Hello Sunshine (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rodsky |
| Headquarters | United States |
Key people | Sarah Harden (CEO and board member) |
| Products | Film, television, digital media, podcasts |
| Parent | Candle Media (partial ownership) |
Hello Sunshine is a U.S.-based media company established in 2016 by actress Reese Witherspoon alongside Seth Rodsky, founder of Strand Equity.
History
Reese Witherspoon initially founded the production firm Type A Films in 2000. This company later merged with Bruna Papandrea's Make Movies in 2012, resulting in the creation of Pacific Standard. This entity was responsible for producing critically acclaimed works such as Gone Girl, Wild, and HBO's Big Little Lies. The partnership between Witherspoon and Papandrea ended in 2016, with Witherspoon assuming sole ownership.[1]
November 2016 marked the launch of Hello Sunshine, a collaborative venture between Witherspoon, Rodsky, and Otter Media, dedicated to storytelling centered on women across film, television, and digital media.[2] Kerry Tucker served as the company's first CEO before Sarah Harden took over in 2017.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name In March 2017, Lauren Levy Neustadter was named Head of Film and TV and was subsequently promoted to President.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Pacific Standard was integrated as a subsidiary under Hello Sunshine.[3]
Hello Sunshine curates Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine, an initiative aimed at elevating narratives by women, boasting an Instagram following exceeding three million. The company also operated a Filmmaker Lab designed to educate girls aged 13 to 18 in filmmaking.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
In July 2018, AT&T introduced the Hello Sunshine Channel, a cable and satellite network dedicated to content targeting female audiences.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
The company produces short-form unscripted content for Facebook Watch and IGTV that celebrates women's achievements. April 2018 saw the debut of the podcast How It Is, hosted by Diane Guerrero, with subsequent seasons featuring different hosts.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Witherspoon hosts the talk show Shine On with Reese, which premiered on DirecTV in July 2018 and features interviews with accomplished women. Later that year, in October, Hello Sunshine launched the podcast My Best Break-Up, hosted by comedian Maeve Higgins.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
In November 2018, Hello Sunshine collaborated with Together Live on a U.S. tour showcasing female speakers such as Halima Aden, Yara Shahidi, Uma Thurman, and Sophia Bush. Highlights from this tour were shared through the podcast And Especially You, hosted by Bush.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
February 2019 brought investment from Laurene Powell Jobs' Emerson Collective, along with an increased stake from Otter Media.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
In August 2021, Witherspoon sold a portion of Hello Sunshine to Candle Media—a Blackstone-backed media firm led by former Disney executives Kevin A. Mayer and Tom Staggs—for $900 million. Despite this transaction, Witherspoon and CEO Harden maintained ownership stakes and seats on the board.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
The company discontinued its kids and animation division in February 2023 to partner with Candle Media’s subsidiary Moonbug Entertainment.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name By July 2024, Candle Media consolidated its live-action assets under Candle Studios, appointing CEO Sarah Harden as head of this new division.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Upcoming projects
Witherspoon continues collaborating with Bruna Papandrea on projects under development through Pacific Standard's ABC agreement, including titles like Luckiest Girl Alive (Lionsgate/Summit), All Is Not Forgotten (Warner Bros), and Ashley's War (Fox 2000).
In May 2017, Hello Sunshine initiated adaptations of novels such as Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman. The company also produced a documentary focusing on tennis icon Martina Navratilova.
Film rights for The Gilded Years were secured by Hello Sunshine, with Zendaya cast to star in the adaptation titled A White Lie. Additionally, Witherspoon was slated to star in and produce Legally Blonde 3, originally set for release on Valentine's Day 2020 but postponed indefinitely. In November 2018, Hello Sunshine announced plans to produce League of Wives with Fox 2000; however, the project's future remains unclear following Fox 2000's closure after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox.
By February 2020, six television series developed by Hello Sunshine were underway across platforms including Apple TV+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, ABC, Starz, and Netflix. Witherspoon stars in one series and serves as executive producer for all six.
March 2022 saw Hello Sunshine announce production of Run, Rose, Run, a film adaptation of a novel co-written by Dolly Parton and James Patterson, featuring Parton in a starring role.
In August 2022, Hello Sunshine expanded into unscripted content by launching a division based in the United Kingdom.
Films
| Year | Title | Director | Worldwide Gross | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Wild | Jean-Marc Vallée | $52.5 million | Created under Pacific Standard Received two Oscar nominations |
| Gone Girl | David Fincher | $369.3 million | Produced by Pacific Standard Earned one Oscar nomination | |
| 2015 | Hot Pursuit | Anne Fletcher | $51.7 million | Made as a Pacific Standard production |
| 2019 | Lucy in the Sky | Noah Hawley | $325,950 | Produced through Pacific Standard |
| 2022 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Olivia Newman | $140.2 million | |
| Something from Tiffany's | Daryl Wein | — | Hello Sunshine's inaugural film Co-produced with Amazon Studios | |
| 2023 | Your Place or Mine | Aline Brosh McKenna | — | |
| 2025 | You're Cordially Invited | Nicholas Stoller | — | |
| TBA | Ashley's War | — | Distributed by Universal Pictures; co-produced with Made Up Stories |
Television
| Year | Title | Network | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–present | Big Little Lies | HBO | Produced under Pacific Standard Season 1 received sixteen Emmy nominations and won eight awards |
| 2018 | Shine On with Reese | DirecTV | |
| Master the Mess | |||
| 2019–present | The Morning Show | Apple TV+ | |
| 2019–2023 | Truth Be Told | ||
| 2020 | Little Fires Everywhere | Hulu | |
| 2022–present | Surface | Apple TV+ | |
| 2022 | From Scratch | Netflix | |
| 2023 | Daisy Jones & the Six | Amazon Prime Video | |
| 'My Kind of Country (2023 TV series) | 'Apple TV+' | 'Reality competition show' | |
| 'Tiny Beautiful Things (TV series) | 'Hulu' | ||
| 'The Last Thing He Told Me (TV series) | 'Apple TV+' | ||
| 2024' | 'Side Hustlers' | 'The Roku Channel' | |
| 'Influenced' | 'Amazon Prime Video' | ||
| 'The Pasta Queen' | 'Amazon Prime Video' | ||
| 2025' | 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' | 'ABC' | |
| 'F1: The Academy' | 'Netflix' | ||
| '2026' | 'Elle (TV series)' | 'Amazon Prime Video' | 'Currently in development' |
| 'TBA' | 'Untitled Sara Saedi comedy series' | 'ABC' | 'In development phase' |
| 'TBA' | 'Kin' | 'Starz' | 'Currently in development' |
| 'TBA' | 'Tiny Trailblazers' | 'Disney Jr.' | 'In development stage' |
| 'TBA' | 'All Stars' | 'Amazon Prime Video' | 'Under development' |
Web series
| Year | Title | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Handmade*mostly | Facebook Watch |
| 2018 | Turning Point | |
| 2018 | Meet My Mom | Facebook Watch and IGTV |
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2018–present | How It Is | |
| 2018 | My Best Break-Up | |
| 2019–present | And Especially You |