Hello Sunshine (company)
Hello Sunshine is an American media company founded in 2016 by actress and producer Reese Witherspoon and investor Seth Rodsky. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the company focuses on creating, producing, and distributing female-driven stories across film, television, digital platforms, books, podcasts, and consumer brands. Its mission is to change the narrative for women by placing them at the center of every story, empowering female authorship, and shaping culture.
The company is closely associated with Reese's Book Club, which selects monthly books featuring strong female protagonists, many of which are adapted into high-profile screen projects by Hello Sunshine.
History
[edit]Hello Sunshine traces its roots to Witherspoon's earlier production efforts. In 2000, she founded Type A Films, which merged in 2012 with Bruna Papandrea's Make Movies to form Pacific Standard. Pacific Standard produced notable projects including Gone Girl and Wild.
In 2016, Witherspoon parted ways with Papandrea and co-founded Hello Sunshine as a joint venture with Otter Media (a partnership between AT&T and The Chernin Group). The company launched with a focus on scalable, multi-platform storytelling centered on women.<grok-card data-id="16b9ed" data-type="citation_card" data-plain-type="render_inline_citation" ></grok-card>
Sarah Harden joined early as a key executive and served as CEO for many years, helping scale the business. In August 2021, a majority stake in Hello Sunshine was acquired by Candle Media (a new media company led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs and backed by Blackstone) in a deal valued at approximately $900 million. Witherspoon and Harden retained equity and board seats.<grok-card data-id="3b8e02" data-type="citation_card" data-plain-type="render_inline_citation" ></grok-card>
In 2025, leadership transitioned: Sarah Harden stepped down as CEO, with Maureen Polo (previously head of direct-to-consumer) promoted to the role. Lauren Neustadter serves as President of Film & TV, and Corey Shepardson as COO/CFO.<grok-card data-id="5e557e" data-type="citation_card" data-plain-type="render_inline_citation" ></grok-card>
Mission and Focus
[edit]Hello Sunshine aims to broaden perspectives and empower women through storytelling. The company produces content that highlights women's experiences, agency, and voices across genres. It has expanded into unscripted television, podcasts, digital series, social media, and consumer brands (including the acquisition of lifestyle brand The Home Edit).
Notable Productions
[edit]Hello Sunshine has developed numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful projects, many adapted from Reese's Book Club selections:
Television
[edit]- Big Little Lies (HBO) — Emmy-winning series
- The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
- Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
- Daisy Jones & The Six (Amazon Prime Video)
- Truth Be Told (Apple TV+)
- From Scratch (Netflix)
- The Last Thing He Told Me (Apple TV+)
- Surface (Apple TV+)
Film
[edit]- Where the Crawdads Sing (theatrical release, grossed over $100 million globally)
- Other projects include adaptations and original stories with strong female leads.
The company has also produced podcasts, digital content, and experiential events like Shine Away.
Reese's Book Club
[edit]A flagship initiative of Hello Sunshine, Reese's Book Club (launched in 2017) selects one book per month with a woman at its center. Many picks have become bestsellers and have been adapted into successful films and series by the company, creating a powerful book-to-screen pipeline.
Impact
[edit]Hello Sunshine is credited with demonstrating strong audience demand for female-centered stories. Several productions have received major awards, high viewership, and significant box office or streaming success. The company has been named to TIME magazine's list of Most Influential Companies.
Leadership
[edit]- Founder: Reese Witherspoon
- CEO: Maureen Polo (as of 2025)
- President of Film & TV: Lauren Neustadter
- COO / CFO: Corey Shepardson