertainment, fashion and media. Founded by award-winning journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009, TheWrap is the only independently owned Hollywood trade, serving as a reliable and trusted source of breaking news, investigative reporting, expert analysis, exhaustive awards season coverage and in-depth features for over 15 years.

The post ‘Challengers,’ ‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘Anora’ and ‘True Detective’ Producers Join Power Women Summit appeared first on TheWrap.