Jennifer Walsh, the head of William Morris Endeavor’s worldwide literary department, has joined the advisory board for SeeHer, a movement for gender equality in advertising and media.
Walsh, who is also the co-creator of the women’s conference “Together Live,” joins a board put together by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) that already includes Katie Couric, WNBA President Lisa Borders, Geena Davis, and Laura Brown, editor-in-chief of InStyle Magazine.
“I am honored to join forces with this team who are shining the light forward for girls and women. I believe in my core that storytelling has the power to transform what we believe about ourselves and others, added Walsh. “By changing the stories we tell to include the representation of intersectional and inclusive voices, SeeHer is making sure that every girl can one day see herself and feel like she belongs. Especially during divided times, connecting through authentic storytelling is a magic cure.”
The mission of the SeeHer movement, which was launched in 2016, is to see accurate portrayals of women and girls in advertising and media rise 20 percent by 2020 — the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.
“Everywhere we take our gender equality message, we find enthusiastic supporters and new allies eager to do their part,” ANA CEO Bob Liodice said in a statement. “Each addition amplifies our voice and extends our reach. With the addition of Jennifer to our effort, we add the potent impact of the literary world to our growing community of leaders committed to bringing gender equality to media, advertising, and all forms of storytelling.”
Walsh has helped propelled the literary careers of Nobel, Pulitzer, and National Book Award-winning authors, including Alice Munro, Arianna Huffington and Sheryl Sandberg, to name a few. She was the youngest person and first woman in William Morris Agency’s 100-year history, and played a key role in its merger with Endeavor to form WME in 2009.