The kingdom that Bajaria oversees is unprecedented. As Chief Content Officer of the world’s biggest streaming platform, she is in charge of all Netflix’s films and original series, which come from 27 countries and totaled almost 500 in 2024, at a production budget of a reported $17 billion. Her vision has been instrumental in redefining the television experience in the 21st century.

Born in London, Bajaria moved to the U.S. as a child and landed her first job in Hollywood in 1996 as an assistant at CBS after pitching herself to every studio in town via a letter-writing campaign. She quickly ascended to VP of movies and miniseries before moving to Universal Television, where she became the first woman of color to run the studio. (At the time, a female TV exec of Indian descent was extremely rare.) In 2016, she joined Netflix as head of scripted and unscripted content. Seven years later, she was promoted to her current role.

Under Bajaria’s savvy leadership, Netflix has spawned such game-changing hits as  “Squid Game,” “Bridgerton” and “Wednesday.” In 2024, the company won 24 Emmys for acclaimed shows including “Baby Reindeer,” “Ripley” and “Blue Eye Samurai.” Even with subscriber growth slowing, revenue ticked up 15% to $9.8 billion in the third quarter, thanks in no small part to audience hits like “Rebel Ridge” and “Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story,” which racked up 1.7 billion viewing minutes in its first days of release.

You can’t talk about TV in 2024 without mentioning YouTube. And Coe is a big reason why. She has been key in executing CEO Neal Mohan’s vision of making YouTube part of viewers’ living rooms, the success of which can be seen in nearly every Nielsen report. In July the company set a record, becoming the first streaming service to command more than 10% of all TV use in the United States and beating out Disney. Coe has also been part of the company’s campaign to make YouTube stars Emmy-eligible as well as its strategy regarding election coverage. If you’re looking for the future of entertainment, it’s YouTube, and Coe is a leader at the front of that future. 

DreamWorks Animation was founded 30 years ago this year and became a Zeitgeist-capturing industry leader with the arrival of “Shrek” in 2001. But the most recent era of DreamWorks, the one led by Cohn, has been the company’s most exciting. 

A veteran of DreamWorks Animation’s television side, Cohn emboldened artists and animators to venture outside of what the studio is known for stylistically, creating features as varied and unique as “The Bad Guys,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” and “Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken.” The style of each of these movies was unique, bordering on the experimental, drawing inspiration from Studio Ghibli classics and Lisa Frank sticker books. 

DreamWorks’ latest feature, “The Wild Robot,” was enough to lure animation legend Chris Sanders back to the studio. It is the most stylistically bold movie that the company had ever made and also, perhaps, its greatest film ever. And its success, artistically and financially, is a testament to Cohn, who backed the movie every step of the way, even when those steps seemed scary and uncertain. Next, Cohn will revive the “Shrek” franchise, with the restless creativity and boundary-pushing animation that DreamWorks is now known for.

Literary manager Dickerman is known for her great taste and eye for talent, as evidenced by her multi-hyphenate client Ayo Edebiri’s ascent as an Emmy- and SAG-winning actress on “The Bear.” Her roster also includes Pulitzer Prize winning “English” playwright Sanaz Toossi and two Pulitzer drama finalists: Will Arbery (“Heroes of the Fourth Turning”; also wrote for “Succession”) and Sarah DeLappe (“The Wolves”; co-wrote “Bodies Bodies Bodies”). 

In August, it was announced that Dungey will lead all of Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. TV networks. She will take the reins in 2025, after Kathleen Finch retires. During her time with the company’s TV group, Dungey has overseen such massively watched and critically acclaimed shows as Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” and ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” as well as ratings hits like CBS’ “Young Sheldon” and “The Bachelor” franchise. Next up: a Harry Potter series for HBO in 2026.

The veteran producer and one-time co-president of the Producers Guild of America wrapped up 2024 with Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” a sequel 20-plus years in the making. The R-rated movie opened to a robust $55.5 million, proving she does indeed know how to keep audiences entertained. 

Disenchanted X users fleeing Elon Musk’s platform post-election found a safe haven in Bluesky, a company founded by Jack Dorsey in 2019 and overseen since 2021 by 33-year-old Lantian “Jay” Graber. The social platform has gained more than 5 million users in the weeks after Musk ally Donald Trump won the presidency. Now it has surged past 20 million total users and counting. Graber (whose name, coincidentally, means “blue sky” in Mandarin) has been steering the ship through this wild storm of growth with just 20 full-time staffers on her team.

As the person who sets Fox Corporation’s technology strategy, Hildebrandt makes decisions that affect the entire company — from Fox Sports to Fox News to Fox Entertainment to Fox TV stations to Tubi Media Group. And in an industry that changes at breakneck speed, she can’t help but innovate every day, engaging with and implementing emerging technologies.

Hildebrandt, who began her career in tech designing wargames for a U.S. military contractor, has become a leading voice in “AI optimism” and advocating for how Hollywood can use AI responsibly to confront such urgent matters as misinformation and deep fakes. This year, she developed Fox’s Verify, an open-source tool that protects digital intellectual property and verifies its authenticity. Her team is also constantly looking into ways to use AI to improve the Fox consumer experience.

Speaking at TheGrill in October, she warned against the entertainment industry taking a back-seat position to Big Tech. “I think we should be embracing the utilization of the technologies ourselves and experimenting,” she said, adding that AI “actually allows us to be competitive and increase our storytelling, increase our packaging of content, increase our employee productivity and their capabilities.”

Name some of the most innovative creators in television and chances are they’ve worked with Igbokwe. She currently oversees four major TV studios: Universal Television, UCP, Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal International Studios. Through those studios, she has overseen the production of more than 3,000 hours of global programming and has worked with everyone from Jordan Peele and Sam Esmail to Tina Fey, Michael Schur and Dick Wolf. At present, Igbokwe is in charge of 100-plus projects spanning more than 25 platforms all over the world. 

In addition to her roster of marquee clients — Angelina Jolie, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Riz Ahmed, Halle Berry, Josh O’Connor, Amanda Gorman, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, Stacey Abrams — Kole has made advocating for women and underrepresented groups a central part of the ethos of JSSK, which was founded in the wake of George Flloyd’s murder. Today, the firm employs a majority of women lawyers. Kole is also on the board of the Center for Reproductive Rights and in 2024 she spearheaded JSSK’s introduction of the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, the first bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate to include the word “menopause.” 

After a killer 2023, during which Langley was promoted and “Oppenheimer” grossed $976 million on its way to winning Best Picture, Langley concludes 2024 with another blockbuster and another promotion. “Wicked” smashed its opening weekend with $114 million, joining 2024 Universal hits “Despicable Me 4,” “Twisters” and “The Wild Robot.” Langley is still the only woman to head a legacy Hollywood studio, and following the company’s decision to spin off its cable networks, she adds two new corners to her fiefdom with oversight over all creative and marketing decisions across film, television and streaming. In other words, everything.

Since becoming president in 2019, the three-time Emmy winner has been a champion of some of the most genre-pushing and buzziest shows in the TV space. This year was no exception, with her slate including “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” “Grotesquerie” and most notably, “Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story,” which put the notorious 1989 case back in the public consciousness — and on the desk of the Los Angeles DA, who is currently reviewing a request for the brothers to be paroled after 35 years in prison. 

Parent has had a massive year. As leader of Legendary’s creative team, she is behind two of 2024’s biggest blockbusters: Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” ($714 million worldwide) and Adam Wingard’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” ($572 million worldwide). The nearly $1.3 billion haul helped Legendary buy back a majority stake from the Chinese company Wanda Group and keep the creative team intact, all but ensuring more banner years ahead.

Under Salke’s leadership, Amazon MGM kicked off the year with “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” the buzzy hit from Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover that earned 16 Emmy nominations and a second season. Next came “Fallout” (17 Emmy noms, 2.9 billion minutes watched, Season 2 on the way); the romantic comedy “The Idea of You” (50 million worldwide viewers in its first week); and on the big screen, Luca Guadagnino’s R-rated sleeper “Challengers.” At a recent event, Salke said, “Women are at the core of our business.” An upcoming female-lead “Reacher” spinoff and a long-awaited “Tomb Raider” reboot from Phoebe Waller-Bridge could back that up.

Shannon is reshaping CAA for the AI era. She spearheaded the groundbreaking CAA Vault, which uses Veritone AI technology to capture and store artists’ voice and digital likenesses. A champion of “ethical AI,” Shannon said at TheGrill this past fall, “We had to figure out, what does it mean for our clients? How do we, on the one hand, protect them from any sort of misuse when the laws [to safeguard artists] aren’t there anytime soon? But on the other hand, there’s undeniable opportunity with these tools and technologies.”

As UTA’s tech pioneer, Silverman is driving the agency’s digital pivot. She established UTA’s first Digital Assets division, launching major NFT projects for her client Halsey while brokering AI deals including Awkwafina’s voice partnership with Meta AI. A former art attorney, Silverman now shapes the future of entertainment through landmark tech initiatives on AI and emerging technologies.

Disney made history multiple times at the 76th Emmys, where it earned an eye-watering 395 nominations and 115 wins for culture-defining hits like “Shōgun,” “The Bear” and “Only Murders in the Building.” With its stack of 18 shiny statuettes, “Shōgun” alone set a new record for the most Emmy wins in a single year. In addition to those critical darlings, there are family favorites like “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and “Bluey,” which became the No. 1 streaming series in the U.S. with 35 billion minutes watched. Walden is on the kind of winning streak that could make her the first woman CEO of Disney in its 101-year history when Bob Iger names his successor in 2026. 

Before Aniello was scooping up awards for “Hacks,” she was working on another innovative comedy of its time: “Broad City.” Over the years, Aniello has become known for the sharp wit and disarming pathos she brings to every project from “The Other Two” to “Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens.” With “Hacks,” she’s turned those skills into a critique of Hollywood that’s as cutting as it is relatable. The series returned for a fantastic Season 3 in 2024, knocking out FX’s formidable “The Bear” for the best comedy series Emmy.

Kondo, along with husband Justin Marks, conceived and oversaw television’s biggest game-changer of the year: FX’s ambitious historical drama “Shōgun.” The mostly Japanese-language series, adapted from the James Clavell novel, earned critical acclaim, made names out of Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai and broke the record for most Emmy wins in a single year with 18.

After establishing a name for herself directing Mexican horror films like “Tigers Are Not Afraid,” López was handpicked by HBO to write, direct and exec-produce the fourth season of “True Detective.” While paying homage to the show’s first season, López injected a dose of her own magical realism and introduced a dynamo pair in Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, the show’s first women detectives. Their investigation into the disappearance of an Iñupiaq Alaskan woman drew attention to the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women. Season 4 became the most-watched and most Emmy-nominated installment in the franchise, with Foster winning for lead actress. López will return for Season 5. 

In “The Last Showgirl,” Coppola turns the spotlight on Pamela Anderson, who brings emotional depth as Shelley, the eponymous showgirl facing an identity crisis as she’s forced to rethink her future after a 30-year run at a Vegas show unexpectedly ends. Under Coppola’s direction, Anderson gives a heart-wrenching performance as a woman doing her best to stay relevant in an unforgiving industry, delivering a level of vulnerability, poignancy and desperation she’s never had the opportunity to showcase before.

Fargeat left nothing on the field with “The Substance,” her bold sci-fi body horror black comedy that critiques the impossible beauty standards women — especially those of a certain age — are expected to follow. Her embrace of gore turned the film into one of the year’s most controversial, while her thoughtful direction of Demi Moore as a fading star who endures physical, psychological and emotional violence made it indelible. 

Who knew that a classically trained British actress one Oscar away from EGOT status and a Grammy-winning American pop superstar could make such delightful movie magic together?

As rival roommates who become ride-or-die best friends, the two have wonderful chemistry. Erivo conveys Elphaba’s alienation and longing with quiet vulnerability, while Grande plays up Glinda’s self-absorption with gleeful comic timing.  The turning point for their friendship comes when Glinda gently touches Elphaba’s weeping face before joining her in a wordless interpretive dance in front of their jeering peers. Their bond is deep. No words are necessary.

In Sean Baker’s “Anora,” Madison delivers the breakout performance of the year — and her young career — as Ani, a Brooklyn dancer and sex worker tantalized by the fairy-tale that the immature son of wealthy Russian oligarchs (Mark Eydelshteyn) represents. The pair impulsively elopes in Vegas mere days after meeting at a high-end strip club, kick-starting a wild cat-and-mouse game.

Throughout, Madison gives an achingly funny and heartbreaking portrayal of a young woman looking for her own happily ever after. Even when the movie hits its screwball comedy peak, her performance never feels anything less than real. Madison, who was a regular on FX’s “Better Things” and appeared in the 2022 “Scream” reboot, credits the year she and Baker spent “talking about the character [and] just sharing ideas with each other. I was really lucky that he wrote the film for me.”

By the time they started filming in New York, “No stone was left unturned,” she said. She dove deep in her own research. “I wanted to know this character inside and out. I did the work that actors need to do on their own and asked myself all the questions about her that I needed to know.”

Mau made Emmy history as the first transgender woman nominated in the supporting actress in a limited series category for her breakout performance as a trans woman caught in an unusual love triangle in Netflix’s global phenomenon “Baby Reindeer.” Off screen, she advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and trans visibility in Hollywood. 

Roan’s debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” topped the Billboard album sales chart in September, bolstered by the success of her ubiquitous hit, “Good Luck, Babe!,” and earned her six Grammy nominations. Her banner year included a Lollapalooza set, which drew the biggest daytime crowd at the Chicago festival. Off stage, Roan — whose songs and drag-inspired aesthetic celebrate her queerness — made waves when she fought back against intrusive fans and photographers and voiced the importance of setting personal boundaries. 

For her stirring portrayal of Lady Mariko on FX’s “Shōgun,” Sawai became the first Asian performer to earn the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and the first Japanese actress to win an Emmy, period. The New Zealand native, who got her start as a singer in Japan, also gave memorable performances in Apple TV+’s “Pachinko” and Netflix’s “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.” 

In August, Cooper signed a multi-year deal estimated at $125 million to move “Call Her Daddy,” her No. 1 podcast among women, from Spotify to SiriusXM. The highest-paid female podcaster in the world, Cooper has a fearless approach to interviews that has led to a flurry of unfiltered and revealing conversations with celebrity guests including Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Hailey Bieber. Cooper’s influence and reach is undeniable. Her most impressive booking: Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Clark and Reese made immediate impacts when they entered the WNBA this year as the No. 1 and No. 7 picks, respectively. Both are transformative players on the court. Clark capped off an impressive inaugural WNBA season by winning Rookie of the Year, while Reese was named an All-Star. Off the court, Clark has advocated for pay parity and equal opportunities for women athletes, and Reese, through her namesake foundation, has pushed messages of female empowerment through sports, education and financial literacy.

The silent mastermind behind podcaster Alex Cooper and social media influencer Alix Earle, Bailey is the in-demand publicist and brand strategist for some of today’s most followed and talked about personalities. Bailey’s other high-profile clients at Align Public Relations, where she oversees the New York office, include Zayn Malik and the D’Amelio sisters, Charli and Dixie.

Benveniste was the only woman to earn a Grammy nomination for producer of the year, non-classical, making her just the ninth female ever to achieve the feat. The multi-hyphenate, who is also a songwriter and funk musician, has worked with Mary J. Blige, Anderson .Paak, Rae Khalil and BJ the Chicago Kid. Benveniste celebrated her Grammy accomplishment in a Nov. 11 Instagram post, promising “to go even harder and keep pushing boundaries however I can to see a change.”

The English comedian has hosted her YouTube celebrity chat series, “Chicken Shop Date,” since 2014, but only recently broke into the mainstream. Her unique interview style and oddball questions combined with her deadpan humor has gained a viral following. Many of her A-list conversations have attracted millions of views this year: Andrew Garfield (9.3 million), Billie Eilish (7.3 million) and Ryan Gosling and Hugh Jackman (6 million). She also landed a high-profile gig as the 2024 Oscars’ official red carpet correspondent.

As VP of Business Development and Strategy at Madison Wells, the finance-oriented Goodstein has been integral in developing deals for “Queer Eye” star Tan France’s production company French Tuck Media, Lemonada Media and others. She works closely with company founder Gigi Pritzker and created an internship program to mold the next generation of creatives.

Jennifer Lawrence’s former chief of staff and Madonna’s ex-assistant started her own boutique staffing agency, Clyde, with the aim to match prospective assistants with top Hollywood talent. Through the company, which launched during the pandemic, Grimm’s clients have included Anne Hathaway, Brian Tyree Henry and Mandy Moore. Now Clyde has expanded its scope and clientele, helping companies identify the best candidates in various industries.

As co-director and co-writer of Disney’s “Moana 2,” Miller — a native of Hawaii who is of Samoan heritage — was the first female Pacific Islander to be involved in the franchise. In addition to co-writing the live-action “Moana,” slated for theaters in 2026, Miller is the co-founder of Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti, a nonprofit aimed at inclusion and healthier representation of Pacific Islanders across entertainment.

Peterson has served as UTA co-founder and CEO Jeremy Zimmer’s chief of staff since 2022. In October, she was promoted to VP of business development — a new branch that she helped build — and has an expanded role in developing projects that combine celebrity, culture and brands.

The WNBA star-turned-ESPN analyst continues to break glass ceilings as a major force in sports media. In October, Ogwumike signed a new multi-year deal with ESPN, where she made history as the first full-time female broadcaster on “WNBA Countdown and NBA Countdown.” Outside the broadcasting booth, Ogwumike is founder of Queens of the Continent Foundation, which advocates for gender equity and accessible opportunities for women and girls in Africa through sports.

Sar is the founder and CEO of Callo, the digital content development platform that connects creators and producers with potential collaborators across the globe. The demand is high for Sar’s services; some of Callo’s high-profile clients have included Marvel, Netflix, Disney and Amazon. Prior to launching her company in 2022, Sar was the youngest acquisitions executive at Sony Pictures at 24.

Is Weiss the new queen of the raunch-com? She co-wrote and made her feature directorial debut this year with “Sweethearts,” Max’s R-rated coming-of-age comedy starring Kiernan Shipka. Barely in her 30s, Weiss has already tasted success as the creator and showrunner of Hulu’s two-season series, “Dollface,” which starred Kat Dennings. And she wrote “Freakier Friday,” the sequel reuniting Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis that comes out in 2025.