We For She is an organization formed by women in media for women in media. In the fall of 2014, the four partners of WeForShe conceived the WriteHer List. The program started with the simple desire to bring female-driven content to the forefront of development in Hollywood. Unproduced television scripts were nominated and voted for by some of the most successful names in development. The inaugural WriteHer List was released in January 2015. Upon its release, several writers on the list gained new representation, many development meetings came out of the list, two writers on the list were hired, and one of the unproduced scripts was optioned and is in development. The WriterHer list is a go-to resource for the top female-driven scripts available in television. From the focus on so many incredible female-created and female-driven television pilots, WeForShe was lucky to gain the support of our incomparable Advisory Board. These women have incredible backgrounds in development, writing, showrunning, acting, philanthropy, and advocacy and were excited to help.

 

     Galvanized by the success of the WriteHer List and in talks with industry executives also committed to gender balanced television, WeForShe embarked on a new initiative, the DirectHer Program in the summer of 2015.The DirectHer Program’s goal is to facilitate more women working behind the camera directing episodic television. This program pairs an established director (either male or female) who has extensive television directing credits with an emerging female director who has yet to direct her first episode of primetime television (or full-length digital episode). The established director volunteers his/her time and guarantees the work of the emerging director, removing any perceived risk a financier may have over hiring an unknown entity. This program is ongoing and while we most recently began major outreach on behalf of the first teams to emerge from our program, we will, on a continuing basis, be adding both emerging and established directors into our database and working to find the right pairings. This can take time, as can finding the right show and schedule for that first key episodic booking. Which is to say, there’s no specific timeframe, just an ongoing effort to put more women to work behind the camera.

 

     We're thrilled with the work we've been able to do in the last year and the spotlight we've been able to shine on so many incredibly talented, deserving women writers and directors. As our advocacy work continues, WeForShe hopes to expand and grow our reach and impact so we can become a self-sustaining business. We continue to be thankful to all the industry executives who are committed to making a change toward gender parity in television.