These stars are becoming CEOs so they can reshape Hollywood

Barbie aside, TV series and films made by and about women are more common than they were even a few years ago. Expats, Bad Sisters, Feud, Yellowjackets, and the fourth series of True Detective are only some of the recent shows to star female ensemble casts. 

And yet, depressingly, the data tells a grim story when it comes to gender equality in Hollywood. For a recent Fortune feature, I spoke to female power players in the industry, including actress and producer Connie Britton; actress, writer, and director Lena Waithe; Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden; and Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, a think tank researching diversity and inclusion in entertainment.

Smith is one of the writers of a study released last month showing that only 30 of 2023’s 100 top-grossing films featured women and girls in lead or co-lead roles. Worryingly, that figure is the same as it was in 2010 and a marked drop from 2022, when 44 of the year’s most popular films had female leads. Behind the scenes, the situation is similarly inequitable: A different study published this year by Smith and her colleagues revealed that only 12.1% of directors attached to 2023’s top-grossing films were women.

Within this context, influential women in Hollywood are devising new strategies to disrupt traditional power dynamics behind and in front of the camera. These include mentorship programs, the use of social media to boost the value of “intellectual property” created by women, and the launch of production companies focused on bringing diverse stories about women and minorities to the screen.

“My company is constantly trying to expand the thinking and the understanding that women are not the only ones who are going to watch shows that feature women,” Britton told me. Her company, Deep Blue Productions, is working on a range of projects including a makeover reality-style show starring single mothers. The first network interested in the series wanted “table-flipping” drama, whereas Britton envisioned an honest, empathetic look at the reality of single parenting. She is now working with a different network. “Suffice to say, I will not quit until the show is on the air,” she says.

Read my full feature here.

Ellie Austin
ellie.austin@fortune.com
@Ellie_Austin_

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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

- Timeline takeover. Rent the Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman announced that the clothing rental platform is giving away $1 million in one-month subscriptions to women who announce a promotion or career accomplishment on LinkedIn. Hyman described the #RTRShowOff program as a way to spotlight women’s achievements in the workplace and push back against culture that criticizes women for celebrating themselves. WWD

- Take two. Suneera Madhani, cofounder of the payment processor Stax who left that company last year, is launching a second company, Worth AI. The new startup promises to provide credit scores for small- and medium-sized businesses. Orlando Business Journal 

- First-month funds. A pediatrician who helped uncover the water crisis in Flint, Mich., is now leading a program to deliver cash aid to new moms in the city. Mona Hanna-Attisha cofounded the Rx Kids program this year and raised more than $43 million to provide new moms with $1,500 for prenatal care and $500 each month until their infant turns 1. NPR

- Desert relief. New Mexico is becoming a Southwestern hub for abortions because of its proximity to states where the procedure is illegal. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is leading efforts to expand reproductive rights in the state now that almost three-fourths of the women who receive abortions in New Mexico travel across state lines. The Wall Street Journal

- Extending the mat. Girls' wrestling is now the fastest-growing high school sport in the country because schools are finally creating designated women's programs. Last year, the number of girls who wrestled in high school surged by 60%, and the NCAA says it’s poised to become a championship-level sport in two years. AP

- Drug delay. Many private health insurers are dragging their feet on unveiling coverage policies for a new postpartum depression drug that's been out since December. Even insurers that do cover the zuranolone pill, which costs nearly $16,000 for a 14-day regimen without insurance, are asking that women try another antidepressant first or seek a prescription from a psychiatrist instead of an obstetrician. Fortune

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Hunter Point Capital promoted Conway Bate to global head of capital formation. Honeybook hired Colleen Stauffer as chief marketing officer. Halogen Ventures promoted Jennifer Kwan Mandelbaum to partner. Emilie Arel is stepping down as CEO of Casper.

ON MY RADAR

Laphonza Butler has no regrets Politico

A former Trump aide becomes a liberal favorite The New York Times

America’s first IVF baby is fighting for the treatment that gave her life Wall Street Journal

PARTING WORDS

"I wake up and I'm reminded of it every day… But I might get to a place where I will function a little bit better."

—Actress Christina Applegate describing her experience with multiple sclerosis. Applegate and fellow actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler will share their experience with the disease in a new podcast titled MeSsy.