Women Producers
“Madam Secretary” Creator Barbara Hall Signs Overall Deal With CBS TV Studios
Barbara Hall is staying put at CBS, the network behind “Madam Secretary.” The political drama’s creator and showrunner has signed a new overall deal with CBS Television Studios, Variety...
Guest Post: The Importance of Amplifying Quieter Voices in Film
Guest Post by Elhum Shakerifar At the end of 2017, I was humbled to accept the Women in Film and TV Factual Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in news, factual programming, current...
Alyssa Milano Has Gigs in the Works with Netflix, The CW, and Lifetime
Alyssa Milano is lighting it up. Deadline reports that the “Charmed” alumna has three new gigs in the works, all at different networks. She just closed deals that will see her developing,...
Debra Martin Chase Signs First-Look Deal with Universal Television
Debra Martin Chase is joining forces with Universal Television. The film and TV producer, whose credits include “The Princess Diaries” and “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” has signed a...
Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston to Star in Series About Morning Shows
Nearly 20 years after playing sisters on “Friends,” Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston are teaming up for another project. The pair are attached to star in and executive produce an untitled...
Quote of the Day: Elizabeth Banks on the Importance of Taking Action to Effect Change in Hollywood
Elizabeth Banks’ feature directorial debut was a smash hit. “Pitch Perfect 2” grossed more than $184 million in the U.S. — one of the highest-earning woman-directed films ever. Now the...
Quote of the Day: Reese Witherspoon on the Pressure Women Face to Stay in Their Lane
Reese Witherspoon is a bona fide movie star, but the Oscar-winning actress is also building an impressive resume as a producer. In a recent interview with Net-a-Porter Witherspoon reveals that she...
Zoe Saldana Developing American Adaptation of Israeli Reality Show “Mothers”
Zoe Saldana is keeping busy onscreen and off. In addition to starring in multiple blockbuster franchises and other films, the actress is finding time to produce. According to Variety, Zoe, Mariel,...
Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington Team Up For “24–7” from Screenwriter Sarah Rothschild
The women who brought Gabrielle Solis and Olivia Pope to our screens are teaming up. “Desperate Housewives” alumna Eva Longoria and “Scandal” star Kerry Washington have signed on to star in...
Toni Collette Options “The Best of Adam Sharp”
Toni Collette has nabbed the rights to Graeme Simsion’s novel and screenplay for “The Best of Adam Sharp,” Deadline reports. The romance marks Collette’s first project under her...
Michelle Byrd to Head PGA East
Former Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) Executive Director Michelle Byrd has been named as the Managing Director of PGA East, ScreenDaily reports. She’ll oversee operations from the New York...
Listen: Podcast with “Harlots” Producer Alison Owen
“Harlots” premieres today on Hulu. I had a conversation with producer Alison Owen about the brothel drama, set in London during the 18th century. In this podcast, we talk about her foray into...
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Co-Creator Aline Brosh McKenna Signs Overall Deal With CBS TV Studios
This calls for a celebratory song and dance number. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer Aline Brosh McKenna is strengthening her relationship with the studio...
Viola Davis’ Production Company Raising Significant Cash
Viola Davis won an Oscar less than a month ago and is showing no signs of slowing down. The “Fences” actress is “embarking on an effort to raise $250,000,000 in a global expansion plan for the...
“UnREAL’s” Shiri Appleby Signs Overall Deal With A+E Studios
Shiri Appleby is doing her ambitious “UnREAL” character proud. The actress has inked a multiyear overall deal with A+E Studios, the producers behind the critically acclaimed Lifetime series, The...
Dede Gardner Becomes First Female Producer to Win Two Best Picture Oscars
Dede Gardner made history at this year’s Academy Awards. With “Moonlight’s” shocking Best Picture win on Sunday, the Plan B producer became a two-time Best Picture winner. She’s the first...
Kerry Washington to Star in “The Perfect Mother”
Kerry Washington is in “final talks” to star and produce in an adaptation of a hot new book title for Sony’s TriStar division, Variety reports. The “Scandal” star would topline “The...
Quote of the Day: Octavia Spencer on Her Dream Role and Diversity
“Hidden Figures” just surpassed $100 million at the box office, and that’s just one of the many reasons Octavia Spencer has to celebrate. Spencer and her “Hidden Figures” costars, who...
“Harry Potter” and “Dreamgirls” Producer Sonia Friedman Tops The Stage Power List
Producer Sonia Friedman has snagged the top spot on this year’s Stage 100, The BBC reports. Compiled by theater publication The Stage, the list identifies the UK’s most influential powerhouses...
Annapurna’s Megan Ellison to Receive PGA’s Visionary Award
Megan Ellison has been selected by the Producers Guild of America as the 2017 recipient of the Visionary Award, Variety reports. The producer, whose credits include “20th Century Women,” “Zero...
Tina Fey, Nancy Abraham, and More to Speak at PGA Event in NY
Tina Fey is best known as a writer and actress, but she’s also a powerhouse producer whose credits include “30 Rock,” “Sisters,” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” It’s Fey’s role as...
Producer Effie Brown Named Keynote Speaker at 2016 Film Independent Forum
“Dear White People” producer Effie Brown is slated to deliver the Keynote address at the 12th annual Film Independent Forum, Shadow and Act reports. Film Independent is the the non-profit arts...
Katie Couric to Investigate the “Gender Revolution” in New Documentary
“Everything you wanted to know about gender but were afraid to ask.” That’s how Katie Couric is describing her latest documentary project, which was announced by National Geographic Channel...
Raffaella de Laurentiis Options Lucinda Riley’s “The Seven Sisters” for Television
Producer Raffaella de Laurentiis has optioned Lucinda Riley’s bestselling book series “The Seven Sisters” for television, an official release has announced. The novel is “the first of a...
Eight Female Producers on What it Takes to Make it in Hollywood
This year’s Women in Film Crystal Award for Excellence in Film went to eight female producers: Denise Di Novi, Lianne Halfon, Lynda Obst, Jane Rosenthal, Paula Wagner, Lucy Fisher, Lauren Shuler...
New TV Adaptation of “Portrait of a Lady” in the Works
A new television adaptation of Henry James’ “Portrait of a Lady” is in the works. As Variety reports, Number 9 Films, one of the producers of “Carol,” is teaming up with Red Production...
Rebecca Miller Launches Production Company
“Maggie’s Plan” writer-director Rebecca Miller has founded a production company with Damon Cardasis, one of the romantic comedy’s producers, Deadline has reported. “Maggie’s Plan” is...
Alicia Vikander Starts Production Company Vikarious
Alicia Vikander is taking a cue from the many women in Hollywood who have already done so and set up her own production company. Oscar-winner Vikander and her London-based agent, Charles Collier of...
Kristen Stewart, Gabourey Sidibe to Make Directorial Debuts, America Ferrera to Produce with…
Kristen Stewart, Gabourey Sidibe to Make Directorial Debuts, America Ferrera to Produce with Refinery29 Kristen Stewart: Gage Skidmore/Wiki Commons Digital lifestyle company Refinery29 returned to...
Woman to Watch: Actress-Writer-Producer Tracy Oliver
Last weekend, the latest installment of the “Barbershop” franchise opened. “Barbershop: The Next Cut” has already grossed over $20 million. The comedy was co-written by Tracy Oliver, an...
Guest Post: A Woman in Film Highlights Women in Science
Years ago, when my husband, Hal, and I first arrived as young filmmaking partners in Washington, D.C., the first person I met was the wife of a fellow filmmaker. After talking to her briefly, it...
Barbra Streisand Will Finally Get to Play Mama Rose in ‘Gypsy’
It’s looking like Barbra Streisand’s long-awaited screen version of the musical “Gypsy” has found a home. A deal is being finalized at STX Entertainment. Streisand will star as iconic stage...
Kari Skogland and Red Arrow Team Up for New Production Company with Focus on Diverse Voices
Canadian director, writer and showrunner Kari Skogland (“The Americans,” “House of Cards”) has partnered with Red Arrow Entertainment Group to create Mad Rabbit, an new indie production...
Selena Gomez to Produce Drama About a Young Latina Entertainer for Freeform
Pop sensation Selena Gomez and producer Aaron Kaplan are developing a new series for Freeform, formerly ABC Family. The untitled drama, described as the Latina “Empire,” will follow an...
‘One Big Happy’ Creator Liz Feldman Signs Deal With CBS
“One Big Happy” creator and exec producer Liz Feldman has inked a two-year overall deal with CBS TV Studios. The “2 Broke Girls” scribe will develop new projects for network, cable and...
Julia Roberts Will Produce and Star in Film Adaptation of ‘Wife 22’
Julia Roberts is reportedly attached to produce and star in an adaptation of best-selling author Melanie Gideon’s novel “Wife 22.” Gideon previously wrote three YA novels and a memoir....
Lake Bell To Write, Direct, Produce and Star in ‘What’s the Point?’
In a world… where female filmmakers can thrive, Lake Bell will emerge victorious. Bell will write, direct, produce and star in “What’s the Point? (And Other Fair Questions About Marriage).”...
Listen: Women and Hollywood Podcast #25 — ‘Consumed’ Star, Co-Writer and Producer Zoe Lister-Jones
Women and Hollywood spoke with the star, co-writer and producer of “Consumed,” Zoe Lister-Jones. The film addresses a hot topic — Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Typically we see...
Sony Pictures Television Backs Faye Ward’s Fable Pictures
Sony Pictures Television has taken a minority stake in “Suffragette” producer Faye Ward’s new U.K. film and television production company, Fable Pictures. Fable will specialize in high-end...
Mary Stuart Masterson Wants to Open A Movie Studio in Upstate NY
Mary Stuart Masterson plans to open a movie studio away from the bright lights of New York City and even further from Hollywood. The actress, producer, director and writer, best known for starring in...
Quote of the Day: Amy Pascal Says The System is “Geared for Women to Fail in Films”
In a new interview with Britain’s The Sunday Times Magazine, former Sony co-chairperson Amy Pascal described the lack of opportunities for female directors as “a travesty, a real travesty.”...
Jessica Chastain Launches Production Company
In welcome but wholly unsurprising news, outspoken actress Jessica Chastain has launched a production company. Chastain is partnering up with development executive Elise Siegel at Freckle Films,...
Shonda Rhimes Explains Her Year of Yes in Inspirational TED Talk
Before writer and showrunner extraordinaire Shonda Rhimes decided to spend a year saying yes to everything, public speaking was not her bag. Luckily for us, her “year of yes” — which became...
CBS Orders Military Family Pilot from Writer Becky Mode and Exec Producer Sarah Timberman
CBS has ordered a pilot centered on two influential families in a military community from former “Smash” writer Becky Mode. “Four Stars” is set in Tampa, Florida, where the high-ranking...
Marty, Bobby and Me: An Excerpt from ‘KooKooLand,’ a New Memoir by Gloria Norris
This excerpt from my new book, “KooKooLand,” describes a time, in the fall of 1978, when I was an aspiring filmmaker in New York City. I’d spent the previous year working for no pay on a...
Julia Roberts to Play Erin Brockovich-like Prisoners’ Rights Crusader in ‘ADX’
Julia Roberts is set to star in and produce “ADX,” about a real-life attorney’s fight to improve conditions at America’s only supermax prison. The HBO Films project is based on the NY Times...
Kathryn Bigelow Announces Next Film: Drama About 1967 Detroit Riots
More than three years after the release of her last film (“Zero Dark Thirty”), Kathryn Bigelow has finally announced her next project. The first and only woman filmmaker to ever win the Best...
Horizon Awards Winners Named: Four Young Female Filmmakers to Watch
The winners of the 2016 Horizon Award have been announced. This year’s recipients are emerging filmmakers Macarena (Macqui) Gaona, Shanice Malakai Johnson, Juliette Gosselin and Florence...
Spirit Award Nods Announced: ‘Carol,’ ‘Tangerine,’ ‘Diary of a Teenage Girl’ and More
The nominations for the Film Independent Spirit Awards are in, and while the indie film world — including its own awards circuit — is slightly more hospitable to female filmmakers than...
Listen: Women & Hollywood Podcast #21: ‘Hunger Games’ Producer Nina Jacobson
Nina Jacobson is best known as a producer of the four “Hunger Games” films, the three “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movies and FX’s “American Crime Story.” Women and Hollywood spoke with...
Jennifer Cho Suhr to Write/Direct Estranged Korean-American Sisters Tale ‘You & Me Both’
Jennifer Cho Suhr will make her directorial debut with “You & Me Both,” a road-trip movie about two estranged Korean-American sisters in search of their birth mother. After the death of their...