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Hello Sunshine (company)

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Hello Sunshine
TypePrivate
IndustryMedia
Founded2016; 5 years ago (2016)
FounderReese Witherspoon
Seth Rodsky
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California,
United States
Key people
Sarah Harden (CEO)
Services
  • Film production
  • television production
Owners
Subsidiaries
  • Pacific Standard
Websitehello-sunshine.com

Hello Sunshine is an American media company founded by actress Reese Witherspoon and Strand Equity Founder and Managing Partner Seth Rodsky in 2016. Pacific Standard, the production company Witherspoon co-founded with Bruna Papandrea in 2012, is now a subsidiary of Hello Sunshine.[1]

On July 10, 2018, its co-owner AT&T through its communications division announced the launch of a Hello Sunshine branded cable and satellite television channel Hello Sunshine Channel focused on women similar to Oprah Winfrey Network.[2][3][4][5]

History

In 2000, Witherspoon founded production company Type A Films, which she merged with Bruna Papandrea's Make Movies banner to create a new production company entitled Pacific Standard in 2012.[6] Together, they produced the Oscar-nominated films Gone Girl and Wild, and the HBO drama series Big Little Lies. In 2016, Witherspoon and Papandrea split up, with Witherspoon gaining full control over the company.[7]

In November 2016, Witherspoon, Seth Rodsky and Otter Media formed Hello Sunshine, a joint venture focused on telling female-driven stories on film, TV and digital platforms. Pacific Standard has become a subsidiary of the newer company.[1] The company's CEO is media and tech industry executive Kerry Tucker.[8]

In addition to producing content, Hello Sunshine also curates a book club called Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine.[9] Witherspoon announces a new book pick every month on her Instagram and the book club is aimed to bring women's stories forward. The book club has over 500,000 followers on Instagram, and more than 70,000 followers on Facebook. Hello Sunshine also had a Filmmaker Lab to teach 20 girls aged 13–18 the art of film making.[10]

On social media platforms Facebook Watch and IGTV, Hello Sunshine has released three short-form unscripted series focussing on female successes. In April 2018, Hello Sunshine launched the podcast How It Is, hosted by American actress Diane Guerrero.[11] A second season of the podcast launched in October 2018.[12] In November 2018, the third season of How It Is premiered with Kelly McCreary taking over as host.[13]

In July 2018, Hello Sunshine launched the talk show Shine On with Reese on DirecTV hosted by Witherspoon in her first unscripted series. The show presents one-on-one interviews between Witherspoon and various female guests focussing on how they achieved their dreams.

In October 2018, Hello Sunshine launched a new podcast titled My Best Break-Up which is hosted by Irish comedian Maeve Higgins.[14]

In November 2018, Hello Sunshine partnered with Together Live to create the tour Hello Sunshine x Together Live. The tour went to ten different cities across the United States and featured multiple guest speakers telling their story including Halima Aden, MILCK, Yara Shahidi, Uma Thurman, Nicole Byer, Cameron Esposito, Sonequa Martin-Green and Sophia Bush. Highlights from the tour will be featured in the third forthcoming podcast And Especially You which will be hosted by guest speaker Sophia Bush.[15]

In February 2019, Hello Sunshine received an investment from Laurene Powell Jobs' Emerson Collective with Otter Media has also increased its stake in the company.[16]

In early August 2021, Witherspoon (after considering selling the company and hearing the interest of Apple[17]) sold part of the company to a Blackstone backed media company led by former Disney executives Kevin A. Mayer and Tom Staggs, with Witherspoon and other investor retaining a stake in the new company.[18]

Upcoming projects

Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea will continue to produce the projects they have in development together including Luckiest Girl Alive at Lionsgate/Summit, All Is Not Forgotten at Warner Bros, and Ashley's War at Fox 2000. They also will continue to work together under Pacific Standard's overall deal at ABC.[7]

In May 2017, it was reported Hello Sunshine has set up to produce two novels, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman.[19] Furthermore, it was announced that Hello Sunshine was filming a documentary about Martina Navratilova, one of the best tennis players of all time.[20]

Hello Sunshine has acquired film rights to the novel The Gilded Years. Zendaya has signed to star in the adaption which will be called A White Lie and Witherspoon will star and produce Legally Blonde 3 which was scheduled to premiere on Valentine's Day 2020,[21][22] but was pushed back to 2022 [23] In November 2018, it was announced that Hello Sunshine will produce the novel League of Wives as a feature film with Fox 2000 but due to the dissolvement of Fox 2000 following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the fate of the project is unknown as of February 2020.[24]

As of February 2020, Hello Sunshine has six television series in development all at six different networks including Apple TV+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, ABC, Starz and Netflix.[25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Witherspoon will star in one show and will serve as an executive producer on all six shows.

Filmography

Films

Year Title Director Gross (worldwide) Notes
2014 Wild Jean-Marc Vallée $52.5 million Produced as Pacific Standard
Nominated for two Academy Awards
2014 Gone Girl David Fincher $369.3 million Produced as Pacific Standard
Nominated for one Academy Award
2015 Hot Pursuit Anne Fletcher $51.7 million Produced as Pacific Standard
2019 Lucy in the Sky Noah Hawley $325,950 Produced as Pacific Standard
2022 When the Crawdads Sing Olivia Newman Post-production
TBA Your Place or Mine Aline Brosh McKenna Filming

Television

Year Title Network Notes
2017–2019 Big Little Lies HBO Produced as Pacific Standard
Season 1: Nominated for sixteen Emmy Awards, won eight
2018 Shine On with Reese DirecTV
2018 Master the Mess DirecTV
2019–present The Morning Show Apple TV+
2019–present Truth Be Told Apple TV+
2020 Little Fires Everywhere Hulu
TBA Untitled Colleen McGuinness comedy series Apple TV+ In development
TBA Daisy Jones & The Six Amazon Prime Video Pre-production
TBA Untitled Sara Saedi comedy series ABC In development
TBA Kin Starz In development
TBA From Scratch Netflix In development

Web series

Year Title Platform Notes
2018 Handmade*mostly Facebook Watch
2018 Turning Point Facebook Watch
2018 Meet My Mom Facebook Watch and IGTV

Podcasts

Year Title Notes
2018–present How It Is
2018 My Best Break-Up
2019–present And Especially You

References

  1. ^ a b Busch, Anita (November 21, 2016). "Reese Witherspoon, Otter Media Pact For New Company Hello Sunshine". Deadline.
  2. ^ "AT&T and Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Announce Launch of VOD Channel Spotlighting Female Creators and Their Stories". Seeking Alpha. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  3. ^ Spangler, Todd (July 10, 2018). "Reese Witherspoon Interview Series to Kick Off Her Hello Sunshine Channel Debut on AT&T, DirecTV". Variety. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  4. ^ Patten, Dominic (July 10, 2018). "Reese Witherspoon To Host 'Shine On' Female Profile Series For Hello Sunshine VOD Channel On DirecTV With AT&T". Deadline. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  5. ^ http://start.att.net/exclusive/hello-sunshine/shine-on?partner=LinkShare&siteId=TnL5HPStwNw-YqaEOa6CaElEt0SdrjfLFw&source=ECay0000000CEL00O[dead link]
  6. ^ Kit, Borys (March 18, 2012). "Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Panadrea Merge Production Companies to Create Pacific Standard". Hollywood Reporter.
  7. ^ a b Fleming, Mike, Jr. (September 2016). "'Gone Girl' Producers Reese Witherspoon & Bruna Papandrea Parting". Deadline.
  8. ^ Robehmed, Natalie. "Reese Witherspoon Launches New Multimedia Venture With Peter Chernin And AT&T". Forbes.
  9. ^ "Hello Sunshine". Hello Sunshine. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  10. ^ "Fresh Films | Programs". fresh-films.com. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  11. ^ "Reese Witherspoon to produce new podcast 'How It Is', hosted by Diane Guerrero". EW.com. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  12. ^ "Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine to Launch Female-Centric Podcast Network". The Hollywood Reporter. September 5, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  13. ^ "How It Is". ART19. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "My Best Break-Up". ART19. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  15. ^ "And Especially You | Hello Sunshine". Hello Sunshine. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  16. ^ Fleming, Mike, Jr. (February 20, 2019). "Laurene Powell Jobs' Emerson Collective Buys Stake In Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine; Otter Media Ups Its Stake". Deadline. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  17. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (July 6, 2021). "Reese Witherspoon's Media Company Hello Sunshine Exploring A Sale". Deadline. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "Reese Witherspoon's media firm to be sold to Blackstone-backed company". Reuters. August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  19. ^ Fleming, Mike, Jr. (May 11, 2017). "Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Sets Two Novels For Screen". Deadline.
  20. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (May 15, 2018). "Reese Witherspoon Producing Documentary On Tennis Legend Martina Navratilova". Deadline. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  21. ^ Fleming, Mike, Jr. (November 14, 2017). "Zendaya To Star In 'A White Lie,' Pitch Package From Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine". Deadline. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  22. ^ McNary, Dave (June 7, 2018). "Reese Witherspoon's 'Legally Blonde 3' to Open Valentine's Day 2020". Variety. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  23. ^ Chloe Melas. "'Legally Blonde 3' pushed to 2022". CNN. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  24. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (November 7, 2018). "Fox 2000 & Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Team On 'League Of Wives' Adaptation". Deadline. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  25. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 8, 2017). "Apple Gives Reese Witherspoon-Jennifer Aniston Morning Show Series 2-Season Order, Confirms 'Amazing Stories' Reboot". Deadline. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  26. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 2, 2018). "'Are You Sleeping' Drama Starring Octavia Spencer Gets Apple Series Order; Reese Witherspoon & Peter Chernin Producing". Deadline. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  27. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 20, 2018). "Kristen Wiig Exits Apple Comedy Series Because Of 'Wonder Woman' Conflict, Project Eyes Recasting". Deadline. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  28. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 12, 2018). "Hulu Nabs 'Little Fires Everywhere' Limited Series Starring Reese Witherspoon & Kerry Washington". Deadline. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  29. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 25, 2018). "Amazon Orders 'Daisy Jones & The Six' Limited Series From Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine & 'Disaster Artist' Writers". Deadline. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  30. ^ Otterson, Joe (October 12, 2018). "Sara Saedi Memoir 'Americanized' in Development as ABC Comedy With Reese Witherspoon Producing". Variety. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  31. ^ Petski, Denise (February 21, 2019). "Starz Developing 'Kin' Drama With Davita Scarlett & Reese Witherspoon". Deadline. Retrieved February 21, 2019.

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