In 2025, only 29% of the top-grossing films had female protagonists, according to a report published by SDSU’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. The gap isn’t due to a lack of female talent. It is a reflection of who holds the power behind the scenes, where men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions.
“Storytelling shapes culture, and culture shapes ambition, opportunity, and economic participation,” said Maureen Polo, CEO of Hello Sunshine. Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine, is working to change those statistics by creating new pathways for female-led storytelling, both on screen and on paper. Pathways that lead to the well-deserved recognition of women everywhere.
Maureen Polo is leading the charge at Hello Sunshine, which has produced many of our most beloved series, including The Morning Show, Big Little Lies, and Little Fires Everywhere, as well as films such as Where the Crawdads Sing and Your Place or Mine, to name a few.
Girls With Impact recently awarded Polo the 2026 Trailblazer Award Honoree. Founded by Jennifer Openshaw, Girls With Impact is the first-of-its-kind live, online mini-MBA designed for young women in the United States.
When women are equally represented in the media, their impact reaches beyond Hollywood. Lawyers, lawmakers, and journalists, roles once dominated by men, are now seen as accessible, a direct result of representation. According to a report published by the American Bar Association, 56.2% of students attending ABA-accredited law schools today are women. A 2023 study from the Pew Research Center cites data from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, showing that the percentage of women in state legislatures increased from 25.4% in 2018 to 32.7% in 2023. At Hello Sunshine, Maureen Polo prioritizes supporting that shift above all else. By placing women at the center, Hello Sunshine reshapes not only what audiences watch but also what they believe is possible for women.
You stepped into the CEO role at Hello Sunshine at a pivotal moment for both media and women-focused storytelling. What did you see as your primary leadership mandate when you took the helm?
The media landscape is constantly evolving. Success now requires understanding intersectional audiences and global conversations in real time, and inviting our community into those conversations. We’ve leaned into that by ramping up our community and experiential offerings, creating spaces where audiences can engage more deeply with the stories and with one another, such as with Shine Away and our inaugural Sunniefest this past year.
What has most challenged or surprised you about leading a female-centered media company at scale?
In the broader industry, multidimensional women have rarely been placed at the center. We’ve seen that in funding gaps, in assumptions about what “sells,” and in what ultimately gets greenlit. One of the challenges at scale is protecting female-driven storytelling while the company grows, and ensuring our values remain intact even as our reach expands.
What hasn’t surprised us, but continues to inspire us, is the wealth of untapped female talent and stories. There is an extraordinary creative power that has historically been overlooked. We also have an incredibly engaged and influential audience. Female-driven storytelling is often mislabeled as niche, when in reality it reflects half the population and frequently overperforms globally. The data and the audience’s enthusiasm consistently prove that these stories resonate far beyond expectations.
What decisions have most defined your tenure so far?
The defining through-line of my tenure has been a continued commitment to putting women at the center of the narrative. That means championing female authorship, agency, and perspective, and spotlighting stories that broaden cultural understanding, empower women to shape their own lives, and drive meaningful change.
We’re proud that female filmmakers have directed 91 episodes across 18 seasons of television produced by Hello Sunshine, and that our projects have earned 114 nominations and 10 wins from major award bodies. From series like The Morning Show, Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere, and The Last Thing He Told Me, to our upcoming slate—including Lucky (Apple TV+) starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Elle (Prime Video), which reimagines the beloved Legally Blonde universe for television, the Polly Pocket live-action film starring Lily Collins in partnership with Mattel Studios and Amazon MGM Studios, and The Nightingale starring Dakota and Elle Fanning—we’re building a portfolio that reflects both ambition and intention.
Beyond film and television, we’ve expanded our direct-to-consumer brands, including The Home Edit, Reese’s Book Club, Hello Sunshine Collective, and our new Gen Z vertical, Sunnie. Our tentpole event, Shine Away, and our inaugural Sunniefest reflect our belief that storytelling extends beyond the screen—it lives in community.
Hello Sunshine has built a powerful brand around women’s voices. In your view, how does storytelling translate into tangible economic and cultural influence?
Storytelling shapes culture, and culture shapes ambition, opportunity, and economic participation. When women see themselves portrayed as complex protagonists, leaders, and decision-makers, it normalizes those roles in real life.
There’s also a leadership component to this. Collaborative leadership is often misread as softness, but strength can look inclusive and creative. We believe in expanding access rather than pitting women against one another. Culture doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built intentionally. At Hello Sunshine, we try to demonstrate that, both internally and through the projects we choose to champion.
Media shapes ambition as much as it reflects culture. Where do you believe the industry still falls short in expanding opportunities for women, and where are you determined to push further?
Representation expands ambition. Seeing women as protagonists—on screen and behind the camera—normalizes leadership and broadens what feels possible. While progress has been made, the industry still falls short in consistently funding and elevating female authorship across directing, writing, and producing.
We’re determined to keep pushing on visibility and the pipeline simultaneously. At Hello Sunshine, 91 episodes have been directed by women, and female authorship drives so much of our development process. Visibility builds perception, and perception builds pipeline.
What does responsible leadership look like when your company shapes narratives seen by millions?
Responsible leadership means being intentional about the stories we tell and who gets to tell them. We have a responsibility to reflect the voices of women and young girls who need to see their voices valued and amplified.
It also means staying true to our mission as we scale. Growth should deepen your purpose, not dilute it. For us, that means continuing to center women’s experiences while broadening access and opportunity behind the scenes.
You are being honored by Girls With Impact, which focuses on building business and leadership skills for young women. Why does early investment in confidence and financial literacy matter to you?
Preparation builds confidence. Research shows that confidence drops by nearly 30% beginning around age 14, and 85% of college students report not feeling workplace-ready. Those statistics underscore why early business fundamentals and financial literacy matter.
When young women understand how money works, how businesses are built, and how to navigate setbacks, they begin to see roadblocks as growth opportunities rather than barriers. Programs like Girls With Impact are equipping young women with tangible tools that can shape their long-term success.
Beyond symbolic support, what does meaningful investment in the next generation of women leaders actually require from companies?
It requires more than statements of support. Companies have to focus on hiring women at every stage and building workplaces where women want to stay and grow. Recruitment is critical, but retention and advancement are equally important.
That means examining systems, creating real pathways to leadership, and ensuring that culture aligns with stated values. The goal should be to make your organization the best place for women to thrive.
If more organizations treated early leadership development as infrastructure rather than charity, what would materially change for women in business?
If early leadership development were treated as infrastructure, we would fundamentally reshape the pipeline. Many young women encounter roadblocks long before they enter the workforce. Equipping them early, as Girls With Impact does, provides the foundation for long-term success and increases the likelihood that more women will rise to senior leadership roles. When preparation is embedded into the system, the outcomes shift at scale.
When you think about scale, what does long-term impact look like for you?
Long-term impact means meeting women where they are at every stage of life. That’s why we launched Sunnie, our Gen Z platform, designed to reach young girls in ways that feel authentic and community-driven. It blends books with lifestyle and social elements—community polls, playlists, mood boards, direct access to authors—and creates opportunities to unplug and build real-life connections. Our first selection, Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet, reflects our commitment to compelling storytelling for this generation.
The goal is to build lifelong storytelling ecosystems early—creating a relationship with narrative, creativity, and community that grows alongside them.
Ten years from now, what would signal that your leadership created lasting change?
Seeing more women in leadership roles across the industry—not as exceptions, but as the norm. Seeing more films and series with strong female leads told by female directors, writers, and producers. Lasting change would mean that the infrastructure supporting women’s voices is no longer considered novel—it’s standard.
At Worth, we operate under the ethos of “Worth Beyond Wealth.” What does that phrase mean to you?
To me, “Worth Beyond Wealth” speaks to impact over accumulation. Financial success matters—it creates independence and opportunity—but real worth is measured by the communities you build, the access you expand, and the legacy you leave behind.
It’s about using influence to create pathways for others, ensuring that success is not zero-sum, and recognizing that cultural and human capital are just as powerful as financial capital.
