Reese Witherspoon to Launch Female-Led VOD Channel

AT&T and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine are premiering two new female-driven shows on DIRECTV, DIRECTV NOW and U-Verse with the launch of the Hello Sunshine VOD channel.

Hello Sunshine, producing content in which women take center stage, was founded in 2016 by Witherspoon with The Chernin Group and AT&T’s Otter Media. The new VOD channel will release the female-led original series Shine On with Reese on July 17 and Master the Mess on September 4. It will also offer curated original content, including short-form and library film titles.

Shine On with Reese, Witherspoon’s first unscripted series, celebrates the stories of extraordinary women who have created their own unique paths to success. The show will feature such guests as singer/songwriter Dolly Parton and filmmaker/producer Ava DuVernay, among many others.

“Shine On with Reese is about experiencing with Reese the stories of exceptional artists, entrepreneurs and leaders who happen to be women, and reveals how their personal journeys are unique yet relatable,” said Charlotte Koh, the head of digital media and programming at Hello Sunshine. “It epitomizes our goal of telling unexpected stories from interesting women’s perspectives.”

Master the Mess will be led by The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, who help transform lives through their de-cluttering business.

“AT&T was one of our first partners in the quest to bring female-centric storytelling to the forefront and we are especially proud of how these original series push that mission ahead,” noted Sarah Harden, the CEO of Hello Sunshine. “We’re looking forward to working with AT&T to develop more opportunities for women to see themselves and their stories reflected in entertainment.”

“Providing an empowering platform for diverse voices is a priority for us,” stated Valerie Vargas, the senior VP of advertising and creative services at AT&T. “Our work with Hello Sunshine gives stories about women the spotlight they deserve, which inspires our viewers and drives authentic conversation.”

“I am thrilled to have such like-minded, creative collaborators at AT&T to help Hello Sunshine pursue our mission of elevating and showcasing the voices of women that we have such admiration and respect for,” added Witherspoon. “I am so excited for the world to experience the stories from our partnership with AT&T, which are set to be equal parts entertaining, inspiring, thought-provoking and unabashedly real.”

AT&T and Hello Sunshine are working with Dreaming Tree Foundation to create an opportunity for the next generation of female storytellers to attend a summer filmmaker lab in Los Angeles. The custom program will host 20 girls for eight days, during which time they will work with industry experts—and Witherspoon—to create content for the Hello Sunshine VOD channel.