Variety Power of Women: Industry Leaders Mingle With Stars to Celebrate Female Empowerment and Philanthropy

Paige DeSorbo and Stassi Schroeder at Variety Power of Women LA 2026 Presented by Lifetime held at The Beverly Hills Hotel on September 23, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images) — Variet

A packed lineup of talent and industry executives stepped out for Variety’s Power of Women event at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Wednesday night.

Making the rounds at cocktails and inside the ballroom were movers and shakers from the town’s stop studios and platforms. Executives included Warner Bros. TV Group’s Channing Dungey, Disney’s Debra OConnell and Yvett Merino, Amazon’s Kelly Day and Sue Kroll, Disney’s Ayo Davis, Netflix’s Pamela Levine and Tracey Pakosta, Paramount’s Jennifer Dodge, AMPAS’ Jennifer Davidson, screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, along with buzzy stars including Paige DeSorbo, Stassi Schroeder, Karen Pittman and Paula Patton.

Jennifer Hudson, Pearlena Igbokwe, Melissa McCarthy and Sharon Stone were honored at the event, hosted by comedian Iliza Shlesinger. The evening was a celebration of the philanthropic efforts of the four honorees as well as the several dozen women recognized in Variety’s annual Women’s Impact Report.

Karen Pittman, Courtney Kemp and Channing Dungey

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Actress, writer and producer Karen Pittman, writer and producer Courtney Kemp and Channing Dungey, chairman at Warner Brothers Television Group, attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Aline Brosh McKenna

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“The Devil Wears Prada 2” screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Ayo Davis

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Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family, attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Johanna Fuentes, Jennifer Davidson, Tahra Grant and Gina Balian

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Johanna Fuentes, executive VP and head of communications and public relations at HYBE America, Jennifer Davidson, chief marketing, communications and content officer for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Tahra Grant, chief communications officer at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Gina Balian, president of FX, attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Michelle McGuire

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Michelle McGuire, chief data and AI officer for Deloitte’s U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Partnership, attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Kelly Day, Sue Kroll and Julie Rapaport

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Kelly Day, VP and head of international at Amazon Prime Video, Sue Kroll, head of global marketing at Amazon MGM Studios and Julie Rapaport, head of film, development and production at Amazon MGM Studios, attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Dea Lawrence and Ryan Pauley

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Variety co-president and publisher Dea Lawrence and PMX president Ryan Pauley attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Yvett Merino and Cathleen Taff

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Yvett Merino, producer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Cathleen Taff, president of entertainment studios and consumer products for Walt Disney Studios, attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Alex Stapleton

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Alex Stapleton, director and founder of House of NonFiction, attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Elaine Frontain Bryant and Paula Patton

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Elaine Frontain Bryant, VP of non fiction and alternative programming at A&E Television Networks, and actress and producer Paula Patton attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Emily Longeretta and Elizabeth Wagmeister

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Emily Longeretta, Variety‘s director of features, and CNN entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Tracey Pakosta and Starr Silver-Baker

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Tracey Pakosta, VP of comedy original series, UCAN/UK at Netflix, and Starr Silver-Baker, VP of business and legal affairs at Netflix, attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Pamela Levine

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Pamela Levine, VP of marketing – UCAN at Netflix, attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Amy Reisenbach

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Amy Reisenbach, CBS Entertainment president, attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills hotel.
Shannon Mattingly

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Shannon Mattingly, senior director of local partnerships and strategic initiatives at Meta, attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Sian Heder and Rita Cooper Lee

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Writer, producer and director Sian Heder and Rita Cooper Lee, global head of communications and publicity, Apple Worldwide Video, attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Jennifer Dodge

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Jennifer Dodge, president of Paramount Animation, attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Debra OConnell and Sylvia Dong

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Debra OConnell, president of ABC News Group & Disney Entertainment Networks at The Walt Disney Company, and Sylvia Dong, executive vice president, Disney Entertainment CFO and Corporate Transformation, attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Martha Morrison and Cathleen Taff

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Martha Morrison, marketing chief at Disney Entertainment Studios, and Cathleen Taff, president of entertainment studios and consumer products at Walt Disney Studios, attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Paige DeSorbo and Stassi Schroeder

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Television personalities, podcasters and influencers Paige DeSorbo and Stassi Schroeder attend Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Selma Blair

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Actress Selma Blair attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Symonne Harrison

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Actress and influencer Symonne Harrison attends Variety’s Power of Women event, held Sept. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.