The professionals on Variety’s Women’s Impact Report navigated Hollywood’s turbulent 2023 only to find more rocky roads in 2024. Layoffs, a production downturn and other woes dogged the entertainment business – but those were offset by the creation of blockbuster movies, series and music that captivated global audiences, alongside memorable characters, not to mention the women who worked the best deals for clients and their companies. The resilience illustrated by the women on our 2024 report is the secret sauce of showbiz.
Pamela Abdy
Abdy joined Warner Bros. two years ago along with co-chair Michael DeLuca, and one of the first films they greenlit was “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which has earned more than $420 million worldwide, was gratifying. “Our teams poured their hearts into it. It’s been amazing to see audiences across generations come together in theaters to experience Tim Burton’s latest vision,” Abdy said. The studio was also the first distributor to cross $1 billion internationally, back in April, and has seen more home runs in 2024 with “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong.”
The Women of Amazon MGM Studios
Salke: Head of Amazon MGM Studios
Valenti: Head of Film
Headed by Salke, Amazon MGM Studios is turning out recent hits like “Fallout,” “Road House,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “The Idea of You.” Global marketing head, Kroll, credits this success to the studio’s “flexible and nimble approach.” “During what has otherwise been a turbulent time in our industry, it’s been incredible not only to see how our programming has evolved, but also to be part of a company that is investing in and committing to theatrical, as well as fantastic series, and continuing to attract and retain the best creatives in the industry,” Kroll says. Meanwhile, Valenti , head of film, is looking ahead to a number of promising new films the studio has greenlit, including “Project Hail Mary” with Ryan Gosling and a live-action “Masters of the Universe.”
Michelle An
President of Interscope Geffen A&M and Head of Creative Strategy
Recognized for overseeing everything from album packaging and photography to music videos, advertising and television production, An was promoted to her current position in 2023. Working closely with Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, An made a trip to the Academy Awards earlier this year as they were nominated for “What Was I Made For?” Does she have any memories from the siblings winning “Best Original Song” for “Barbie?” “It always starts with utter happiness for Billie and Finneas, two of the most talented humans I know,” An says. “Then, I look down at my feet and realize I have worn Birkenstocks to the Oscars.”
Jayne Andrew
Co-Founder/Head of Management, Partnerships, and Creative Development, Colture
Music lovers began attending concerts in person again after COVID-related social distancing began to subside. No one was happier about that than Andrew, who served as the creative director for Brent Faiyaz’s “F*ck the World, It’s a Wasteland Tour.” Her design influence touched every aspect of the production from stage displays to lighting to props – even Faiyaz’s wardrobe styling. The tour became a global phenomenon, spanning 20 countries across 4 continents, selling 160,000 tickets worldwide. “I knew the second people could gather again, we would,” Andrew says. “The experience you have at a festival or at your favorite artist show can’t be replaced virtually.”
Co-Founder/Head of Management, Partnerships, and Creative Development, Colture
Music lovers began attending concerts in person again after COVID-related social distancing began to subside. No one was happier about that than Andrew, who served as the creative director for Brent Faiyaz’s “F*ck the World, It’s a Wasteland Tour.” Her design influence touched every aspect of the production from stage displays to lighting to props – even Faiyaz’s wardrobe styling. The tour became a global phenomenon, spanning 20 countries across 4 continents, selling 160,000 tickets worldwide. “I knew the second people could gather again, we would,” Andrew says. “The experience you have at a festival or at your favorite artist show can’t be replaced virtually.”
Executive Vice President, Global Philanthropy, Social Impact and Environment, Sony Music
Austin leads a range of programs designed to bolster communities around the world. To date, Sony Music Group has committed financial support to more than 300 organizations. Austin has played a key role in creating partnerships and directing donations across more than 60 countries from the company’s Global Social Justice Fund. With Austin’s guidance, the global fund has disbursed more than $25 million to advance nonpartisan solutions. “Like any global company at our scale, Sony Music has a responsibility to address the climate crisis and work to create a brighter future for all,” Austin says.
Barlow & Bear
Composers/Songwriters
Grammy Award-winning songwriting and composing duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear became a viral sensation on social media in 2021 after the success (60 million-plus likes and 250 million-plus views on TikTok) of “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album,” which hit No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes pop charts. The pair also landed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and is now co-writing the soundtrack for Disney’s “Moana 2,” which is set to hit theaters on Nov. 27. “We just speak the same language,” says Barlow. “We’re very different but enough of our Venn diagrams overlap that something special happens when we write music together.”
Kat Basolo
SVP, Creative Synch, Kobalt Music
With the film and TV writers’ strike bringing productions to a halt just as Basolo was promoted at Kobalt, the executive strategically shifted focus to synchronization in ads, trailers/promos and video games. “With film and TV at a standstill, we had to stay resilient,” Basolo tells Variety. “We became more strategic than ever to pivot the synch business to other media areas.” Basolo secured placements in Amazon’s 2023 holiday campaign, as well as ads for brands like Adobe, Apple, Walmart and Wells Fargo, leading to standout sync moments for artists such as Karol G, Skrillex and Billie Eilish.
Bianca Bhagat
General Manager, AWAL
The good – and bad – news for Bhagat, who oversees AWAL’s North American marketing, digital and artist development teams, global creative department, global synch and brand partnerships teams, is that there is a regular stream of new content out there. “It’s a constant challenge to try to find ways to cut through the noise,” Bhagat says. She and her team avoid getting distracted by remaining hyper-focused on the unique sounds, visions and personalities of their artists. The result is exceptional music and standout visual content. Case in point: Bhagat has driven a creative marketing campaign that has generated 2.6 billion catalog streams to date for Icelandic jazz/pop singer Laufey.
The Women of Blumhouse
Barragan: Chief Marketing Officer
Palek: Head of Alternativ
Sequeira: EVP, Development & Production
The days of horror being perceived as a genre for teen boys are long gone, so it’s no surprise to see a trio of women in vital positions at Blumhouse, whose name has become synonymous with frights. “We connect with all kinds of audiences, and many that would surprise you — moms and kids even watch together,” says Barragan, who took BlumFest from a virtual event in 2020 to an in-person film fest this year. As Blumhouse turns 15, Sequeira reflects on “one of the top three moments of my life”: when Jordan Peele mentioned her in his Oscar acceptance speech for “Get Out.” For her part, Palek cites working with “an all-female senior team on ‘Worst Ex Ever’ and ‘Worst Roommate Ever’” a “brilliant experience.”
Daria Cercek
Co-President, Motion Pictures Group, Paramount Pictures
Blessed with mentors who showed that you can balance career and family successfully, Cercek oversaw a string of No. 1 opening films in 2024 including “Mean Girls,” “Bob Marley: One Love,” “IF” and “Smile 2.” “A Quiet Place: Day One” set the franchise record for the biggest opening at the global box office. These feats are even more impressive given the dual industry strikes in 2023. Cercek believes it pays to prepare. “I’m incredibly proud of what we as a studio accomplished – in partnership with our filmmakers – in getting our diverse slate of films into productions ahead of the strikes,” she says.
Margie Cohn
President, DreamWorks Animation
Cohn this year has overseen hits “Kung Fu Panda 4” and “The Wild Robot,” which opened at No. 1 and looks to be a front-runner for an Oscar nomination. “We had noticed that some of our most emotional films … were some of the most powerful and well-performing, multi-generationally,” she says. DWA now has the most animated franchises to cross the $2 billion mark at the global box office. As for the future, “We are committed to two movies a year — one original, one franchise and one opportunistic third, as we like to call it. And next year, ‘Dog Man’ is that opportunistic third.”
Liza Colón-Zayas
Actor, “The Bear”
When “The Bear” episode titled “Napkins” aired, showcasing Colón-Zayas’ acting chops, it was clear it was an Emmy-worthy performance. A few months later, she took home the gold, making her the first Latina to win for supporting actress. “There’s always a little imposter syndrome trying to chime in,” she says. Then, one night, reality hit. “All of a sudden, my eyes popped wide open, and I was like, ‘I made history,’” she recalls. “We deserve to give ourselves a break. It’s so driven into our psyche — especially as Latina women — ‘work hard, work hard, work hard, sacrifice.’ It’s great when it is in pursuit of your daily joy, but having that realization takes work.”
Nicola Coughlan
Actor, “Bridgerton”
Coughlan had a big year, taking center stage in Netflix’s megahit “Bridgerton,” starring in the comedy series “Big Mood” and released the British comedy “Seize Them!” “I want to see the female Walter White. I want to see women do terrible things uncompromisingly, and we don’t have to moralize it or go like, well, what was the reason?” Coughlan says, expressing her desire for more female characters to explore the “moral gray area,” similar to her “Bridgerton” character, Penelope. “I mean, I think it’s so boring when women have to play one-dimensional roles, like you’re either the good character or you’re the body.”
Olivia Cooke and Emma D’arcy
Actors, “House of the Dragon”
One show — “The House of the Dragon” — but two powerhouses. When it comes to female characters embodied on screen, Cooke put it simply: “Stop using the word ‘strong’ to describe female characters. It’s so reductive and patronizing.” She continued, “A breakthrough for female character development would be for the industry to accept that people come with baggage and flaws, are imperfect and ugly and exciting and soft, and all the things in between. That we’re not preternaturally youthful and that sex and sexuality get better with age and wisdom. I would love to see more of an embracing and reflection of that.” D’Arcy says what they’re “desperate to see” is more women, more transgender, nonconforming people writing and directing the work, because I think that’s how we end up with new and better stories.”
Bejidé Davis
Partner, Granderson Des Rochers LLP
An entertainment law generalist, Davis helps clients — including Ne-Yo and Needlz — grow their careers to new heights. Through the firm’s work on the $300 million acquisition of Quality Control Music by HYBE, she helped clients Keven “Coach” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas usher their musical empire into a new era. “We are apologizing less for simply occupying a space. We are stating and standing by strong opinions,” she says of women in the industry. “All of this dovetails into how we, as women, represent our clients — we can make asks that may otherwise seem ‘bold’ and make the case for and stand behind them.”
Debbie Deuble Hill
Partner, Sr. VP, Agent Media Rights, Independent Artist Group
Deuble Hill has been at IAG for over 18 years — but she’s just getting started. She has represented clients who have sold numerous “New York Times” bestseller titles, many of which come from her signature client, Entangled Publishing. Her professional purvey includes the YA romance world, having signed novelist Ana Huang. Also, Deuble Hill sold the book on which Oscar nominee “Nimona” was based on. She’s been affectionately referred to as the “Swiss Army Knife” of IAG as she has a hand in every department: Film, TV, and Talent & Music.