From Carrie Coon to Rocio Guerrero: Women Based in NY and Beyond Who Made a Big Impact on the

The past year has been a challenging one for many in the entertainment biz, and the women on this year’s New York Women’s Impact Report were not immune to disruptions caused by labor strife and consolidation. But they also shone brightly, delivering standout performances, productions and deals, be they for the stage, screen or in the C-suite. We at Variety salute their achievement and grit. 

Edited by Diane Garrett

• Danielle Aguirre 

  

  Exec VP & general counsel, National Music Publishers’ Assn.  

  Aguirre has been a lead on many negotiations on behalf of songwriters and publishers, including TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) in the past year. During her 13 years with NMPA, she has played legal Whack-a-Mole with many companies and emerging technologies, serving as a key player in the negotiation, drafting and passage of the Music Modernization Act to address licensing for streaming services, and paved the way for more than $2 billion in royalties being paid out since 2021. 

  AI’s existential threat: “I think it’s OK to press pause and say, ‘Are we doing this in a way that’s ethical, that doesn’t hurt humans, including human creators?’ ” she says.

• Raney Aronson-Rath 

  

  Editor-in-chief & EP, “Frontline”;  producer, “20 Days in Mariupol”

  The editor-in-chief and exec producer of “Frontline” teamed up with Associated Press journalist-filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov on “20 Days in Mariupol,” a first-hand look at the atrocities in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, securing a modest Oscar campaign budget after the film made the doc shortlist. Her efforts paid off in March when the film won the trophy. “I was so pleased that cinematic journalism was recognized by the Academy,” Aronson-Rath says. “It was one of the most gratifying moments of my career.”

  So much more to tackle: “We have crises happening all across the world and the geopolitical situation is shifting and changing — that’s something that we really want to capture in our upcoming documentaries.”

• Sara Bernstein 

  

  President, Imagine Documentaries  

  Sole head of Imagine’s doc division since early 2023, Bernstein has this past year shepherded a slew of documentaries including “Stormy” and “Frida,” with Ron Howard’s doc “Jim Henson Idea Man” to debut May 31 on Disney+. “I’m most proud of the breadth, scope and range of the projects that we have been able to produce over the last 12 months,” she says. “The question in my mind is always, ‘How can we continue to push the form?’”

  Credit where it’s due: Bernstein salutes colleagues Kelsey Field, Meredith Kaulfers and Erica Fink, saying, “I couldn’t do this job without them, and we wouldn’t be Imagine Documentaries without them. They inspire me every day.”

• Frances Berwick 

  

  Chairman, NBCUniversal Entertainment  

  Berwick got an even wider remit last July when she was elevated to NBCU Entertainment chair, now leading original content and acquisitions for Peacock as well as as overseeing original content, program strategy, marketing, communications and scheduling across the entertainment networks. NBC again led all networks in total viewers last year, with “The Voice” and “Saturday Night Live” among standout shows. At the strikes-delayed Emmy ceremony in January, Peacock took home a casting trophy for unscripted hit “The Traitors.” 

  Creative outlook: “There’s certainly a reset happening post-COVID, strikes and the streaming explosion,” Berwick says, predicting “a surge in fresh, original ideas after some overreliance on the familiar of known IP, franchises
  and reboots.” 

• Emily Blunt 

  

  Actor, “Oppenheimer,” “The Fall Guy”

  As a co-star of Christopher Nolan’s $970 million-grossing “Oppenheimer,” Blunt surfed a tidal wave of success in 2023 — even before her performance netted one of the film’s 13 Oscar nominations. She’ll follow that critical and commercial success with David Leitch’s action rom-com “The Fall Guy” and Benny Safdie’s mixed martial arts drama “The Smashing Machine.” “Schizophrenic flip-flopping between tones and genres” feeds Blunt’s creativity, even if it seems discordant career-wise. “I want to feel excited, and a shred of terror in me as well,” she says. “If you’ve got butterflies in your stomach, you’ve got to let them flutter forever, because they will see you through.”

• Debora Cahn 

  

  Showrunner, “The Diplomat”

  Having previously worked on successful shows including “The West Wing” and “Homeland,” Cahn was convinced she would be able to avoid making mistakes as a first-time showrunner for Netflix’s “The Diplomat.” Not so. “Of course, I still made every mistake, but at least I knew that I was making it,” Cahn says. Her goal: to tackle international diplomacy much like “West Wing” feasted on domestic governance, with plenty of U.K. location porn and a spiky dynamic between Keri Russell’s ambassador and Rufus Sewell as her fellow diplomat husband to add frisson. 

  Unsung heroes: “It’s been really fun to introduce an audience to some characters we don’t usually see,” says Cahn, who recently finished filming Season 2 after a long break during the SAG-AFTRA strike. “But they are, in fact, the frontlines of democracy.”

• Eva Chen 

  

  Global fashion partnerships, Meta  

  During her eight years at Meta, Chen has seen Instagram evolve from a square-image format into a multi-cam media experience, with the launch of Instagram Stories, Reels and more. She has also strategized with representatives across the fashion industry on how to use Threads in an effective manner. Chen has also authored nine children’s books to date, including the New York Times bestseller “Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes.”  

  Lesson learned: “The biggest mistake that I’ve made in the past — and also others probably make — is measuring success by tasks done. The most important things to invest in are actually the intangible, such as relationships,” she says.

• The Women of CNN: Amy Entelis and Alex MacCallum

  

  Entelis: Exec VP, talent, CNN originals &
  creative development 

  MacCallum: Exec VP, digital products & services,
  CNN Worldwide

  Entelis helped CNN win its first Oscar for the documentary “Navalny,” “a once-in-a-career
  experience,” last year; she also developed and launched “The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper” and built CNN Studios as part of the company’s reinvestment in originals. “We are exploring some new formats, expanding the boundaries of what CNN can do in the news-adjacent space,” she says. MacCallum moved into her new role in January, overseeing digital products and developing a multimedia strategy to use data science including machine learning and AI. 

  Unified front: MacCallum is helping CNN tackle the future by removing silos. “Previously, we had different divisions operating almost entirely independently,” she says. “We’re creating one CNN.”

• Nicole Compas 

  

  Partner, Ramo Law

  Compas joined Ramo Law nearly five years ago to open its New York office and quickly established it as a go-to for scripted and unscripted television, film and new-media productions, working with companies such as Push It Prods. (“The Upshaws”), Imagine Documentaries (“Lucy and Desi,” “Frida”) and the Jim Henson Co. She served as production counsel on five 2023 Emmy nominees (including “Bono & the Edge: A Sort of Homecoming,” “Judy Blume Forever” and “Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer”) and several films that debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, including Concordia’s “Girl State.”

  Balancing act: “I think brands want to defer to the filmmakers because they want [the documentary] to be accepted as something that’s not just a long-form commercial,” she says.

• Carrie Coon 

  

  Actor, “The Gilded Age,” “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”

  Coon starred in Season 2 of HBO’s “Gilded Age,” the latest “Ghostbusters” movie and two indies in addition to booking a role in Season 3 of “The White Lotus,” now filming in Thailand, while her actor-playwright husband, Tracy Letts, has tended to their two young children back home. For Coon, the appeal of her striving Bertha on “The Gilded Age” is clear: “She’s the bad guy, essentially,” the actor says. “Because of that she’s driving the action.” Fans of the show also enjoy Bertha’s strong marriage with Morgan Spector’s equally ambitious George. “They are on parallel tracks,” Coon says approvingly.

  Abundance of riches: The actor revels in the diverse roles she has been able to play alongside women of her own age recently. “I didn’t even know if that was possible,” she says. “That’s the dream.” 

• Samantha Cox 

  

  VP, creative, New York, BMI  

  At BMI, Cox has worked to further the careers of artists ranging from Lady Gaga (whom she knew in her pre-persona days as Stefani Germanotta) and Bebe Rexha to rising country/hip-hop star Tanner Adell, who sings on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album. She effectively serves as an A&R rep for the venerable performance rights organization, scouting and signing talent and publishers, plus staging showcases, seminars such as “Speed Dating for Songwriters” and the annual BMI Brunch at SXSW.

  Having their backs: “Everyone thinks this stuff happens overnight, and it doesn’t,” says Cox, who started at BMI as an intern. “When these writers and artists know that you don’t give up when a lot of people do, they’re extremely grateful.”

• Lisa Takeuchi Cullen 

  

  President, WGA East

  Takeuchi Cullen led the WGA East during the guild’s 148-day strike last year, an experience she calls harrowing, but believes the months of negotiations resulted in safety and security for writers: significant gains include fairer compensation and protections against AI. “All of us in leadership felt the weight of responsibility resting on us — not just for our 12,500 members in streaming and television writing in both the guilds East and West — but also for the rest of the industry.” 

  Outlook ahead?: “Slow and murky,” but she maintains legacy studios “need our content and at some point, they’re going to have to pull the trigger and get us back to work.”

• Monica Herrera Damashek 

  

  Head of label partnerships for North America, Spotify

  When Damashek was elevated to her current post in September, it was a full-circle moment: She was previously head of U.S. Latin artist and label partnerships in 2022, where she shepherded Bad Bunny and Rosalia’s rise through the streamer’s machinery. Now, she’s looking to guide more up-and-comers like Tyla and veterans like Billie Eilish through the process. 

  The importance of staying nimble:  “Coming back to this role, and reckoning with where things are, post-pandemic, has been challenging in the best way,” she says. “It’s important to take smarter risks, and not let my mistakes lead to decision paralysis.”

• Jane Dystel

  

  President, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret

  The agent for bestselling novelist Colleen Hoover left Georgetown Law in 1986 for a job at Bantam Books, the mass-market publisher her father once ran, and hasn’t left the lit world since. In 1994, she established her own firm, now called Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. “It was partially my love of reading,” says Dystel of why she went into publishing. “And it was being in a world of ideas and the possibilities of what could happen with ideas.” 

  Determined to win: A competitive figure skater in her teens, she believes her drive helps make her a great agent.

• America Ferrera 

  

  Actor, “Barbie,” “Dumb Money”

  Ferrera has long been connected to pivotal female roles, from her breakout as Ana Garcia in “Real Women Have Curves” and Betty Suarez on “Ugly Betty,” to her Oscar-nominated turn in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” She’s gratified that “Barbie” had a cultural impact on a global level, and for the response to her character ’s monologue about the conflicting expectations women navigate every day. “I was so moved to see the reactions of people who really resonated with the monologue, and I was also glad to see the dialogue it created,” she tells Variety. “Ideally, the stories we tell are compelling us to see ourselves and each other in more complex ways.”

• Rita Ferro 

  

  President, global advertising, the Walt Disney Co.  

  One year after Disney+ with ads debuted, more than half the streamer’s subscribers choose that option. But the streamer isn’t doing what broadcast used to, Ferro says, pointing to recent advancements like the TV ad experience Gateway Shop, and Disney’s Magic Words, which ties mood to a brand’s messaging with contextual advertising. “We’ve brought to market future-forward advertising innovation through our immersive platforms and experiences,” says the exec, who gained global oversight of the studio’s ad business last October. “We are seeing increasing interest from clients to tap into tools that provide simplicity, and seamless access to the most premium inventory.”

• The N.Y. Women of “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”: Naomi Watts, Chloë Sevigny and Molly Ringwald

  

  Watts: Actor and exec producer 

  Sevigny and Ringwald: Actors 

  Just as Truman Capote had his coterie of elegant Gotham society ladies, “Feud” creator Ryan Murphy leaned on his stable of accomplished female actors to portray them in Season 2 of the FX anthology series: “The Watcher” alum Watts plays Babe Paley, wife of longtime CBS president Bill, while Sevigny, previously a star in “American Horror Story,” is C.Z. Guest and Ringwald, recently in “Dahmer,” a relative outlier as Johnny Carson’s ex, Joanne. For Sevigny, a longtime New Yorker who pored over images of Capote and his so-called swans growing up in Darien, Conn., it was a thrill to be filming at grand locations around Manhattan. “We wanted to celebrate old New York and a bit of that charm and glamour,” she says. “It was fun to be there doing it.” Ringwald was also aware of Capote, having performed in an adaptation of one of his novels when she was very young, and believes that, with Carson’s character, Murphy “really wanted somebody who was going to offer a contrast to all of those hangry women.” For all the veneer of perfection, “underneath there are major cracks and so many of them were in loveless marriages,” says Watts, who grew up outside the U.S. and wasn’t as familiar with moneyed 1970s society milieu as some of her castmates. “It’s sad, but it was a different era than it is now.” Adding to the melancholy: Treat Williams, who portrays Babe’s husband, unexpectedly died shortly after the production wrapped.  

  Lessons in adulting: Ringwald credits late production designer and producer Polly Platt with boosting her spirit when she was trying to move on from teen roles in films such as “Pretty in Pink.” “She was like, ‘You’re going to have a really long career. And the only way that you are not is if you decide that you don’t want to. It’s really up to you. You just have to keep doing what you’re doing and stick with it.’” 

• Maureen Ford 

  

  President, national & festival sales, media & sponsorship, Live Nation

  In 2023, Ford oversaw the biggest year in live music’s history as innumerable artists hit stages across the country and more fans attended concerts and festivals than ever before. With 30 years in the business, Ford is encouraging her team to be increasingly creative in crafting once-in-a-lifetime experiences for fans, brands like Citi and Hilton, and each other. “I’m fiercely committed to championing women,” she says. “I reflect on the time it took me to find equilibrium in my career and life, and I want others to foster their confidence sooner.”

• The Women of Frankfurt Kurnit: Marcie Cleary and Lisa E. Davis  

  

  Partners 

  Cleary and Davis work alongside each other in Frankfurt Kurnit’ s entertainment group, while maintaining their own areas of focus. Davis reps clients from the worlds of film, television, publishing, music and theater, including National Black Theatre’s Tony-nominated production of “Fat Ham” and writer Obehi Janice and her play “Nova,” which was staged at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Many of the playwrights on her roster also work in TV and film. “In theater, you control your copyright, and you own your work,” says Davis, “but unless you have a hit on the order of ‘Hamilton,’ the money is not nearly as lucrative as being a creator on a series.” In recent months, Cleary has negotiated deals for Marcel Spears to re-join the cast of CBS’ “The Neighborhood,” Rae Wynn-Grant to co-host the revival of NBC’s “The Wild Kingdom” and Kelley Carter’s expanded entertainment reporting deal at ABC as well as a numerous podcast pacts.

  Why all those podcasts?: “The film and television industry has contracted, so you see more creators do go into podcasts as a new way to sell content,” says Cleary.

• Shani Fuller-Tillman 

  

  VP, marketing, RCA Records  

  Fuller-Tillman played an instrumental role in promoting Bryson Tiller’s self-titled album and Davido’s Grammy-nominated album “Timeless,” and previously worked on Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” and Grammy-winning “Gemini Rights.” Her top ingredients for a successful marketing campaign: “Incredible music, sticky lyrics, cross-collaborative efforts across all mediums, an engaged artist, committed management team and a relentless fanbase.” The exec also played a role in the resurgence of Miguel’s “Sure Thing” last year. 

  Promo goals: “I am looking forward to incorporating moments during campaigns that set my roster of artists apart from others as well as educate those who are interested in pushing the boundaries.”

• Libby Geist 

  

  President, Words + Pictures; exec producer, “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”

  Geist’s banner funded and produced the Sundance hit “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” which sold to Warner Bros. Discovery for $15 million after a bidding war, the largest doc sale out of the fest, proving that there is still a market, though small, for independently made nonfiction features. “The minute we heard about this project we knew it was special. We looked at some of the archival [footage], and saw how real and raw that footage was and were immediately drawn to it,” says Geist, who joined the banner in 2022 after a stint at ESPN. 

  No guts, no glory: “Building a successful production company in this volatile market has not been easy,” she says. “It’s been challenging, but also really fun.”

• Greta Gerwig 

  

  Writer-director, “Barbie”

  Gerwig’s “Barbie” conquered the worldwide box office last year, ending up No. 1, and earned eight Oscar nominations as well, achieving enough in 2023 to fill the eponymous fashion doll’s most expansive dream house. Even so, Gerwig has much on her plate, starting with a high-profile role as jury president at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival to be followed by writing and directing duties on two Netflix adaptations of books from C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” series. “I feel like with each movie, I’m still learning. I’m figuring out how to do things differently than I’ve done before,” she recently told Variety. 

• Rachel Ghiazza 

  

  Chief content officer, Audible

  Upped to her new role last year, Ghiazza has helped shape the company’s global expansion everywhere from Germany to Brazil. “Leaping boundaries is exciting,” she says. “I am super passionate about growth in Latin America.” Ghiazza also finalized major deals with Higher Ground and Plan B and launched Dolby Atmos on Audible. Under the Dolby integration, subscribers “can sit together and listen with this crazy amazing sound. I like the idea of people listening communally.”

  Mentor boost: “Thao Hoang at Viacom helped me find the confidence that I had the tools I needed and could trust my gut,” she says. “Working for her had a profound impact.” 

• Rocío Guerrero 

  

  Head of music for Latin-Iberia, Amazon Music

  A conservatory-trained violinist from an extended family of musicians in Spain, Guerrero began her professional career as journalist working as a news editor in Madrid. Eventually, she made her way back to the family business, albeit as a non-performer, joining Spotify as a sales planner in 2011 and rising up the ranks to head of global music cultures, shows and editorial. For the past four years, she’s led Amazon Music’s Latin music efforts, which encompass a wide variety of media (playlists, podcasts, concert livestreams, music videos, the “Hip-Hop X Siempre” doc, etc.) and genres from reggaeton to regional Mexican music, as well artists’ merch.

  Culinary comparison: “Latin music is like international food,” she says. “It’s embedded now in the culture, right in the mainstream.”

• Erin Junkin 

  

  Partner & co-head, scripted television, WME

  A groundbreaker who became the only female department head of television at any of the major talent agencies when she was elevated, the longtime WME vet has represented a wide swath of the television and streaming spectrum, from Soo Hugh (“Pachinko”) to Quinn Shepherd (“Under the Bridge”) to Brie Larson and Rachel Weisz. Last year, she and her team had to navigate disruptive labor strife. “I’m really proud of our TV department,” she says, pointing out that despite the strikes, “we had one of our best awards seasons ever, and that was really a collective accomplishment as every single agent in our department touched some aspect of a nominated or winning series.”

• Cynthia Katz 

  

  Partner, Fox Rothschild

  Katz has been a busy dealmaker to the tune of “about a billion dollars’ worth of acquisition deals,” including buying and selling music rights, assets and companies. She has represented HarbourView Equity Partners in about 50 music catalog acquisitions, including Wiz Khalifa and Christine McVie; represented Primary Wave Publishing in acquiring the Sarah McLaughlan and Eddie Rabbit catalogs; and negotiated a deal for producer Denzel “Conductor” Williams to craft Drake’s “8AM in Charlotte.” 

  Money maker: “Investment in music has been growing,” she says. “In the next five years, it’s going to grow even more with increased interest and capital, which is really good for talent and the whole industry.”

• The Women of Killer Films: Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon

  

  Producers, “Past Lives,” “May December”

  The indie stalwarts are no strangers to the awards circuit, but this year had two major contenders in Celine Song’s “Past Lives” and Todd Haynes’ “May December.” They were also individual nominees for the first time, thanks to the best pic nomination for “Past Lives.” “It was intense,” Vachon says of their time on the awards circuit, while Koffler called the personal recognition “a very lovely, gratifying experience after doing it for so long.” Yet for a wide swath of the year, Vachon and Koffler also had to contend with dual labor strikes that threatened their company’s livelihood and the industry itself. “Killer worked very, very hard to keep our employees on payroll,” says Vachon, calling it “a really dark time.” For Koffler, there was a strange duality of being “so busy and absorbed in the promoting and the ushering out of the movies, and yet so worried about, how are we ever going to really make them again?”

  Indie prognosis: Both are sanguine about the latest pronouncements about the supposed death of indie film. “It’s really hard right now,” Koffler concedes. “But when has it not been?”

• Erica Lancaster 

  

  Agent, CAA

  The Houston native parlayed her youthful obsession with “Saturday Night Live” into a career. After graduating from U. of Virginia, Lancaster moved to New York in 2007, when she went from a page post at “The Late Show With David Letterman” to a receptionist at “SNL” to associate producer on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and, finally, development exec at Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video. In 2017, she became a TV agent at CAA, where today her clients include “SNL” head writer Colin Jost and cast members Marcello Hernandez and Ego Nwodim, along with Ayo Edebiri (Emmy-winner for “The Bear”) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Oscar-winner for “The Holdovers”).

  Enduring ties: “I met Colin [Jost] on my first day of work at ‘SNL,’” she says. “I think he offered me frozen grapes.”

• Christine Lepera 

  

  Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp  

  Lepera has been a major force in the music world, protecting artists from accusations of plagiarism. In recent months, the veteran attorney won copyright infringement cases for Dua Lipa and Warner Music Group for the song “Levitating,” and Timbaland and other defendants for the songs “Paper Chase” and “Toe2Toe” She also successfully resolved producer Dr. Luke’s nine-year legal battle with singer Kesha and won a preliminary injunction for Daryl Hall, preventing his longtime musical partner John Oates from selling his half of their jointly held assets without Hall’s consent.

  You can’t copyright AI art … or can you?: “The wrinkle is going to be whether a person or some persons are involved in it, adding creative input such that their creative expression is part of what the content is,” she says.

• Wendy Lidell 

  

  Senior VP theatrical, distribution and acquisitions, Kino Lorber  

  Lidell knew she wanted distribution rights for Kaouther Ben Hania’s hybrid documentary “Four Daughters” from the moment she saw it at Cannes last year. The film about a Tunisian mother whose two elder daughters joined ISIS won that festival’s documentary award and would go on to earn an Oscar nom, but “I was not thinking about an Academy Award nomination — I was thinking theatrical success and a film that I was passionate about and needed a wider audience,” says Lidell. She has since snagged North American distribution rights  to Agnieszka Holland’s “Green Border” and Bruno Dumont’s “The Empire,” as is committed “expanding the boundaries of what cinema can be.” 

• The Women of Lifetime: Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brie Miranda Bryant 

  

  Elaine Frontain Bryant: Exec VP & head of programming A&E, Lifetime & LMN, A+E Networks 

  Brie Miranda Bryant: Senior VP, original programming, Lifetime, A+E Networks

  These two Bryants might not be related, but they form a formidable team. Last year, Frontain Bryant gained programming oversight of Lifetime, a female-centric destination for nonfiction and true-crime programming that had a hit with the explosive “The Prison Confession of Gypsy Rose Blanchard” series when it launched in January. Both women served as exec producers on the three-night series, which drew nearly 10 million viewers in its first month; the network, now celebrating its 40th anniversary, is working on a follow-up focusing on Blanchard’s release from prison. Bryant spearheaded Lifetime’s “Where Is Wendy Williams?,” which dominated social media when it premiered. Coming soon: The pair are expanding the Biography brand with five new docs tracking the careers of some of hard rock’s biggest stars and unveiling a second season of Lifetime’s 2022 “Janet Jackson” miniseries.

  Mentors always matter: “I still look to my longtime mentor Fred Berner,” Frontain Bryant says. “He developed the film ‘Maestro’ for many years and seeing him attend the Oscars was inspiring.” 

• Cindy Mabe 

  

  CEO & chair, Universal Music Group Nashville

  The first woman to run a major country music label, Mabe oversees an ambitious slate of projects that includes new and upcoming releases from veteran hitmakers (Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, George Strait) and exciting newcomers (22-year-old Christian music singer Anne Wilson), as well as a growing film and TV division, Sing Me Back Home Prods., which recently released the documentary “Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive,” and is developing a reality series about Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, the husband-and-wife music duo known as the War and Treaty.

  Fond intern memory: “They were paying me in free CDs, and I thought, ‘This is the most incredible thing of all time,’” recalls the North Carolina native, who assumed her current post in April 2023. “I never had dreams of running a label.”

• Natalie Madaj 

  

  Exec VP, global digital, Warner Music Group/Warner Chappell Music

  Madaj recently negotiated deals with Canva and TikTok while working to expand existing partnerships with companies like YouTube, and stresses the need to understand cultural differences around the world. “We want to make sure that we’re taking advantage of regional expertise that acknowledges the nuances in what music consumers in those different regions look like,” she says, calling herself “cautiously optimistic” about AI collaborations. 

  Exec mindset: “One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received was to treat your career almost like a company with a board of advisors who all bring different experiences, and it’s something I’ve taken to heart,” she says. 

• Lauren Marcello 

  

  Senior VP, late night current programs, CBS  

  Between the pandemic and last year’s labor strife, it’s been a challenging four years for late-night programs for reasons well beyond the control of executives overseeing them: the network’s marquee late-night program, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” was dark from May to October due to the writers strike. For all that, and amid all the changes wrought by streaming, Marcello remains bullish on traditional TV. “I think that late night, like sports, is a format that’s still very much thriving on broadcast,” says Marcello. “There’s not a streaming-only version of late night that has proved to be a substitution for broadcast.”

• Audra McDonald 

  

  Actor, “The Gilded Age,” “Rustin,” “Origin” 

  The acclaimed actor effortlessly swapped periods in a trifecta of indelible performances the past year. In Netflix’s “Rustin,” she portrayed civil-rights activist Ella Baker, while she embodied a more contemporary character in “Origin,” Ava DuVernay’s adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste,” delivering a powerful performance opposite Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. For HBO’s turn-of-the-last-century drama “The Gilded Age,” McDonald’s Dorothy Scott resides in a middle-class Black community, often neglected in other period projects depicting this era. Next up for the Broadway aficionado, who recently performed in “Ohio State Murders”: an Australian concert tour that launches May 4.

• Monica McNutt 

  

  NBA, WNBA and college basketball analyst, ESPN  

  Former Georgetown basketball player McNutt caught the journalism bug as an undergrad, working her way up to a post at sports broadcasting giant ESPN in 2019. As a basketball analyst for the New York Knicks, as well as the WNBA and women’s college basketball, which are both surging in popularity, she’s one of the few women — and women of color — to work on such a big platform. McNutt, who also contributes to “SportsCenter,” “Around the Horn,” “First Take” and “NBA Today,” is thankful for the “sisterhood” of her TV colleagues although there’s more work to be done for parity. She also works with the nonprofit Grow Our Game, a free program for girls ages 4-12 that teaches basketball and personal empowerment through sports.

• The Women of MOME: Pat Swinney Kaufman and Shira Gans 

  

  Kaufman: Commissioner 

  Gans: Senior executive director, policy + programs

  When Kaufman joined the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment in June 2023, she came with nearly 20 years of experience as the state film commissioner, shepherding its rich incentive program, which had transformed the local film and TV production landscape. She joined Gans, who’s been with the office since 2016, serving as the driving force behind partnerships and programs supporting the music industry, such as New York Music Month, Sound Thinking NYC and the Office of Nightlife, while leading its film and TV sustainability initiatives. “Having been in the public sector for a really long time, I understand the city government and how you can make things that seem like they’re not possible, possible,” says Gans. For her part, Kaufman is determined to show producers that the Big Apple is “the city of ‘yes,’” eager and able to host their shoots.

  You can make it there: “New York City is where dreams really do come true,” says Kaufman. “People see it on movie screens and TV and everything else, and then they want to be here and taste and live the magic.”

• Courteney Monroe 

  

  President, National Geographic  

  Monroe was behind this year’s Oscar-nominated “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” which scored the IDA award for best doc. It was Nat Geo’s fourth Oscar nomination in six years. “Even though we didn’t take home the Oscar, I still feel like we won with this film,” Monroe says, noting that Wine’s fight for democracy in Uganda has “inspired audiences all across the globe.” “Queens,” a series about matriarchies in the animal kingdom, was narrated and exec produced by Angela Bassett, part of an all-female production team. In the works: “Tucci — The Heart of Italy,” which aims to pick up where his CNN cooking show left off. 

• The Allies (Women) of “The Notebook”: Maryann Plunkett, Joy Woods and Jordan Tyson 

  

   Actors

  The new Broadway adaptation of “The Notebook” reimagines the lead role of Allie, originally portrayed by Rachel McAdams in the film, across three life stages: Tyson embodies the young, naive Allie, swept up in a summer romance. Woods portrays a middle-aged Allie, still quietly longing for her past love a decade later. Plunkett, nominated for a Tony Award, completes the trio as an older Allie, grappling with Alzheimer’s and the erosion of her memories. Together, they share ownership of the character, fostering collaboration and moving audiences to tears with Ingrid Michaelson’s score each night. “It was actually a relief to share the role,” Tyson notes. “Not everything falls on one person’s shoulders; we get to coordinate but also bring our unique [takes] to these parts of her life.” Both Tyson and Woods credit theater veteran Plunkett for guiding the development of Allie. “Each night, we take from each other, we give to each other,” Woods says. “We learn new things about Allie from each other. It’s been this constant shifting and growing.”

  Tyson’s biggest challenge?: “Reclaiming my energy and putting boundaries up. It’s not the work itself but maintaining my own wellness to be able to show up for the work,” she says. 

• Debra OConnell 

  

  President, news group & networks, Disney Entertainment  

  In February, OConnell gained oversight of ABC News, aligning the news division with the station group, as well as responsibilities across the company’s multiplatform linear entertainment networks. The expanded duties for the 27-year veteran of Disney are meant to facilitate collaboration, and OConnell intends to do that while reacting to the rapidly changing entertainment landscape. “We will continue experimenting with windowing and scheduling,” she says, pointing out that the conglom aired Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” on ABC, “which is an excellent example of windowing a streaming phenom to linear and watching it continue to find new audiences as it travels through the ecosystem.” 

• Kelli O’Hara 

  

  Actor, “Days of Wine and Roses,” “The Gilded Age”

  The eight-time Tony nominee returned to Broadway this season to star as a mother grappling with alcoholism in “Days of Wine and Roses.” “I’m sort of an artist that goes towards the pain and towards human condition and learning. This is a team that really wants to dig into things and make art out of confusion, which, I think, is the purpose of art in the first place.” Additionally, O’Hara stars as Aurora Fane in “The Gilded Age,” renewed for Season 3.

  O’Hara’s biggest challenge?: “I think it happens more for women but balancing the children and my career. There are sacrifices on both ends, you can’t deny it.” 

• Sasha Passero 

  

  VP, talent agent, IAG  

  Passero signed Lily Gladstone after seeing her in “Certain Women” at its Sundance debut eight years ago and has lobbied for her ever since — persistence that paid off with Gladstone’s Academy Award-nominated and SAG Award-winning performance in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the first for a Native American woman. Passero comes from a show business family — her parents began as actors and then went into casting, her grandmother was a singer and her sister is an actor as well. 

  Born for it: “I think that my respect and empathy for what actors do and being able to put myself on their side of things has really been my secret weapon.” 

• Rita Marie Pelosi 

  

  Senior VP and senior relationship manager, entertainment banking, City National Bank  

  Pelosi fell in love with the theater as a kid going to Broadway shows with her opera singer aunt, but realized early on that performing was not her forte. Instead, she found her way into showbiz via banking, focusing on music and film production, before segueing to the legit stage. During the pandemic, she facilitated more than $13 million in PPP loans for theater clients, and today her team provides banking services for 90% of the shows on the Great White Way.

  Advice for someone working on their first big show: “There’s going to be a lot of people saying a lot of things,” she says. “If it’s a success, don’t let it go to your head. If it’s a failure, start over again.”

• Krista Phillips 

  

  Exec VP, head of consumer credit cards and consumer lending marketing, Wells Fargo  

  Phillips spearheaded a loyalty program called Autograph Card Exclusives that allows credit card holders to connect with popular musicians, including at live concerts featuring Mumford and Sons in Los Angeles and Imagine Dragons in Dallas. “We wanted to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our customers where they can experience their favorite artists in smaller venues, so that they can feel like they’re having an intimate experience,” the Wells Fargo exec says. “And they’re almost there with their friends and family.” 

  Mission critical: “We do a lot of research and we’re constantly listening to our customers,” Phillips says. 

• Carrie Preston 

  

  Actor, “Elsbeth,” “The Holdovers” 

  Preston turned Elsbeth Tascioni — a character she played just 19 times over 14 years on “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight” combined — into her first lead role on a series; the CBS spinoff series from Robert and Michelle King was just picked up for a second season. Preston, who won an Emmy for performing the role in 2013, also drew praise for her turn in Oscar-nominated “The Holdovers.” 

  Beyond ingenues: “There’s a hunger from audiences to see mature women represented on screen in a way that highlights their intellect, their compassion, their strength, their humanity and their uniqueness rather than their sexuality or their relationship to men,” Preston notes.  

• Danielle Price Sanders 

  

  Exec VP, Republic Records 

  Price Sanders spearheaded Republic’s deal with 4Fargo, who had a viral hit with “She’ll Be OK,” and executive produced the 2023 YouTube K-pop competition series “A2K” for the label’s Federal Films division, working alongside Monte Lipman and J.Y. Park. VCHA, the winners of that competition, have released a couple of singles and booked a slot at Lollapalooza. “We were able to successfully implement the K-pop model in the USA for the first time, and it was incredible to be on the ground floor of that,” she says. “I’m excited to be a part of their launch and impending domination.” 

  Coming up: The debut album from Grammy Award-winning producer ATL Jacob.

• Pilar Queen 

  

  Publishing agent, UTA

  Queen thinks two years ahead to help luminaries from entertainment, journalism, tech and other professions — such as ABC News’ Deborah Roberts and actor Elliot Page — get their stories out. She worked on Kara Swisher’s latest release, “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story,” sold Brooke Shields’ highly anticipated nonfiction book to Flatiron Books and handled book deals for Mary Trump and Brian Tyler Cohen.

  In-house mentor: The agent found her first mentor in UTA partner and board member Blair Kohan at age 40. “I didn’t even know I needed a mentor until I found one,” she says, praising Kohan’s “confidence, kindness and ability to cut through the BS — and do it in a way that doesn’t hurt people’s feelings.”

• The Women of “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV”: Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz 

  

  Robertson: Exec producer-director and founder of Maxine Prods. 

  Schwartz: Co-executive producer and director

  Robertson and Schwartz’s explosive ID docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” uncovered disturbing allegations of inappropriate behavior on various Dan Schneider-produced Nickelodeon series in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Drake Bell, one of the stars of “Drake & Josh,” comes forward in the series for the first time as the child star sexually assaulted by dialogue coach Brian Peck. When the pair, who previously collaborated on “The New York Times Presents” FX docuseries, saw online clips of Schneider’s series that appeared to sexualize young child stars like Ariana Grande, they decided the subject matter was worthy of a docuseries. “We thought it was of real value to dig in because it concerns working environments for children and because the content that was created on these sets was then distributed to children around the world,” Robertson says. While others have tried to tell this story, Schwartz explains that “we had an environment, the space and the support where we could take the time to build relationships with subjects and they could trust us to tell their stories.” As showrunner on “The New York Times Presents,” Robertson oversaw its similarly explosive installment, “Framing Britney Spears,” and has since launched her Maxine Prods. banner, part of Sony Pictures Television. 

  Inspirational women: “I started my career working at Maysles Films, which was run by some incredible women, including Susan Froemke and Deborah Dickson, who remain idols of mine,” Robertson says.

• Kali Reis 

  

  Actor, “True Detective: Night Country”

  Reis knocked the socks off HBO audiences tuning into “True Detective: Night Country,” more than holding her own opposite co-star Jodie Foster with only two prior screen credits under her belt. “I was excited and terrified simultaneously,” says Reis, who portrays Evangeline Navarro, a state trooper of Indigenous descent in a remote Alaska town. A boxer until 2017, the Rhode Island native who now lives in South Philly with her manager husband is a big believer in preparation; Indigenous on her mother’s side, she took great care in learning about the native community in Alaska before undertaking the role.

  Biggest surprise? “How much fun we had doing intense dark stories, no pun intended,” says Reis, who just began production on “Mercy,” co-starring Chris Pratt.

• Meredith Scardino 

  

  Showrunner, “Girls5eva”

  Season 3 of Scardino’s “Girls5eva” moved to Netflix in March, giving new life to the Peacock series about a female band that reunites in middle age. Scardino, who was nominated for a writing Emmy the show’s first season, previously won four Emmys for her work on “The Colbert Report,” and collaborates with fellow executive producers from “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” including Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Scardino considers herself very fortunate to write for all three. “So much of it is being able to be around them and try to absorb the runoff and learn how to do it yourself.”

• Sarah Sherman 

  

  Performer, “Saturday Night Live”

  Promoted in 2023 to repertory player, Sherman’s rise from sketch breakout to “SNL” mainstay has in many ways mirrored her adaptation to the show’s famously punishing schedule. “Every week is just throwing a bunch of shit at the wall and sometimes you don’t find out until 4 o’clock in the morning whether or not an idea is good,” she says. But with recent turns in Adam Sandler’s “You Are So Not Invited to My Bar Mitzvah” and animated “Nimona” under her belt, Sherman has realized that it’s not the bells and whistles of her oddball comedy bits that have made her an in-demand talent, but what’s underneath. “As a performer, you do have to remember to be yourself — you’re good.”

• Celine Song 

  

  Writer-director, “Past Lives”  

  Song’s “Past Lives,” her theatrical debut, earned an Oscar best pic nom and another nomination for her elegiac screenplay, along with trophies from the DGA, Gothams and Indie Spirits. The multihyphenate, who worked in theater before directing her first film, drew upon her own experiences as a Korean immigrant while writing the story about the price of female ambition, and leaned heavily on veterans including producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, while making it. “It’s just always so hard to walk into something without the experience of having done it before,” says Song, now prepping “Materialists.” “They’ve made so many films before that you’re able to borrow their experience.”   

• Anjali Sud 

  

  CEO, Tubi

  Since joining Tubi from Vimeo in August 2023, Sud has given the Fox-owned ad-supported streamer a major makeover. The most obvious change is cosmetic (redesigned logo and user interface), but the bigger transformation is the adoption of a guiding philosophy Sud describes as “free entertainment for the cordless generation,” reflected in new youth-oriented original series such as “Boarders,” “Dead Hot” and “Big Mood.” So far, it appears to be working. 

  Proper C-suite ’tude: “It’s so important to question, learn and understand versus act, initially, but you also need to have a mission and conviction and be a little fearless and willing to take risks and not give up,” she says.

• Jessica Tarlov 

  

  Co-host , “The Five,” Fox News  

  The lone liberal on Fox News’ live panel show, “The Five,” Tarlov isn’t shy about voicing a dissenting opinion. Arguably the reason “The Five” has such a politically diverse audience, Tarlov hopes she might influence some viewers about the day’s news, how they consume information and maybe even how they view politics — especially since she’s involved in Fox News’ 2024 election coverage.

  Lessons from a reformed people pleaser: “You really don’t want to ruffle feathers and always want to be on everyone’s good side,” she says. “But then you end up de-prioritizing things you actually need for yourself to stay healthy.” 

• Danya Taymor 

  

  Director, “The Outsiders”

  Taymor, a woman leading a musical centered on boyhood, returns to Broadway with “The Outsiders” after an acclaimed run in San Diego. She’s reimagined the novel and the 1983 film for the stage, and it received 12 Tony nominations, including one for her direction. “The thing that struck me the most about the story was the rawness and the realness of the book. … It was important to keep it feeling really authentic and not put a varnish on the experience of these young people’s lives.” 

  Rallying the troupers:  “The biggest challenge but also the most wonderful part is harnessing the hundreds of people who are working on this so they feel like it’s their baby, too. … Everybody has skin in the game.”

• Melissa Thomas 

  

  Exec VP, international marketing, U.S. repertoire, Sony Music Entertainment  

  In the past year, Thomas has contributed to the global success of Grammy-winning hits including Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and Tyla’s “Water.” “It behooves us to really listen to the fans and pay attention to the conversation around the world,” Thomas says. “Really being open and reactive and moving in real time as we see these connections and stories building around the globe.” 

  Mom knows best: “She was always someone in my life that came from humble means and told me that there wasn’t anything I couldn’t achieve. And it’s a philosophy that I’ve maintained and held on to,” Thomas says. 

• Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi 

  

  Producer, director and co-founder, Little Monster Films  

  Oscar-winner Vasarhelyi made the leap to narrative filmmaking with “Nyad,” which she co-directed
  with her husband, Jimmy Chin. The film about Diana Nyad’s multiple attempts and eventual successful swim from Cuba to Florida earned Oscar nominations for the film’s stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster. The filmmaking pair followed that up with the Nat Geo docuseries “Photographer.” “I look at fiction and nonfiction films as quite similar in terms of craft, and in terms of it all being about a good story,” Vasarhelyi says. “The idea that we were able to bring Diana Nyad and Bonnie Stoll’s stories to life and be recognized for it felt really, really good.”

  Tough outlook: “We are experiencing a pretty serious contraction in the nonfiction market,” she says. “I don’t know if ‘Cutie and the Boxer’ could be made today and that is one of my favorite films.” 

• Alex Wagner 

  

  Host, “Alex Wagner Tonight”  

  The host of MSNBC’s “Alex Wagner Tonight” approaches every story with intellectual curiosity and rigor. “Our job as journalists is to drink from the fire hose and enjoy it,” Wagner says of the unrelenting news cycle. Surveying Donald Trump’s criminal trials and an impending election she characterizes as “one of the most consequential moments in American political history,” Wagner emphasizes the importance of transparency with viewers about the facts of every story — especially if they aren’t correct. “The only way you’re going to get people to trust you is first by showing that you’re not infallible — and when you are wrong, you acknowledge it.”

• Up Next: Avantika 

  

  Actor, “Mean Girls” 

  Avantika, an Indian actor that goes by her first name, booked roles in “Diary of a Future President” and “Sex Lives of College Girls” before landing the role of Karen in Paramount’s remake of “Mean Girls.” She learned that she would play her favorite character from the original film in an email after one audition. Avantika wants to explore more genres that women of color aren’t represented in and is interested in “paving the way so that more women of color can take up those opportunities.” Next up: the horror film “Tarot,” which will be released May 3.  

• Up Next: Nabiyah Be 

  

  Musician, Actor, “Daisy Jones & the Six”

  The Brazilian-born daughter of reggae star Jimmy Cliff sang backup for him as a child and performed in the original Off Broadway production of “Hadestown” before tackling the role of disco queen Simone Jackson in Hulu’s “Daisy Jones & the Six.” Be isn’t too far off from her musically inclined counterpart: She has two singles coming out this May and album set for second quarter of the year, which she describes as pop and Brazilian with “some other flavors.” Of the show, she says: “I learned so much about the women that pioneered disco music,” she says. “And maybe one day I’ll get to really give them the shout out I want to.”

• Up Next: Nichelle Lewis 

  

  Actor, “The Wiz”

  Lewis was singing on TikTok when she caught the attention of the creative team for the Broadway-bound revival of “The Wiz.” Her rendition of “Home,” the show’s pivotal 11 o’clock number, landed her an audition, and ultimately, the role of Dorothy. After a six-month national tour, the Virginia native and the cast landed in New York last month, where she now leads the ensemble in her Broadway debut.

• Up Next: Francesca Scorsese 

  

  Actor, director, awards season chronicler  

  An emerging actor and director in her own right, Scorsese provided a series of disarming behind-the-scenes glimpses of the awards campaign trail, accompanying her filmmaker father to the Cannes premiere of “Killers of the Flower Moon” through the Oscars, posting video of the renowned director enjoying Ryan Gosling’s elaborate rendition of “I’m Just Ken” on social media. Her short, “Fish Out of Water,” dedicated to her ailing mom, screened at Cannes last year and in competition at Tribeca, and she has a role in Cannes-bound “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” alongside Michael Cera. Which creative endeavor does she prefer? “That’s kind of the dilemma of my life right now,” says Scorsese, an NYU grad who grew up thinking she was just going to direct but finds herself drawn to acting as well. As for fatherly advice: “He’s really nosy, but not in a bad way,” she says. “He’s always bugging me about what my next thing is.”

• Up Next: Demi Singleton 

  

  Actor, “Lawmen: Bass Reeves”

  After playing young Serena Williams in “King Richard,” Singleton joined the Western series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” as Sally, the daughter of David Oyelowo’s title character, the first Black U.S. deputy marshal to serve west of the Mississippi. “She’s a writer, and I feel like her poetry is a way for her to escape her reality,” says Singleton, who is glad to share Bass Reeves’ story with the world: “He and his family are finally getting the credit that they deserve for what they did for their people, for other people, for everyone during their time.” 

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