Reese Witherspoon Pacts with Chernin/AT&T JV

LOS ANGELES: Otter Media, the joint venture formed by The Chernin Group and AT&T, has set up a cross-platform female-driven content company with Reese Witherspoon.

Hello Sunshine aims to create, curate and discover content by and for women, from short-form to TV to movies. Witherspoon’s own firm, Pacific Standard, will also be part of Hello Sunshine. Kerry Tucker, formerly of The Video Genome Project, has joined Hello Sunshine as CEO.

“My lifelong passion has been to tell women’s stories with authenticity and humor,” said Witherspoon. “This partnership will allow me to reach a greater audience that is eager for more female-driven content…. Hello Sunshine is deeply committed to creating content that will reach women where they spend time, whether it is at a movie theater, at home or on their mobile device. Women are looking for entertainment that speaks to them about what they value. Hello Sunshine will make content that entertains, educates and brings women together.”

“Reese has been a force in empowering women to create and innovate, and has led by example both through the characters she portrays on screen, and by her efforts as a producer and storyteller. We are proud to join forces with her to introduce Hello Sunshine as a distinctive, versatile platform for women today,” said Peter Chernin, the CEO of The Chernin Group.

“Reese is a phenomenal partner with a unique sensibility, and together with Kerry, who has championed women’s voices throughout her career, we are excited to launch a company that is anchored in the ambitious vision of reflecting and inspiring women everywhere,” said Sarah Harden, president of Otter Media. “We look forward to producing content that resonates deeply with our community in all formats, and through all channels.”

“There is an enormous opportunity to serve and inspire women and girls by delivering to them everything from digital-first short-form to full-length theatrical features in the manner in which they deserve to experience it,” said Tucker. “Working with someone as genuinely passionate about telling their stories as Reese, as well as the dream team at Otter, is both dynamic and personally a thrilling prospect for me.”

The company will begin releasing content on its own website and other platforms in 2017.