This week is the 4th birthday of Women and Hollywood. It’s been an amazingly great year for me and for the blog. But none of my success would be possible without all the people who take the time to read the site. So I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support, suggestions, grammar and spelling corrections, guest posts, transcriptions, research and everything else this great and growing community does to help spread the word.

Without you I would be just a woman sitting in her bedroom/office (right now I am sitting on my bed with the dog at my feet) who loves movies and TV (and everything else about entertainment) blogging her thoughts and trying to figure out how we get women to be counted as equals in the entertainment business. What always gets me is that the idea is simple. Take us seriously. Give us opportunities. Count out dollars as much as you count the guys.

But it really isn’t that simple. It’s about our culture. Hollywood is a reflection of our culture and it also has the opportunity to push the culture. That’s why it is so important that we keep fighting the fight. That’s why it is important to put women’s voices and visions out front. Because they matter. Because they have value.

And I want to say a big thank you to all the women who work in the business. You inspire me. You make me keep going. Your stories — the good, the bad and the horrifically awful — are what makes me write every morning at 6am.

Here are some of the great milestones of the past year:

• The launch of the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College.

• The move to IndieWIRE.

• Participating on a jury for the International Women’s Film Festival in Germany.

• Getting recognized as one of the top 100 website for women by Forbes, and being listed as one of the top 100 arts tweeters by the Times of London.

As I head into year five I am very excited about some upcoming activities:

• My first foray to the Toronto Film Festival. I’ve wanted to go as a fan for years and now I am going to cover it and have some amazing interviews already scheduled.

• Another jury experience — I am heading to Romania in early October to be on the jury on the Romanian International Film Festival

• The second Athena Film Festival — I spent my summer screening some great films and I am so looking forward to our second edition of the festival which will be held at Barnard College from February 9–12, 2012.

• Getting the Pink List up and running.

• Developing a Women and Hollywood screening program. I already do this on a small scale in NY but I am exploring ways to expand it.

• And finally — the publication of the e-book- In Her Own Voice: Women Directors Talk Directing. I know I’ve been threatening the book for over a year now. Well I have to say it is so much harder to get it done than I ever expected. But I can see the finish line and I will (with the help of some amazing people) cross it soon.

Please keep reading and spreading the word.

Thank you so much for everything.