Featuring actresses like Dakota and Elle Fanning, Kathryn Hahn, Judith Light and Laura Dern; producers like Issa López, Nina Jacobson and Lucy Fisher; reality stars like Ariana Madix, political movers like Stacey Abrams and Grammy winners like Diane Warren, the 2024 edition of the annual summit inspired and empowered women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives.

All the above and many more joined TheWrap’s exclusive portrait gallery at the Maybourne Beverly Hills on Tuesday. Check out the stunning visuals below.

Dakota Fanning, Actress, Producer & Partner, Lewellen Pictures

Elle Fanning, Actress, Producer & Partner, Lewellen Pictures

Elle Fanning, Actress, Producer & Partner, Lewellen Pictures

Dakota Fanning, Actress, Producer & Partner, Lewellen Pictures

Elle Fanning, Actress, Producer & Partner, Lewellen Pictures

Dakota Fanning, Actress, Producer & Partner, Lewellen Pictures

Elle Fanning, Actress, Producer & Partner, Lewellen Pictures

Brittany Kahan Ward, Producer & Partner, Lewellen Pictures.

Stacey Abrams, CEO, Sage Works Productions & Senior Advisor, Rewiring America

Stacey Abrams, CEO, Sage Works Productions & Senior Advisor, Rewiring America

Laura Dern, Award-Winning Actress, Producer & Philanthropist

Laura Dern, Award-Winning Actress, Producer & Philanthropist

Laura Dern, Award Winning Actress, Producer & Philanthropist

Jayme Lemons, Producer & Co-Founder, Jaywalker Pictures

Jordan Chiles, Olympic Champion

Ariana Madix, Actress, “Chicago” & Host, “Love Island USA”

Judith Light, Actress, “Out of My Mind” & “Before”

Kathryn Hahn, Actress, “Agatha All Along”

Kathryn Hahn, Actress, “Agatha All Along”

Diane Warren, Grammy Award-winning Songwriter

June Squibb, Actress, “Thelma”

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap

Nina Jacobson, Founder & Producer, Color Force

Lucy Fisher, Producer, “Gladiator II”

Winnie Holzman, Screenwriter, “Wicked”

Kali Reis, Actress, “True Detective: Night Country”

Kellie Gerardi, Astronaut, Author & Creator

Alicin Reidy Williamson, Chief Diversity & Culture Officer, Yahoo!

Madeline Di Nonno, President & CEO, Geena Davis Institute

Linda Yvette Chavez, Director, Writer & Showrunner

Lauren Greenfield, Director & Executive Producer, “Social Studies”

Cooper Klein, Subject, “Social Studies”

Jonathan Gelfond, Subject, “Social Studies”

Cooper Klein, Subject, “Social Studies”

Lauren Greenfield, Director & Executive Producer, “Social Studies”

Jonathan Gelfond, Subject, “Social Studies”

Drea Okeke, Creator, Host & Speaker 

Micaela Erlanger, Celebrity Stylist & Brand Strategist

Katie Bofshever, Celebrity Stylist

Yazmin Monet Watkins, Poet, Actress & Screenwriter

Lauren Wasser, Actress, Model & Activist

Issa López, Showrunner, Writer, Director & Executive Producer, “True Detective: Night Country”

Ty Stiklorius, Founder & CEO, Friends at Work

Tiffany Red, Grammy-winning Songwriter, Indie Artist, Activist & Founder, The 100 Percenters

Tiffany Red, Grammy-winning Songwriter, Indie Artist, Activist & Founder, The 100 Percenters

Ty Stiklorius, Founder & CEO, Friends at Work

Andi Ortiz, Reporter & Host of “UnWrapped,” TheWrap

Shira Lazar, CEO & Founder, What’s Trending & #Creators4MentalHealth

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

Joe Zee, Fashion Stylist, Journalist & Producer

 Nicole Pollard Bayme, Fashion Stylist & Founder, Lalaluxe

Dr. Meredith Conroy, VP, Research & Insights, Geena Davis Institute

Jenefer Brown, EVP and Head, Global Products & Experiences, Lionsgate

Vicki Shabo, Senior Fellow for Gender Equity & Founder/Director, Entertainment Initiative, Better Life Lab at New America

Janine Jones-Clark, EVP, Filmmaker & Content Strategies, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group

Shayna Weber, Screenwriter, Producer & Creative Executive, ISA

Ilana Peña, Showrunner, Writer, Producer & Director

Ilana Peña, Showrunner, Writer, Producer & Director

Shayna Weber and Shayna Weber, Screenwriter, Producer & Creative Executive, ISA

Michelle Khare, YouTube Creator & Host, “Challenge Accepted”

Jo Cronk, NA President, Whalar

Jen Sargent, CEO, Wondery

Thai Randolph, Serial Entrepreneur, Producer & Strategic Advisor & Board Member to Rock The Bells

Michelle Khare, YouTube Creator & Host, “Challenge Accepted”

Jo Cronk, NA President, Whalar

Kim Larson, Global Managing Director & Head of Creators, YouTube

Jackie Aina, Creator & Co-Founder, FORVR Mood 

Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, Fashion Historian, Curator, Journalist & Author

Ramsey Naito, President, Paramount Animation & Nickelodeon Animation

Syrinthia Studer, EVP, Board of Directors, Women in Film (WIF)

Nasim Cambron, EVP of Worldwide Publicity of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group

Courtney Mock, SVP, Scripted Television Development, Lionsgate

Jocelyn Sabo, SVP, Scripted Television Development, Lionsgate

Brittani Nichols, Co-Executive Producer, “Abbott Elementary”

Amy Pascal, Producer, “Challengers”

Kirsten Shaffer, CEO, Women in Film (WIF)

Samantha Quan, Producer, “Anora”

Amanda Kozłowski, Chief of Staff of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group

Kim Larson, Global Managing Director & Head of Creators, YouTube

Reyna Roberts, Country singer

The post Power Women Summit 2024 Portrait Studio: The Fanning Sisters, Laura Dern, Jordan Chiles and More | Photos appeared first on TheWrap.

Cooper Klein and Jonathan Gelfond, ages 21 and 20 respectively, think that growing up online has most certainly changed their lives. Whether they like it or not, social media has become an integral part of building relationships in their adolescent years. 

“It’s unfortunate, but [social media] does serve utility in my life,” Klein said Tuesday on the “Growing Up Online: Social Media’s Influence on the Next Generation of Women” panel at TheWrap’s 2024 Power Women Summit. “Social plans are made through Snapchat, and things are posted on Instagram for clubs that I’m in at school, so you need to have it for that reason and you kind of feel bound to it in that way.”

Both Klein and Gelfond were subjects in documentarian Lauren Greenfield’s FX series “Social Studies,” now streaming on Hulu. The two were part of a larger sample of Los Angeles teens who agreed to participate in a social experiment in which they offered up their phones to the producers, giving the audience an intimate glimpse into how social media has shaped their childhood.

“I don’t want to be on these platforms. I shouldn’t be on these platforms, and I want a way to get off, but there is this weird hole that I think a lot of people resonate with,” Klein added of her reliance on social media as a means for communication and inclusion. “Why am I so engrossed by this? Why am I so engaged by this? And I think as each year passes for me, I’m getting better and better at distancing myself and cutting myself off of it.”

On Wednesday, Australia passed a law banning social media for children under 16. The ban will not go into effect for another year, but parents and even “Social Studies” director Greenfield said they are in full support of regulation. Gelfond was more skeptical of how much regulation will actually affect phone addiction.

“I think that all starts with the facility that allows you to be on social media, which is the cell phone itself,” Gelfond posed. “Because nowadays kids are getting phones in fifth grade, and despite age restrictions, I’m sure have been creative to figure out how to pass the 16-year-old age restriction on social media.” 

This reliance on social media as a means to connect was a central question in Greenfield’s FX docuseries. She reflected on a moment from filming the finale where Klein poses what may be Gen Z’s new existential question. 

“One of the things that Cooper says in Episode 5 is, ‘Will we exist if we’re not online?’” Greenfield said. “I think it’s only when there’s collective bans, like in Australia, or like in a whole school, because then they find other ways to socialize.”

Greenfield added that starting in 2025, LAUSD, the nation’s second largest public school district, will ban cell phone use during the school hours. Klein said her teenage sister’s school has already implemented the rule, and she has no complaints. Her mom in the Power Women Summit audience at the Maybourne Beverly Hills echoed this sentiment, saying it allowed her teenage daughter to have uninterrupted, face-to-face socialization with her friends at school. 

When asked if Gelfond wished he had the protections of social media bans as a young teenager, he said he did. 

“I think Sydney says it in the series, but it would have been a kinder world without social media,” the 20-year-old teen help hotline volunteer said. “I think that speaks volumes about what social media facilitates and the kind of atmosphere it facilitates.”

All five episodes of FX’s “Social Studies” are available to stream on Hulu now. 

Watch the full panel below:

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 ‘Social Studies’ Team Says Banning Teens’ Phones in School Would Let Them ‘Find Other Ways to Socialize’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

While commiserating about the lack of complex reproductive portrayals onscreen, the group started to wonder what would happen if one of their crew or cast members had an atopic pregnancy or was raped or needed hormones or experienced one of the hundreds of ailments that can impact women. That led to a push for the safety of their own teams.

“As a matter of fact, most of the studios didn’t want to talk about it. We really forced them. People who had big, sexy overall deals at each studio went in demanding at least some sort of protocols and paradigms,” Asher said during the “Reproductive & Caregiving Justice: On Screen & Behind the Camera” panel, presented by Women in Film (WIF).

This rallying worked, to a point. Hotlines were added to the call sheet, giving crew members an outlet if they needed help and didn’t feel like they could go to a producer. The organization also released a report card compiling policies for different studios. But so far, the results have been limited.

“Almost everybody has some sort of privacy and protocol. But they stopped short of actually defending women if they were persecuted or prosecuted for either seeking abortion care or helping someone else get abortion care. Certainly, they stopped short of actually committing to any kind of emergency services,” Asher said. “The struggle continues … It’s our responsibility to make sure that our crews are safe and know they at least have some options.”

The panel also revealed the gaps Hollywood has when it comes to portraying both reproductive health and caregiving, two topics that greatly impact women. The
USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that, out of the top 100 films of 2024 that featured 5,000 speaking characters, there were only four portrayals of abortion. One of those was “Exorcist: Believer,” which had a reference to a woman “being scraped out like a rotten pumpkin.”

“This is the type of message that is being communicated in this global enterprise of storytelling in movies, which is highly problematic,” founder and director of the Inclusion Initiative Dr. Stacy Smith said during the panel.

Portrayals of caregiving, whether to a child or another loved one, were equally rare. The Geena Davis Institute found that when children are part of stories, childcare is only mentioned roughly 20% of the time. Additionally, caregiving as a whole is shown on screen about 11% of the time.

“But they’re 100% of the time relevant to more than half of the population,”
Vicki Shabo, Senior Fellow for Gender Equity and founder-director for the Entertainment Initiative at the Better Life Lab at New America, said. “Up to 106 million people in the United States are providing care to a child or a loved one. Most of those people are working. Seventy-three million children are living in families, most of whom have all adults that are working. And yet we are almost never seeing two working parents on screen trying to manage work and family, or a single parent trying to manage child care or elder care.”

This lacking trend also speaks to a racial gap onscreen as well as a gendered one. For example, it’s been found that Latino workers have lower rates of access to paid leave. The stereotypical types of families who appear onscreen do not mirror
writer, director and showrunner Linda Yvette Chavez’s experience. And neglecting them fails to highlight how complicated and lacking the healthcare system is in the United States.

“I can’t speak for all Mexican Americans — I want to preface with that — but I do think that of those that I know, which are a lot, there are a lot of intergenerational familial bonds. A lot of times our households have multiple generations within them,” Chavez said, referring to these households that take care of both parents and children as households with “sandwich generations.”

Chavez herself is currently experiencing these complicated family dynamics. Before the premiere of Chavez’s “Flamin’ Hot,” her aunt — a woman whom she called a “second mother” — had a brain hemorrhage that left her mentally incapacitated. “We couldn’t leave her alone,” Chavez said. “It was an eye-opening experience to see how broken the system is in terms of getting care and support, even with family members who were caregivers.”

Now Chavez’s plan is to write a movie about her experience. “I hope to direct that as my first film, because it’s been such a impactful journey. That’s not something some dude is just going to be like, ‘Let me tell the story.’ It’s so specific that only a woman could tell it,” Chavez said. “To be able to invest in those stories is so vital.”

Watch the full panel below:

The post Producer Nicole Jefferson Asher Says Studios Had to Be ‘Forced’ to Consider Reproductive Rights for TV Crew | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

“When you talk about there aren’t safe spaces, a lot of times in the recording studio, women end up in these spaces,” Stiklorius said, speaking with co-panelist Tiffany Red during TheWrap’s 2024 Power Women Summit panel, “Amplifying Change: Women, Power & Accountability in the Music Industry.”

“It’s late at night, there’s really no rules, and they’re put together by sometimes publishing companies, record labels, sometimes artists and known by songwriters,” Stiklorius continued. “In my 20 years of working in the music business, I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman who hasn’t had some kind of traumatic experience in a recording studio.”

During the discussion, Stiklorius shared her journey as an upcoming creative and some of the the hurdles she’s overcome in her overall career in the music industry, including an instance where she was roofied at a party while attending Wharton Business School.

Joining Stiklorius on stage was Grammy Award-winning songwriter Red, who herself opened up about supporting Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura years prior to the singer coming forward with allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs.

“I was one of the songwriters that wrote loads of songs for Cassie that, unfortunately, you guys have never heard because of all the things going on,” Red, who is also the founder of music rights advocacy group The 100 Percenters, said. In December 2023, Red came forward in a Rolling Stone op-ed titled “Sean Combs Traumatized Me,” detailing how “terrified” she was for Ventura when the two were working under Combs’ camp.

“[Cassie] is an artist, she’s a model and she’s also the former girlfriend of Sean Combs. I came forward about my experience as a songwriter, working with her and for Bad Boy [Records/Entertainment] in December,” Red said. “I always said from the beginning, when I knew that something was wrong, I always told Cass, if you ever say something, I will stand right next to you. I knew it was wrong. I always wanted to come forward,” Red said.

She continued, saying that much of the advocacy work that she does now was motivated by the tragic experiences she had in the music business.

“I think what informs my work as an activist is my experience as a songwriter, and unfortunately, I’ve seen the worst of people.” Red said. “I’ve seen the worst of the industry. I’ve seen the worst of abuse of power. I’ve seen the worst of turning your head and not doing anything about it. I’ve seen the worst of people continuing to empower people that we know make rooms unsafe, and it was important to me to take my own power back and fight for myself, for my community and other people. I came forward, wrote my op-ed, did a couple of news interviews.”

Watch the full panel below:

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 Veteran Music Exec Says Recording Studios Aren’t Safe Spaces for Women: ‘There’s Really No Rules’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

During the “Her Influence: Building Your Brand” panel on Tuesday, Gerardi spoke about why it was so important for her to show all sides of her life, both the professional and the personal. Currently, she has over 845,000 followers on TikTok, many of whom started following her around the time of her first flight in November 2023. 

“I was the 90th woman in history to leave our planet. I did not grow up having representation that was visible, and even if I did, I didn’t have any ounce of understanding of what their personal lives looked like to get there,” Gerardi told moderator Shira Lazar, CEO and founder of What’s Trending and #Creators4MentalHealth. “I sacrificed 10 years of my fertility for my career. That’s how I feel. So I do think it’s a little bit important to share the other side of it.”

Gerardi emphasized that she “wouldn’t change a thing” and made it clear that the choices she made “were mine alone.” “I feel so grateful to have gotten where I wanted to get in my life,” Gerardi said.

She also believes its important to share the sacrifice that went into achieving those goals so that she can serve as an example for other career-oriented women. “I want to show the lower lows and what it takes from you sometimes, and then the highest highs — quite literally,” Gerardi said. The astronaut is currently confronting one of those “lows” as she’s undergoing IVF. However, because she is set to lead an all-women research crew into space in 2026, her last chance at treatment prior to the mission will be in January.

This glimpse into the sacrifices Gerardi made came about after Lazar asked the panelists how they balance more personal social media posts with content focused on their brands and professional lives. It’s a question that has always haunted influencers: How much should you really share? For her part, Jackie Aina, creator and co-founder of FORVR Mood, had a very different answer. Instead of combining the two, Aina takes care to keep these two worlds separate. 

“My content is lifestyle, but it’s not my personal life, if that makes sense,” Aina, who has over 3.5 million subscribers on YouTube and 2 million followers on Instagram, explained.

Part of her reasoning for this is simply experience. As someone who has been creating content since 2009, Aina joked that she’s seen “every trend cycle you can think of” and has found that some people on the internet can be “spooky.” But this decision also comes down to self-awareness about what she needs to do her job well without harming her personal relationships.

“I find that, because I’m in a marginalized group myself, it’s actually incredibly important for me to experience those things in real time without outside criticism. I think my audience is very understanding of that,” Aina said. “The easiest thing I could do is literally just turn on the camera and film everything. I could do that in my sleep. But I know I would not have peace, and in order for me to do this job at my best ability, I have to have peace and I have to have balance.”

That dedication to being their authentic selves in all aspects of their brand is something all three featured creators shared. In Drea Okeke’s case — a creator, host and speaker who has over 6.6 million followers on TikTok — that meant turning down a brand deal to stay true to herself and her heritage. The unnamed brand in question asked Okeke to say the word “burger” but criticized the Nigerian creator’s pronunciation of it. After getting that note, she turned down the deal.

“If the brand does not respect my culture and the way I speak, I won’t work with the brand,” Okeke said.

For Aina, it came about when a brand asked her to do a campaign that involved a viral trend created by another Black creator. Rather than taking the money or turning it down, she worked with the brand and the original creator, ensuring that the creator in question got credit for her trend and they were both paid for the campaign. 

“Those things are what I require, not what I ask,” Aina said. “I didn’t enter the space to not open more doors for other people who look like me. It’s not worth it just me being the only one getting paid.”

Watch the full panel below.

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 Astronaut Kellie Gerardi Uses Her Content to Highlight the Other Side of Her Career: ‘I Sacrificed 10 Years of My Fertility’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

During the “What It Takes to Innovate: Insights From Female Leaders” panel at TheWrap’s 2024 Power Women Summit on Tuesday, Randolph noted that by 2040, the majority of U.S. citizens will be identified as people of color. She added that women also make up half the population and are influencing around 80% of buying decisions.

“Ultimately, if you want to future-proof your business, this is where you will have to invest. And I think sometimes that’s why we see so much backlash and so much protection,” she told the audience at the Maybourne Beverly Hills. “I think that folks are very afraid of losing power.”

“If you think about how long those statistics have not been as they are, if you think about how much time and effort it takes to move the chains even a little bit when it comes to gender inclusion or racial and ethnic inclusion, representation around sexual orientation, it is hard work. It takes a long time, but often, once those chains move, things are forever changed. So I think what we’re seeing and experiencing today is just a fear-based response and a protection of power,” Randolph continued. “But ultimately, these new generations have very different ideals. They’re both value- and values-based. And if you look at what they prioritize, they will hold corporations to account. And so it’s just good business to wake up and pay attention.”

Randolph emphasized in the panel presented by Loeb & Loeb that it’s equally important to think expansively from an innovation perspective.

“In a town of artists, we’re now all being asked to become scientists, where we’re going to have to test and learn and iterate and interact — what has been working isn’t working anymore,” she said. “You guys are hyper qualified now to be the ones to bring new ideas to the table and to do things your way, because the town is desperate for new ideas and new ways of doing things right now.”

Wondery CEO Jen Sargent agreed with Randolph, noting that moments of adversity are the “ripest times for innovation.” She cited the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as the most recent challenging period where businesses were forced to innovate.

“We got talent into podcasting that would have never bothered with podcasting, except that TV and film were halted. So they found their way into podcasting because they were bored, and they turned their closet into a recording studio and used Zoom to create a video podcast. It was like this incredible time,” Sargent said. “I couldn’t have forced that type of innovation to happen unless we had a global pandemic.”

“So I guess for individuals, I would think about your broader skill set and what you love and how you can combine those things to find a gap in the market. What are you undeniably good at, or what is your company undeniably good at and what are the adjacencies to that? But what are those pockets of white space where, I’m good at this and now I’m just going to pivot a little to the right or left, and I can innovate and start trying and testing,” she added. “I think that’s what happens during these down times and it’s just kind of allowing yourself that space to try.”

Yahoo Chief Diversity and Culture Officer Alicin Reidy Williamson also noted that it’s important to take advantage of the disruption going on in the industry right now.

“As there’s this lull, there’s also this opportunity to shake it up and not have it be the same when it sort of picks up again and that’s this opportunity here that you can bring,” she said.

When asked about the specific skills it takes to be an innovator, Randolph said it’s about getting a diversity of opinions and perspectives from different stakeholders that reflect whatever market you’re trying to serve, as well as trusting your instincts.

“As women, so often, we’ve been socialized not to trust our guts, but because we influence 80% of consumer spending and 85% of cultural trends, there is just an inherent wealth of knowledge and innovative ideas that sit within us and we already market,” she explained. “So to leverage that insight and all of that experience to bring new ideas to the table, I think is super important.”

Sargent added that it’s about finding a new idea and making a service or product better and ultimately taking risks.

“If you look at products and great inventions, whether it’s something in the health track or just things like a light bulb, etc., you’ll find that at least 50% of them were either by accident or they were striving for one thing, they ended up with something else, and you got a great innovation out of it,” she shared. “So limiting yourself to exactly what you know and exactly what you think is going to be right and be successful really cuts off innovation.”

Williamson also pointed out that it’s about having the ability to reimagine.

“It’s actually hard. We are operating with the things that are presented to us,” she said. “The way that I think about it is, ‘What if we just wiped that away and started from a different perspective or different understanding?’ And I think that actually has the opportunity to allow us to just then push through a lot of the things that hold us back, the things that keep so many of us from thriving.”

In addition to reimagining, Randolph said it’s important to reframe problems as possibilities.

“Whatever you’re given, look at it, think about it from the other side,” she said. “Most of the big leaps have been from those real problem areas where I’ve hit a wall on a business strategy, I’ve hit a wall from a career perspective, and on the other side of that problem was a possibility that I probably hadn’t imagined initially.”

The trio also shared their insights regarding salary negotiation and raising capital for your business.

“Those are inherently tough ones, regardless of your gender or race, because you’re playing a game of odds, even when you’re hyper qualified, even when you have all the proof,” Randolph said. “You have to have thick skin for that regardless and be really rooted in competency, in my experience.”

She emphasized that when it comes to compensation, it’s important to “know what the market will bear” and to communicate in “value exchange” rather than needs.

“Just because I want something doesn’t mean someone should give it to me. If you say, ‘I want this,’ well, I want lots of things too. But when there is a real value exchange and you are advocating for something that you know is worthwhile, then you have to be persistent and relentless in it,” Randolph explained. “It’s the only way, even when folks would tell you you’re being too forward, you’re being too persistent or too entitled.”

In those negotiations, Sargent agreed that it’s important to figure out exactly what you want and to not be afraid to ask for it.

“I’m always so surprised how people launch into negotiations, launch into fundraising, and they haven’t stopped to figure out what that end result is that they’re looking for. They almost negotiate against themselves or they lose power because they’re wishy-washy about it,” she said. “And that was one of the things I discovered in the fundraising process, that you need to be bold — but what is your desired outcome?”

Williamson ultimately added that it’s important to look both inside and outside your network when necessary.

“We’ve had a number of small, closed door forums with women who are doing incredible things, building businesses. And there have been women in the room who said, ‘But you haven’t asked us for anything,'” she recalled. “We don’t actually only have to ask our friends and that is really, really important in understanding investment and believing that you have something of great value to offer. And that goes to both having a business or having a skill you’re able to contribute to a company or an organization.”

Watch the full panel below:

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 Female Industry Leaders See Opportunity in Hollywood Contraction: ‘The Town Is Desperate for New Ideas Right Now’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

“At this point, I really only want to work on things that I want on my gravestone, because that’s coming … but you just have to love [an idea] so much that you don’t care how hard it is,” Pascal said Tuesday at TheWrap’s 2024 Power Women Summit. “Once you feel something and you think it’s worth it, just kill yourself to get it done.”

Pascal echoed sentiments from other top female Hollywood creatives who participated in the Producer Roundtable for TheWrap, moderated by Producers Guild of America CEO Susan Sprung. The panel conversation also included “Anora” producer Samantha Quan, “True Detective: Night Country” showrunner Issa López and “Abbott Elementary” executive producer Brittani Nichols.

Topics like Hollywood’s ongoing contraction and Donald Trump’s reelection came up as new hurdles to getting projects greenlit during the insightful discussion. But all panelists agreed that a producer’s job has always been about overcoming hardship.

López, who teased she was busy with writing the next season of “True Detective” for HBO, admitted to being fearful of what the new political climate could mean for future projects and representation for underserved stories.

“I am afraid that a script that I have greenlit for a movie about undocumented minors at the border … are there going to be second thoughts about a movie that two years ago there was interest in making?” the Mexican filmmaker questioned. “I want to believe there is going to be a space [for these stories], and if there’s not … we need to create it.”

The same goes for representation, with López highlighting transgender characters and stories as those in need of championing moving forward.

“If someone doesn’t greenlight it, just make an indie,” said Quan, a longtime independent film producer alongside spouse Sean Baker. She recalled shooting the 2015 dramedy “Tangerine” on iPhones and using a broomstick and bicycle for tracking shots because that’s what the team could afford at the time.

The critical success of “Tangerine” and other Baker indies led to “Anora,” which Quan noted was the project her team has received the most financial support for so far. Fighting back tears, she shared Baker’s delight in finally having the resources to make the movie he’d envisioned without compromise.

Pascal also praised the Baker film starring Mikey Madison, calling it a shoo-in to win big this awards season.

Nichols, who’s worked on “Abbott” since Season 1, cited “Tangerine” as an inspiration to get into filmmaking. Though working on the hit ABC comedy series occupies most of her time — “We’re writing, shooting and airing [Season 4] at the same time right now” — she said the biggest challenge for all creatives is getting through the fear of what’s next.

“It’s a big, scary endeavor to make something creative. But there’s nothing scarier than the idea of not making anything again,” Nichols explained. “If you let the fear that is pervading the industry right now get to you, that’s what you would be facing down … We have to get back to just making things.”

Pascal closed the discussion with a big message for all of the women in the room, encouraging them to let go of the fear of making mistakes.

“As a person who’s made more bad movies than good, it’s OK to make a big, messy mistake and just be wrong,” she said. “You don’t get one chance. Girls think you get one, and if you f–k it up, it’s over. But that isn’t true.”

Watch the full panel below:

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 Amy Pascal Says Perseverance Remains Key to Making Good Projects: ‘Just Kill Yourself to Get It Done’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Check out photos from the scene below.

Guests warmly greet one another at the registration table during TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Guests capture some good memories during TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Guests participate in TheWrap’s Seeds of Aspiration Manifestation Board during the Power Women Summit 2024.

Guest participates in the Seeds of Aspiration Manifestation Board during TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Power Women Summit 2024 attendees enjoy the Maybourne’s coffee corner and Seeds of Aspiration community wall.

A guest shows off her brand new Power Women Summit tote.

Guests grab breakfast before the panels begin!

Guests grab breakfast before the panels begin!

Audiences are filled with anticipation as speakers prepare to take the stage at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Audiences enjoy their experience at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Sharon Waxman, founder and editor-in-chief of TheWrap, speaks onstage during the event’s opening remarks.

Sharon Waxman, founder and editor-in-chief of TheWrap, speaks onstage during the event’s opening remarks.

Poet Yazmin Monet Watkins performs an original poem onstage at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Olympic champion Jordan Chiles gives TheWrap’s Power Women Summit’s 2024 keynote address.

Laura Dern and Stacey Abrams speak onstage during the Power Women Summit 2024’s first Spotlight Conversation.

Laura Dern speaks onstage during the Power Women Summit 2024’s first Spotlight Conversation with Stacey Abrams.

Stacey Abrams speaks onstage during TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Sharon Waxman interviews Dakota and Elle Fanning and Lewellen Pictures producing partner Brittany Kahan Ward during the summit’s second Spotlight Conversation.

Dakota and Elle Fanning and Lewellen Pictures producing partner Brittany Kahan Ward during the summit’s second Spotlight Conversation.

Elle Fanning speaks onstage at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning speak during the day’s second Spotlight Conversation.

Dakota and Elle Fanning, Sharon Waxman and producer Amy Pascal inside the Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Dakota Fanning shows off her profile in TheWrapBook.

Stylist, journalist, producer and moderator Joe Zee, Lalaluxe founder Nicole Pollard Bayme, stylist and brand strategist Micaela Erlanger, fashion historian and author Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, model Lauren Wasser and stylist Katie Bofshever speak onstage during “Her Wardrobe, Her Power: The Psychology of Fashion, Confidence & Success,” presented by South Coast Plaza.

Nicole Pollard Bayme, Micaela Erlanger and Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell speak onstage during “Her Wardrobe, Her Power: The Psychology of Fashion, Confidence & Success,” presented by South Coast Plaza.

Micaela Erlanger speaks during “Her Wardrobe, Her Power: The Psychology of Fashion, Confidence & Success,” presented by South Coast Plaza.

Lauren Wasser and Katie Bofshever speak onstage during “Her Wardrobe, Her Power: The Psychology of Fashion, Confidence & Success,” presented by South Coast Plaza.

Kate Bofshever speaks onstage during “Her Wardrobe, Her Power: The Psychology of Fashion, Confidence & Success,” presented by South Coast Plaza.

Joe Zee speaks onstage during “Her Wardrobe, Her Power: The Psychology of Fashion, Confidence & Success,” presented by South Coast Plaza.

Friends at Work founder and CEO Ty Stiklorius and Tiffany Red, Grammy-winning songwriter, indie artist, activist and founder of The 100 Percenters, speak onstage during “Amplifying Change: Women, Power & Accountability in the Music Industry.”

Tiffany Red speaks onstage during “Amplifying Change: Women, Power & Accountability in the Music Industry.”

Ty Stiklorius speaks onstage during “Amplifying Change: Women, Power & Accountability in the Music Industry.”

Actresses Kathryn Hahn, Kali Reis, Judith Light and June Squibb speak onstage during TheWrap’s Actress Roundtable.

Kathryn Hahn (“Agatha All Along”) speaks onstage during TheWrap’s Actress Roundtable.

Kali Reis (“True Detective: Night Country”) speaks onstage during TheWrap’s Actress Roundtable.

June Squibb (“Thelma”) speaks onstage during TheWrap’s Actress Roundtable.

Attendees pose for a photo moment during one of Power Women Summit 2024’s networking breaks.

Guests admire artworks on display at Power Women Summit 2024.

Ivy Kagan Bierman, Chair, Entertainment Labor, Loeb & Loeb; Thai Randolph, board member and interim CEO of Rock the Bells; Jen Sargent, CEO of Wondery; and Chief Diversity & Cultural Officer at Yahoo! Alicin Reidy Williamson speak onstage during “What It Takes to Innovate: Insights From Female Leaders,” presented by Loeb & Loeb.

Jen Sargent and Alicin Reidy Williamson speak onstage during “What It Takes to Innovate: Insights From Female Leaders,” presented by Loeb & Loeb.

Alicin Reidy Williamson, speaks onstage during “What It Takes to Innovate: Insights from Female Leaders,” presented by Loeb & Loeb.

Jen Sargent speaks onstage during “What It Takes to Innovate: Insights from Female Leaders,” presented by Loeb & Loeb.

Drea Okeke, creator, host and speaker; Jackie Aina, creator and FORVR Mood co-founder; Kellie Gerardi, astronaut, author and creator; and Shira Lazar, CEO and founder of What’s Trending & #Creators4MentalHealth, speak onstage during “Her Influence: Building Your Brand.”

Jackie Aina speaks onstage during “Her Influence: Building Your Brand.”

Shira Lazar speaks onstage during “Her Influence: Building Your Brand.”

Kellie Gerardi speaks onstage during “Her Influence: Building Your Brand.”

Audiences participation during “Her Influence: Building Your Brand.”

Jordan Chiles and Stacey Abrams inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Jordan Chiles and Stacey Abrams inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

June Squibb and Judith Light inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Kathryn Hahn, June Squibb and Judith Light inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Brittani Nichols, Co-Executive Producer, “Abbott Elementary”; Issa López, Showrunner, Writer, Director and Executive Producer, “True Detective: Night Country”; Women in Film (WIF) CEO Kirsten Schaffer; Amy Pascal, Producer, “Challengers”; and Samantha Quan, Producer, “Anora” inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Kathryn Hahn and Judith Light inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Kathryn Hahn and Judith Light inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Judith Light inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Shira Lazar, Drea Okeke, Jackie Aina and Kellie Gerardi inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Sharon Waxman inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Ty Stiklorius, Tiffany Red, Sharon Waxman, Syreeta Buter and activist Pandora Thomas inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Ty Stiklorius inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Syreeta Buter inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Joe Zee inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Nicole Pollard Bayme inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Lauren Wasser inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Micaela Erlanger inside TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 Green Room, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Power Women Summit guests capture more memories!

Guests make connections during one of Power Women Summit’s networking break.

NA President, Whalar and moderator Jo Cronk; Michelle Khare, YouTube creator and host, “Challenge Accepted”; and YouTube’s Global Managing Director & Head of Creators Kim Larson speak onstage during “Her Platform, Her Rules: Execs Leading the Creator Revolution,” presented by Whalar.

Kim Larson speaks onstage during “Her Platform, Her Rules: Execs Leading the Creator Revolution,” presented by Whalar.

Michelle Khare speaks onstage during “Her Platform, Her Rules: Execs Leading the Creator Revolution,” presented by Whalar.

Producer Suwannee Samrankai attends “Her Platform, Her Rules: Execs Leading the Creator Revolution,” presented by Whalar.

Panelists take audience questions at “Her Platform, Her Rules: Execs Leading the Creator Revolution,” presented by Whalar.

Ariana Madix, “Chicago” actress and “Love Island USA” host; “Gladiator II” producer Lucy Fisher; Nina Jacobson, founder and producer, Color Force; “Wicked” screenwriter Winnie Holzman and TheWrap’s Andi Ortiz speak during “Art of Adaptation, Books, Broadway, Blockbusters & Beyond.”

Nasim Cambron, Lionsgate EVP of World Wide Publicity, Motion Picture Group, and Amanda Kozłowski, Lionsgate Chief of Staff, Motion Picture Group, speak onstage at “The Women of Lionsgate: Generating Gen Z Buzz,” presented by Lionsgate.

Jenefer Brown, EVP and Head of Global Products & Experiences at Lionsgate, speaks onstage at “The Women of Lionsgate: Generating Gen Z Buzz,” presented by Lionsgate.

Amanda Kozłowski, Lionsgate Chief of Staff, Motion Picture Group speaks onstage during “The Women of Lionsgate: Generating Gen Z Buzz,” presented by Lionsgate.

Dr. Meredith Conroy, VP, Research & Insights, Geena Davis Institute, speaks onstage during “Charting Progress in Film Diversity,” presented by the Geena Davis Institute.

Dr. Meredith Conroy speaks onstage during “Charting Progress in Film Diversity,” presented by the Geena Davis Institute.

Ellie Austin, Deputy Editorial Director, Most Powerful Women, Fortune, speaks onstage during “Charting Progress in Film Diversity,” presented by the Geena Davis Institute.

Geena Davis Institute president and CEO Madeline Di Nonno, EVP of Filmmaker & Content Strategies at Universal Filmed Entertainment Group Janine Jones-Clark and President of Paramount Animation & Nickelodeon Animation Ramsey Naito speak onstage during “Charting Progress in Film Diversity,” presented by the Geena Davis Institute.

Ramsey Naito speaks onstage during “Charting Progress in Film Diversity,” presented by the Geena Davis Institute.

Madeline Di Nonno speaks onstage during “Charting Progress in Film Diversity,” presented by the Geena Davis Institute.

Lauren Greenfield, director and EP of “Social Studies,” and Sharon Waxman speak onstage during “Growing Up Online: Social Media’s Influence on the Next Generation of Women.”

Lauren Greenfield speaks onstage during “Growing Up Online: Social Media’s Influence on the Next Generation of Women.”

“Social Studies” documentary subjects Jonathan Gelfond and Cooper Klein speak onstage during “Growing Up Online: Social Media’s Influence on the Next Generation of Women.”

Jonathan Gelfond speaks onstage during “Growing Up Online: Social Media’s Influence on the Next Generation of Women.”

Ariana Madix and Lucy Fisher speak onstage during “Art of Adaptation: Books, Broadway, Blockbusters & Beyond.”

Lucy Fisher speaks onstage during “Art of Adaptation: Books, Broadway, Blockbusters & Beyond.”

Winnie Holzman speaks onstage during “Art of Adaptation: Books, Broadway, Blockbusters & Beyond.”

Andi Ortiz, Ariana Madix, Lucy Fisher, Winnie Holzman and Nina Jacobson pose before Power Women Summit 2024’s “Art of Adaptation, Books, Broadway, Blockbusters & Beyond” panel.

Showrunner, writer, producer and director Illana Pena and screenwriter, producer and ISA Creative Executive Shayna Weber speak onstage during the “TV Show Design Lab: Craft Your Own Episode,” presented by International Screenwriter Association (ISA).

Illana Pena speaks onstage during the “TV Show Design Lab: Craft Your Own Episode,” presented by International Screenwriter Association (ISA).

Nicole Jefferson Asher, writer and producer, speaks onstage during “Reproductive & Caregiving Justice: On Screen and Behind the Camera,” presented by Women in Film (WIF).

Kirsten Schaffer, Samantha Quan, Amy Pascal, Issa López and Brittani Nichols speak onstage during TheWrap’s Producers Roundtable.

Samantha Quan, Amy Pascal, Issa López and Brittani Nichols speak onstage during TheWrap’s Producers Roundtable.

Guests take in the panels during Power Women Summit 2024.

Brittani Nichols speaks onstage during TheWrap’s Producers Roundtable.

Samantha Quan speaks onstage during TheWrap’s Producers Roundtable.

Sharon Waxman, Amy Pascal and Nina Jacobson attend Power Women Summit 2024.

Grammy Award-winning artist Diane Warren and country singer Reyna Roberts perform onstage at Power Women Summit 2024.

Reyna Roberts performs onstage at Power Women Summit 2024.

Kellie Gerardi with a custom monogram bag at Power Women Summit 2024.

Sharon Waxman, TheWrap’s Chief Revenue Officer Lynne Segall and Jen Sargent attend Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

Jen Sargent and Sharon Waxman attend Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

Jen Sargent, Kim Larson and Jo Cronk attend Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

Comedian Mona Shaikh shops during Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

Attendees enjoy the market place during Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

Jessica Sherr and guests at Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

Andi Ortiz and guests at Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

CMO and EP of Entre.One Spence Bovee, country singer Reyna Roberts and talent manager Drew Winiarski attend Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

Kim Larson and guests attend Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

Country singer Reyna Roberts and guests attend Power Women Summit 2024’s after party.

Laura Dern attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Laura Dern and Jaywalker Pictures producing partner Jayme Lemons attend the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

June Squibb attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Stacey Abrams, CEO Sage Works Production and Senior Advisor for Rewiring America, attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Lucy Fisher attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Brittani Nichols attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Shira Lazar attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Judith Light attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning attend the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Elle Fanning attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Dakota Fanning attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Elle Fanning, Brittany Kahan Ward, Dakota Fanning and Sharon Waxman attend the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Elle Fanning, Brittany Kahan Ward and Dakota Fanning attend the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Tiffany Red and Ty Stiklorius attend the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Lauren Wasser attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Diane Warren attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Sharon Waxman and Amy Pascal attend the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Carolina Garcia Jayaram, CEO of The Elevate Prize Foundation, and the Geena Davis Foundation CEO Madeline Di Nonno attend the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Kali Reis attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Micaela Erlanger attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Ivy Kagan Bierman attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Kathryn Hahn attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Ariana Madix attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Kellie Gerardi attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Amy Pascal attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Samantha Quan attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Drea Okeke attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Winnie Holzman attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Issa López attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Nina Jacobson attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Alicin Reidy Williamson attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Jackie Aina attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Meghan Grimm, CEO of Clyde Staffing Agency, and producer Katie Baillane attend the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Policy expert and strategist Vicki Shabo attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Shayna Weber attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Comedian Mona Shaikh attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Kim Larson attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Influencer Nneoma Okorie attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

Ilana Pena attends the Pink Carpet arrivals at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024.

The post On the Scene at Power Women Summit 2024: Hollywood Changemakers Unite for Day of Inspiration, Community Building | Photos appeared first on TheWrap.

“The commitment for ‘Wicked,’ it was there even in pre-production. So this is a little over two years ago when the executive producer reached out and wanted me to take a look at casting breakdown to make sure the breakdown was appropriately worded as we were casting Nessarose (Marissa Bode),” Janine Jones-Clark, EVP, Filmmaker & Content Strategist for Universal Film Entertainment Group shared during TheWrap’s 2024 Power Women Summit panel “Charting Progress in Film Diversity,” which was presented by the Geena Davis Institute.

Jones-Clarke went on to say that the production moved forward with their mission by collaborating with disability social change group Disability Belongs.

“Then we took a step further where we wanted to really get a perspective from one of our partners within the disability community, and we leaned into what was then called ‘Respectability.’ They rebranded as Disability Belongs, I believe, and they read the script and they gave very thoughtful notes and feedback,” Jones-Clarke said.

The executive said that this attention to detail continued throughout production, including having a disability coordinator on set.

“We did a screening of ‘Wicked’ and the individual who read the script from Disability Belongs was so excited when she saw suggestions that she made incorporated in the film. And the intentionality in representation goes across the board, because there’s was a disability coordinator on set, it was really important to Jon [M.] Chu, that visually, the way the set was designed, that the audience could organically see when Nessarose would navigate in a natural way,” she explained. “So I think it was just handled in such a thoughtful way at multiple levels. It’s just a win.”

According to World Health Organization (WHO), people with disabilities make up about 16% of the world’s population, yet per Geena Davis Institute’s 2024 GDI film study, “Charting Progress in Film Diversity,” people with disabilities only represent 2% of all characters in the family films that were released in 2023. Madeline Di Nonno, President and CEO of Geena Davis Institute, says overlooking or neglecting representation of people with disabilities will cost productions at the box office.

“People with disabilities are 20%, 25% of moviegoers, so you are leaving money on the table,” Di Nonno said. “I do want to give a compliment to ‘Wicked,’ which was very, very intentional about how they portrayed disabilities, but it was obvious, it was intentional. They made sure the DP (director of photography) was right on it.”

Watch the full panel below.

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 ‘Wicked’ Had a ‘Very Intentional’ Commitment to Amplify Disabled People From First Days of Production appeared first on TheWrap.

Larson made the comment while speaking at the 2024 Power Women Summit in Los Angeles on Tuesday. She was joined onstage by YouTuber Michelle Khare for the panel “Her Platform, Her Rules: Execs Leading the Creator Revolution,” presented by Whalar, which was moderated by Jo Cronk, the North American president of Whalar.

Khare has more than 4.8 million subscribers on the platform. Her mission, she said, is a simple but noble one: “educate, entertain and inspire.” She’s done that via her trademark “challenge” videos, where she attempts to become a blackbelt in Taekwondo in 90 days or trains to be a Secret Service member, among other videos — something that’s helped her earn the nickname “YouTube’s daredevil.”

During TheWrap panel, Khare said YouTube remains the go-to place for new creators because the barriers to entry are so low; there is no Hollywood meeting where she has to pitch a show, bring her agent and a pitch deck, nor cross her fingers that someone will approve her idea.

“I don’t know if what we’re creating now would have been possible in the traditional studio system, and I think it’s really special to get to make something where the only barrier to entry is the upload button,” Khare shared.

She said she started posting videos six years ago and was fortunate that through hard work and some luck, her channel started to resonate with fans. Khare added: “I want my work to be where it can be the best story and seen by the most people.”

For her and millions of other creators, that place is YouTube. Larson pointed to some key figures to back up the claim: The Alphabet-owned video site has paid out $70 billion to creators in the past three years, she noted, and 3 million creators participate in the company’s Partner Program, where creators keep 55% of any ad revenue. On top of that, she said 1 billion hours of YouTube content is watched every single day on TVs.

Most importantly, though, Larson said aspiring creators should look to YouTube because the lines between “studio-like content” and “creator-like content” are “gone” in the minds of viewers. They simply want to watch something that appeals to them, no matter who made it.

“What we see is people don’t make the distinction between what is studio-like content versus what is creator-like content in our industry, and particularly if you’re a viewer, you don’t make that distinction anymore,” she explained.

Another sign of the lines erasing, Larson said, creators that receive a majority of their watchtime on the living room screen has increased more than 400% in the last three years. The gap between movies, shows and YouTube videos in the audience’s mind is getting increasingly narrow.

Larson’s belief in the symbiotic relationship between YouTube and its creators came after the company recently reported its second best quarterly revenue ever. YouTube reported $8.92 billion in Q3 sales, falling just short of the record-setting $9.2 billion the company reported during the holiday quarter of 2023.

Something else that stood out from Alphabet’s recent earnings report: YouTube’s total ads and subscription revenues surpassed $50 billion over the past four quarters for the first time. For comparison, Netflix reported $37.5 billion in sales during that same period.

Later in the panel, Khare pushed back on the notion that because short-form video apps like TikTok and Instagram are popular, that Millennials and Gen Z’ers have turned away from content with more normal runtimes. Her videos routinely run between 20 and 40 minutes, and her video on learning Taekwondo was an hour and 15 minutes long. As such, she sees YouTube as a home for short, medium and long-form content to thrive.

“This sense that younger generations have no attention span — and I actually totally disagree. I just think that they know if they don’t like something, they can find something better,” Khare said. “In fact, like this taekwondo project we did, it’s a 75-minute piece, and the largest demographic of viewers was 18 to 24. So I don’t think that younger generations have an attention span issue. I think it’s on us as artists and creators to give them something that matters and is relevant.”

Looking ahead, Khare said anyone in the PWS crowd who wanted to start making content should do it on YouTube because the site won’t interfere with their work.

“I think freedom and democracy with art is such a special privilege,” she concluded.

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 YouTube’s Success Is ‘Inextricably Intertwined’ With Creators After $70 Billion Investment, Exec Says | Video appeared first on TheWrap.