Think Jam Celebrates International Women’s Day
An equal world is an enabled world. This International Women’s Day saw an incredible 1.88M mentions globally, with 234K mentions of this year’s theme, #EachForEqual. This theme is drawn from the notion of ‘Collective Individualism’, empowering us to collectively make change happen and create a gender-equal world.
To celebrate the day, our Think Jammers thought about inspiring women in our industry…
Rachael Haigh
Inspirational woman: Reese Witherspoon
In addition to her Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning acting talents, Reese Witherspoon is an inspiration for her philanthropy and dedication to showcasing women’s stories across film, TV and social media through her co-founded company, Hello Sunshine. Reese was also one of the first actors to champion both the Time’s Up and #AskHerMore movements, which continue to bring about a much-needed change to the treatment and representation of women in the entertainment industry.
Melanie Pearson
Inspirational woman: Adrienne Herbert
I saw her talk at an event a few years ago and some of the phrases she used really resonated and have stuck with me ever since. Firstly her concept of a Power Hour which she has now turned into an inspirational podcast. This is the idea that you can get up early before anyone else is awake and work through your to-do list getting ahead of the day. It was motivating to hear how you can achieve projects you might think you don’t have time for by doing this. The second thing was her phrase ‘Why not me?’ if other people can do it, why not you? It reminds you that anything could be possible for everyone.
Russell Perry
Inspirational woman: Nora Ephron
She is a total trailblazer; Journalist, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer, director … you name it, Nora smashed it. In addition, Nora took on gender inequality in Hollywood at a time when it was most likely, largely unchallenged. Big up Nora!
Karen Forbes
Inspirational woman: Erin Graham
I met Erin Graham (Head of Brand at Marv Studios) 3 years ago when she was working at Warner Bros. in the global franchise team. I was instantly bowled over by how smart, articulate and brilliant she is. She has been/is an integral part of marketing some of the world’s biggest entertainment brands. Whether in a boardroom, a brainstorm or in a bar – Erin is impeccable company and I count myself lucky to know her.
Marc Maley
Inspirational woman: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
My name, is Waller-Bridge, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
A redefining voice in entertainment and the principle that gender should never enter the conversation. Talent is talent. If the James Bond franchise sees it, everyone should see it…
Jake Young
Inspirational woman: Ali Kurr
Ali Kurr is an incredible visual artist/filmmaker based in London. She’s worked in the music video and advertising world, creating content for the likes of Nike, BBC and Loyle Carner. As someone who also has a passion for filmmaking, I’ve been super inspired by her journey and I’m totally in love with her work!
Aaron Kelly
Inspirational woman: Kathleen Kennedy
Super inspiring to take on a franchise like that (Star Wars), pick it up after 3 bad sequels and despite angry fan voices, create so much family enjoyment and grow it beyond the originals to become the world’s leading franchise. She’s a badass.
Josephine Kiernan
Inspirational woman: Parris Goebel
Parris Goebel, choreographer, dancer, creative director, singer, producer and bad-ass, because her mind and the way she moves is just MAGIC. For me, personally, she redefined commercial dance, particularly in Hip-Hop. She disrupted the cookie-cutter, hypersexual way women moved in music videos and replaced it with a strong, sexy and super bad-ass style of movement – it even has its own name, ‘Polyswag’, which she describes as “combining sassy woman fire with aggressive inner strength”.
Joe Dossary
Inspirational woman: Amy Hennig
Amy Hennig is an icon in the gaming industry. Not only did she write and create one of the generation-defining game series, Uncharted, but she also brought narrative and story-telling to the forefront of game design. To me, she is one of the key people to thank for bringing video-game storytelling to the next level, and on par with films & TV. I mean, she gave us Nathan Drake!
Jake Waksman
Inspirational woman: Jessica Elbaum
Jessica Elbaum – this inspiring woman started as Will Ferrel’s assistant and grew to become president of Gloria Sanchez Productions, which is a two-women operation that has produced outstanding films, some that appear on Netflix. Her journey of success inspires me and the work she has done to empower other women has also been admirable. She is an outstanding film producer and won the award for Best First Feature. Definitely someone to look up to in the entertainment industry!
Daniel Robey
Inspirational woman: Shonda Rhimes
It is no secret I am a huge fan of her shows. Particularly Scandal. I admire her writing, her creativity, her character development, and pure genius imagination. She stands up for race and feminism, is a mom, and has a treasure chest of awards, she is a damn talented lady.
