Abstract

Do female-led companies make a difference in media and the public relations industry, respectively? Broken glass ceilings are nothing new in an industry that is growing with no stopping point in sight. Research for this paper was based on the question "what substantial role do women play in the media and public relations field?" This question can be answered in short: females play a pivotal role in both fields. The public relations, media, and communications industries are female-dominated but not female-led, which is the problem regarding industry standards of administration, promotion, salary, and more. When half of the world’s talent acquisition pool is not equally reaping the benefits of their work, they are fundamentally predisposed to a slower growth rate and economic benefit for their industry. However, there is room for improvement and change within both fields. The COVID-19 pandemic, political polarization, and other world events have increased the need for public relations and media specialists tenfold. This could be a catalyst for change within the industries; they can now become female-led while remaining female-dominated. This paper will explore gender, media, diversity, and equity within the media and public relations fields with a case study on Hello Sunshine, an American media company founded by actress Reese Witherspoon and Strand Equity Founder and Managing Partner Seth Rodsky in 2016.