On December 2nd, hundreds of women from across the entertainment industry came together at The Maybourne Beverly Hills for a day filled with empowerment, thoughtful panels, and genuine connection for TheWrap’s Power Women Summit, presented by STARZ. Throughout the day, trailblazers from film, television, fashion, sports, and media shared honest insights about their work, leadership, and the experiences that unite them. The program included standout conversations with Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti, Justine Lupe, Betsy Beers, Uzo Aduba, Jenny Han, and Olivia Munn, as well as sessions focused on career growth, financial confidence, health, personal branding, and storytelling.
To kick off the summit, Sharon Waxman, founder of TheWrap and the Power Women Summit, opened up the annual event with inspiring words about reclaiming joy in times of uncertainty. “Joy is so necessary at this moment in time; we need it. We’ve lost a lot, so much as women, as citizens, as members of a free society,” she told the audience. “We know every day, when we wake up, that we have a president who, when he’s challenged on a point of policy, calls women journalists piggy and stupid and a terrible person. Sometimes it seems like it never ends, blow after blow to our rights and our dignity, from the end of Roe v Wade to ICE snatching people off the streets to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. And while we’re tired of it, we don’t really have a ready response.”
Her introductory remarks served as the perfect segue to the keynote address, Reproductive Rights Advocate Amanda Zurawski. After being denied a medically necessary abortion in 2022, an experience which nearly killed her and cost her her fertility, Zurawski began speaking out publicly against abortion bans. She has testified in front of the US Congress and was the lead plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas, the first lawsuit brought by patients challenging a state on its abortion bans since the fall of Roe v Wade.
Zurawski spoke about the power of finding your voice to uplift others. “My story is not unique. I am one of many women in our country whose lives have been put at risk because of the anti-reproductive freedom agenda. As more and more states escalate their restrictions, women like me are left with increasingly fewer options,” she began. “For the past three years, I have been using my voice to fight back and to stand up for what I believe in, and along the way, I have met countless other fearless women who are doing the same thing. We refuse to be defined by anything other than our own terms. We use our voices to own our narratives, claim our stories, and demand change. This is a power every woman has.”
The Sensuality and Strength: Breaking the Mold in Female Storytelling panel presented by STARZ #TakeTheLead, featuring Kathryn Busby, President, Original Programming, STARZ, Patina Miller, actress, “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” Toni Graphia, executive producer, “Outlander: Blood of My Blood,” and moderated by Raquel Calhoun, audience reporter, TheWrap focused on STARZ’s commitment to providing a broad spectrum of authentic female representation has been a cornerstone of its strategy, and explored the profound impact it has had on audiences for over a decade. “I think when you create a character, and you create a world that feels real, that you can immerse yourself in, all of a sudden, these characters become your family, and you start to feel an allegiance to them,” said Busby. “We have an incredibly loyal audience. Not only do they come for the shows, but they let us know what they think of the shows.”
Busby continued, “I’d like to say that in this crazy world, our shows, or a good show, are going to reach through the screen and grab you and say, You have to stay here. You have to stay here.”
TheWrap’s star-studded actress roundtable, featuring the following actresses, Karen Pittman, Actress, “The Morning Show,” Natasha Rothwell, Actress, “The White Lotus,” Olivia Munn, actress, “Your Friends & Neighbors,” Uzo Aduba, actress, “The Residence” delved into breaking barriers on screen to redefining power and purpose in Hollywood, for a candid discussion about their craft, careers and causes – and how they’re using their platforms to create meaningful change on and off screen, as well as advocating for equal pay. “I have heard from other women, especially in our business, about ownership and autonomy on set and having more deeply developed characters. But sadly, the one stagnant part is the negotiating table. Hearing other women talk about it has made me feel less alone,” Munn candidly said.
Pittman added, “This is when the powerful word comes in. It’s ‘no.’ It’s so hard, though. I often say no to things because it’s also about that conversation around integrity. I can’t be kind on set if I’m not getting paid. I just can’t. It’s very hard for me to bring my best self into the room, and I want to always be able to bring myself up, the room up, and the story up. But I can’t if I don’t have any money.”
She stated, “I know that I’m fighting today for what I’m gonna make in the future. I’m building calluses. If I don’t fight [for adequate pay] on “The Morning Show,” or on “Forever” or “Just Like That,” the next actress who comes on will have to fight even harder.”