Producers of “Challengers,” “Abbott Elementary,” “Aurora” and “True Detective” join the Power Women Summit

Producers Amy Pascal (“Challengers”), Brittany Nichols (“Abbott Elementary”), Samantha Cowan (“Anora”), and Issa López (“True Detective: Night Country”) will participate in an exclusive producer roundtable at TheWrap’s. Powerful Women Summit on December 3 at the Maybourne Beverly Hills Hotel.

Moderated by Susan Sprung, executive director of the Producers Guild of America (PGA), this conversation takes viewers behind the scenes of the year’s best shows and movies. From storytelling as a tool to reshape perspectives to the evolving production landscape, the audience will gain insight into what it takes to bring projects to life in Hollywood and inspiration from some of the industry’s top decision-makers.

Amy Pascal recently produced the films “Challengers” and “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.” Since leaving his position at Sony and founding Pascal Pictures, he has also produced the Oscar-nominated films “Little Women,” “Molly’s Game” and the latest trilogy of live-action Spider-Man films, including “No Way Home,” which is the sixth highest-grossing film of all time. He is currently working on “Project Hail Mary” starring Ryan Gosling; an untitled feature film by Noah Baumbach starring George Clooney; a biopic on Fred Astaire, starring Tom Holland; and an adaptation of Denis Villeneuve’s “Murder She Wrote.”

Brittany Nichols is an Emmy-nominated writer known for her work on Abbott Elementary, for which she is also a co-executive producer. She is also a comedian and actress who has appeared on the Emmy Award-winning television shows Transparent and A Black Lady Sketch Show. In 2023, he won the NAACP Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. He also produced, wrote, and starred in Suicide Kale, which won the Audience Award at both Outfest and Newfest.

Samantha Cowan recently produced Sean Baker’s Anora, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. He previously produced Sean Baker’s acclaimed “Red Rocket,” which premiered in Cannes’ main competition in 2021, and the fashion shorts “Snowbird” and “Khaite FW 21. As an actress, Kwan is best known for her roles in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Grey’s Anatomy. She is also a highly regarded acting coach and has worked on projects such as The Florida Project, Instant Family, Home Before Dark, Swagger, Women of the Movement, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Issa Lopez is best known for her recent work as the writer, director, producer and showrunner of HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country” on HBO, which earned 19 Emmy nominations this year. After a successful film career in Mexico, Lopez rose to international fame with “Los Tigres No Ten Afraid,” which won 55 awards at film festivals around the world.

Susan Sprang is executive director of the Producers Guild of America (PGA), a nonprofit trade group representing more than 8,400 producers working in film, television and new media. On behalf of the PGA, he serves on the Leadership Council of the Hollywood Commission, the California Film and Television Production Alliance, the Western Screen Actors Guild Fund, the NAACP Entertainment Defense Council, FilmLA Government Affairs and previously served on the AMPAS Grand Executive Committee.

At the Summit, attendees can also join the “TV Program Design Lab: Create Your Own Episode” presented by the International Screenwriters Association (ISA). In this interactive workshop, showrunner Ilana Peña (“Diary of a Future President”) and ISA’s Sheena Weber will guide participants through the collaborative experience of developing an episode of a TV show.

Peña served as creator, director and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated “Diary of a Future President” on Disney+. He has also written projects for Universal Studios and 20th Century Studios, including the Selena Gomez-produced “Working Girl” reboot. Peña recently completed a four-year deal with CBS Television, developing projects on CBS, The CW, Roku and Max. Her additional credits include “Gordita Chronicles” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” where she contributed episodes, lyrics, on-screen appearances and soundtracks.

Shayna Weber is a screenwriter, producer and director. Weber has over 20 years of production experience, having worked on unscripted shows such as “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the award-winning horror-comedy short “Lunch Ladies,” which participated in over 100 festivals around the world with 46 wins and directed his next short film “VIF (Very Important Film).” Weber and his writing partner recently sold their first horror film, “Bruha,” which is in post-production.

These panels are open to all Power Women Summit attendees on December 3 at the Maybourne Beverly Hills Hotel. More panels and speakers will be announced soon. To purchase tickets and learn more about the summit, visit thewrap.com/pws.

Sponsors include South Coast Plaza, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Lionsgate, Whalar, Paramount Global, CLEAR, Warner Bros. Discovery, FX, Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Disney.

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