Women and Hollywood


Melissa Silverstein is the founder and editor of Women and Hollywood, one of the most respected sites for issues related to women and film as well as other areas of pop culture. Women and Hollywood educates, advocates, and agitates for gender parity across the entertainment industry.

She is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of The Athena Film Festival. The 4th annual festival will take place from February 6-9, 2014 at Barnard College in NYC.

Melissa recently published the first book from Women and Hollywood, In Her Voice: Women Directors Talk Directing, which is a compilation of over 40 interviews that have appeared on the site.

Email Melissa

Women and Hollywood

Watch This: Lauren Graham on her New YA Novel and Parenthood

Watch the insanely charming Lauren Graham talk about her new YA novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe, about a young woman who is trying to make it on Broadway in the 90s.
  • By Kerensa Cadenas
  • |
  • May 20, 2013 1:15 PM
  • |
  • 0 Comments

British Study Shows Older Women are Pushed Off Screen

A British study showed that as women television hosts age, they are increasingly pushed off screen. The study, which looked at BBC, Sky, ITN and Channel 5, tallied that out of 481 presenters at all the networks only 26 women over 50 are regularly on screen.
  • By Kerensa Cadenas
  • |
  • May 20, 2013 12:30 PM
  • |
  • 0 Comments

Trailer Roundup: Women Created Fall TV Shows

We've been reporting quite a bit about the Fall TV pick ups recently. Only 8 women created shows were picked up among all the networks which is a really depressing number.
  • By Kerensa Cadenas
  • |
  • May 17, 2013 1:15 PM
  • |
  • 1 Comment

Women Created Shows That Have Been Canceled

The last couple weeks have been a bloodbath when it's come to television cancellations. Great women created shows like Ann Biderman's Southland on TNT didn't make it. Here are some of the women created shows that got canceled this season with a focus on the main networks. We hope to see more great work from these talented women on our television screens again soon.
  • By Kerensa Cadenas
  • |
  • May 17, 2013 11:15 AM
  • |
  • 7 Comments

First Trailer: FX's The Bridge - Created by Meredith Stiehm

Earlier this year, FX announced the 13 episode pick up of Meredith Stiehm's The Bridge, an adaptation of Bron about the Denmark/Sweden border.
  • By Kerensa Cadenas
  • |
  • May 16, 2013 11:00 AM
  • |
  • 0 Comments

Why Women in Power Positions Matter

While we are stil digesting the bad news from yesterday with the release of statistics on the low amount of women onscreen in films, TV continues to be the bright spot regarding women's representation onscreen. But as the film study showed, having women in leadership behinds the scenes matters to what we see onscreen, and the recently renewed Nashville is a sterling example of the importance of women's leadership.
  • By Melissa Silverstein
  • |
  • May 15, 2013 11:00 AM
  • |
  • 0 Comments

Watch This: Barbara Walters Officially Announces Retirement

As we previously reported, the rumors swirling about Barbara Walters' retirement in 2014 were growing. Finally, the journalism legend confirmed and announced her retirement on The View yesterday.
  • By Kerensa Cadenas
  • |
  • May 14, 2013 3:00 PM
  • |
  • 0 Comments

Pilot Update: ABC Picks Up 3 Women Created Pilots, CBS Picks Up 1

As the upfronts continue, the television news keeps coming out. ABC has picked up 3 women created pilots, including Super Fun Night from the hilarious Rebel Wilson and Trophy Wife from Emily Halpern and the very funny Sarah Haskins. CBS has picked up the gloriously soapy sounding Reckless from Dana Stevens and directed by Catherine Hardwicke. 
  • By Kerensa Cadenas
  • |
  • May 13, 2013 2:27 PM
  • |
  • 0 Comments

Olivia Colman, 'Girls' Take Home BAFTA TV Awards

Last night, BAFTA handed out their TV awards. Actress Olivia Colman won big--receiving both the female performance in a comedy award for Twenty Twelve and supporting actress award for Accused (Mo's Story). Girls took home best international show.
  • By Kerensa Cadenas
  • |
  • May 13, 2013 11:25 AM
  • |
  • 0 Comments

Pilot Watch: The CW Is Clear Early Winner for Women, NBC and Fox Order No Women Written Shows

This is crunch week in TV land where current shows either get picked up for next season or cancelled and some happy pilot writers get a series pickup.  As of this morning, NBC, Fox and The CW have announced their pickups.
  • By Melissa Silverstein and Kerensa Cadenas
  • |
  • May 10, 2013 12:38 PM
  • |
  • 0 Comments

Email Updates