About
Women and Hollywood educates, advocates, and agitates for gender diversity and inclusion in Hollywood and the global film industry. The site was founded in 2007 by Melissa Silverstein.
On a daily basis, Women and Hollywood sets the standard, defines the conversation, fuels coverage, and reinforces messages throughout the specialized and mainstream media to call for gender parity.
Women and Hollywood blogs in a unique proactive style to engage filmgoers and filmmakers with news and information highlighting women filmmakers and agitates for increased opportunities for women.
OUR TEAM
Melissa Silverstein: Founder/Publisher
Laura Berger: Managing Editor
Vicki Lee: Writer
Mariana Weber: Social Media Editor
Sophie Willard: Girls Club Community Manager
Melissa Silverstein
Melissa Silverstein is the Founder and Publisher of Women and Hollywood, an initiative and website that educates, advocates, and agitates for gender diversity and inclusion in Hollywood and the global film industry. She is a speaker and consultant with extensive expertise in the area of women and Hollywood. She is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of The Athena Film Festival at Barnard College which is a weekend of inspiring films that tell the extraordinary stories of fierce and fearless female leaders. The 10th annual festival took place from February 27-March 1, 2020. She recently launched the Girls Club – a community for women creatives, culture-changers and storytellers to connect, create, network, advocate, support and redefine entertainment.
Contact Melissa at melissa@womenandhollywood.com
Laura Berger
Laura Berger is the Managing Editor of Women and Hollywood. Her writing has appeared in Bitch Magazine, PopMatters, “Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion” (Titan Books), and “Looking for the Enemy: The Eternal Internal Gender Wars of Our Sisters” (Kendall Hunt Publishing).
Vicki Lee
An alumna of the 2021 Women and Hollywood fellowship, Vicki is now a Writer at Women and Hollywood. She believes that art can be a powerful instrument of social reform and gravitates towards stories from historically underrepresented voices. Vicki currently works as a freelance writer and editor.
Mariana Weber
Mariana Weber is the Social Media Editor for Women and Hollywood. She currently works as a freelance social media strategist and is a contributor for @netTVnow. You can follow her @m_lweber.
Sophie Willard
Sophie Willard is the Community Manager for Girls Club, our global online community for women creatives. She is also a freelance writer and editor, and an alumna of the Women and Hollywood editorial fellowship and the BFI London Film Festival’s Critics Mentoring Programme.