Jo Sharon

Sharon oversees projects in development across all platforms for Magical Elves, where this past year she quickly ascended from EVP of development to CCO to Co-CEO. She served as co-exec producer for the Netflix baking show “Nailed It!” and its spinoffs, and also co-exec-produced Reese Witherspoon’s unscripted series “Shine on With Reese.” “The industry still has a long way to go in equal representation in front of and behind the camera,” Sharon says. “The only way to improve the situation is to make conscious decisions to prioritize helping women.”

What specifically does your company do to support and elevate the women who work there?
Casey and I are both great examples of women who’ve been supported and elevated throughout our time at Magical Elves. We’ve both grown tremendously over the years through our work here, and are extremely focused on continuing to cultivate more opportunities for the next group of talented women in this industry. We’re proud of the number of female department heads at Magical Elves, as well as women in leadership roles on our individual productions. This also speaks to the quality of men in our organization who are excellent partners and collaborators in all aspects of our business.

How can the industry do a better job of recruiting women and ensuring they have a path to senior positions?
Although it feels like there’s a general understanding that hearing from a variety of different voices is a good thing, the industry still has a long way to go in equal representation in front of and behind the camera. The only way to improve the situation is to make conscious decisions to prioritize helping women, and other people who represent different or diverse perspectives, to work in this industry. From there, it’s a matter of continuing to support the next generation by mentoring and cultivating talent.

What advice would you give your 13-year-old self?
I’m not sure my 13-year-old self necessarily needed this advice, but I’d say that the drive to work very hard and a fearlessness to follow your gut will serve you very well in life. And as my father always says…BEHAVE!

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