Women in Entertainment (WIE) announced today speaker lineup additions for the fifth annual summit in Los Angeles, California, on October 24, 2019, at the iconic Skirball Cultural Center. Over the course of the day, WIE will once again gather some of the most creative, game-changing minds in television, film, and media for a series of powerful keynotes, thought-provoking panel discussions, and inspirational fireside chats. 

Newly announced speakers include Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton of Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle, and Carol’s Second Act, actress and stand-up comedian Sasheer Zamata, Grace and Frankie actress June Diane Raphael, One Day at a Time Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett, STARZ CMO Alison Hoffman, and Ty Stiklorius, La La Land Producer and Founder of Friends at Work. 

Founded by Gretchen McCourt and Renee Rossi (Relativity Ventures), WIE is designed to address a range of pivotal and timely issues that affect women. This year, topics will include building identifiable female role models in TV and film, conscious cultural accuracy and representation, on and off-screen inclusivity of people of all abilities, the importance of female support and guidance for emerging creatives, and authenticity in cross-platform storytelling and branded content. 

WIE 2019 speakers include: 

  • Patricia Heaton, Actress, Producer (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle, Carol's Second Act) 
  • Sasheer Zamata, Actress, Stand-Up Comedian, Host (Pizza Mind, The Weekend, Best Friends podcast) 
  • June Diane Raphael, Actress, Writer, Host (Grace and Frankie, Big Mouth, Bride Wars, How Did This Get Made? podcast)
  • Gloria Calderón Kellett, Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner of One Day at a Time (Netflix/PopTV)
  • Jenni Gold, Co-Founder and President of Gold Pictures, Producer & Director (CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion
  • Tatiana Lee, Hollywood Inclusionist at RespectAbility, Actor, Model, and Founder/Editor of Accessible Hollywood 
  • Rebecca Cutter, Executive Producer of Hightown (STARZ) 
  • Ty Stiklorius, Founder of Friends at Work, Producer (La La Land
  • Alison Hoffman, Chief Marketing Officer, STARZ 
  • Julie McNamara, EVP, Original Content, CBS All Access
  • Alex Kurtzman, Executive Producer, Writer, Director (Star Trek, Star Trek: Discovery, Transformers, The Mummy)
  • Dete Meserve, Principal at Wind Dancer Films, Producer (What Men Want, Ready Jet Go!), Author (Good Sam
  • Shaun MacGillivray, President, MacGillivray Freeman, Producer (Dream Big: Engineering Our World, National Parks Adventure, America Wild)
  • Maril Davis, Executive Producer of Outlander (STARZ) 
  • Karen Bailey and Susan Lewis, Senior Vice Presidents of Original Programming, STARZ 
  • Monica Brady, Founder and COO, VUniverse 
  • Rebecca Glashow and Shelley Zimmerman, Co-Heads of Awesomeness TV
  • Madeline Di Nonno, CEO, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
  • Jennifer Barrett, Head of Entertainment, Creative Shop at Facebook
  • Daniele Melia, West Coast Head of Development and Producer, Big Beach (The Farewell, Fatherless, 3 Generations)
  • Vanessa Flaherty, Partner and EVP, Digital Brand Architects
  • Laura Marano, Actress (The Perfect DateLady Bird)
  • Shabnam Mogharabi, Co-Founder and General Manager, SoulPancake
  • Brent Rivera, YouTube Personality and Actor (Light as a Feather)
  • Danielle Kreinik, Director of Television Development, Ubisoft Film and Television
  • Mona May, Costume Designer (Clueless, Enchanted, Santa Clarita Diet)
  • Kaitlyn Yang, Founder and Visual Effects Supervisor, Alpha Studios
  • Daniella Perkins, Actress (Knight Squad, Middle School Moguls)
  • Thai Randolph, EVP and General Manager, Laugh Out Loud
  • Tiana Nonosina Liufau, Creative Director, Nonosina Polynesia, Inc. and Choreographer (Moana, So You Think You Can Dance)

…among more to be announced! 

WIE Summit 2019 is sponsored by STARZ, CBS, Criterion Group, Society Salon, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Milk Bar, and Vision Media. 

The yearly event gathers women and men who are dedicated to celebrating the empowerment of women in all areas of the entertainment industry, here in Los Angeles. Tickets can be purchased in advance via Eventbrite at bit.ly/2019WIESummit. More information can be found at womeninentertainment.com.