PARAMOUNT NETWORK'S "AMERICAN WOMAN" AND NOWTHIS KICK-OFF NEW WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT CAMPAIGN WITH A FEMALE-DRIVEN WIKIPEDIA EDIT-A-THON
Only 16% of Wikipedia Editors Identify as Women
"American Woman" Co-Executive Producer Kyle Richards and Star Jennifer Bartels Joined NowThis Female Editorial Staff and Industry Experts in "WikiWomen" Edit-A-Thon
NowThis is the #1 News Publisher in the World on Social, Reaches over 70% of Young Americans in Their 20s
New York, NY (May 21, 2018) -- In response to the recent Wikipedia stat that revealed that only 16% of Wikipedia editors identify as women, Paramount Network's upcoming series American Woman and NowThis, the no. 1 news publisher in the world on social, today announced a new campaign to empower women to insert their respective voices and expertise into male dominated media, starting with Wikipedia's millions of crowdsourced pages.
To kick off the campaign, American Woman Co-Executive Producer Kyle Richards and star Jennifer Bartels were joined by cast members James Tupper, Tobias Jelinek, Jonathan Chase, Diandra Lyle, and Sam Morgan Friday, May 19, at NeueHouse in Hollywood. In addition to the cast of American Woman, the WikiWomen Edit-A-Thon was attended by other special guests, including Jasmine Brown and Briana Lawrence (50 Central), Tiffany Hines and Katherine Bailess (Hit The Floor), and Terri Kopp, Creator of In Contempt. Top female experts including Sarena Bahad, founder of Women in Tech; Nagin Cox, a Spacecraft Operations Engineer for NASA currently working on the first-ever Mars Rover launch from the West Coast; Versha Sharma, managing editor of NowThis; Anne Berkowitz, playwright and actor; and nearly 100 other female attendees.
Official female editors from Wikipedia, one of the most read websites in the world, led training sessions to teach participants how to successfully navigate Wikipedia's editorial platforms and then provided assistance as the women wrote and edited a number of articles ranging from profiles of artists and athletes, to second-wave feminism and female entrepreneurs. Over the course of the event, 18 new articles were created, 40 pieces were edited and nearly ten-thousand words were added to existing works.
Following the event, NowThis will produce and premiere a custom branded video on June 4th that highlights the event, features key interviews with participants and it will be distributed across its social channels to spotlight the upcoming series and raise awareness around the the lack of female voices online.
Paramount Network's new TV dramedy premieres on June 7, 2018 at 10pm ET/PT. The show spotlights the struggles and strength of working women in the 1970s amidst the rise of second-wave feminism. The American Woman x NowThis campaign was initiated through Paramount Network's media agency Horizon Media.
"We're so proud to have brought WikiWomen to life with NowThis. It's an event perfectly aligned with the message "American Woman" hopes to send - that women's voices, when given the platform have the power to enact meaningful change," said Anhelo Reyes, Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing, Paramount Network and TV Land. "The Paramount Network brand, with its focus on storytelling, is perfectly positioned to be part of the cultural conversation, and the Edit-A-Thon has provided the opportunity to drive change and amplify voices that have long been minimized in critical spaces such as tech and media."
"NowThis is known for covering issues that matter most to young people -- and gender equality is at the top of the list for our audience," said Tina Exarhos, Chief Content Officer at NowThis. "This is a one of a kind event that is a true reflection of the interests of our viewers, core to our mission of empowering women and the central theme in American Woman. We're thrilled to join our partners at Paramount Network to create this campaign and spotlight this important issue."
"Women today continue to face a struggle to be heard and represented, and, case in point, only 16% of Wikipedia articles are written by women," said Lizzie Diller, Senior Vice President, Associate Managing Director at Paramount Network's media agency, Horizon Media. "The WikiWomen Edit-A-Thon brings together inspiring women -- who are experts in their fields -- to help close this gap in real time, while generating the awareness this issue deserves and promoting programming with strong female role models," continued Alex Gargano, Brand Group Director, Horizon Media.
Inspired by the real-life upbringing of Kyle Richards from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, American Woman follows Bonnie (Alicia Silverstone), an unconventional mother struggling to raise her two daughters after leaving her husband amid the rise of second-wave feminism in 1970s Los Angeles. Bonnie also comes to rely on the help of her two best friends, Kathleen (Mena Suvari) and Diana (Jennifer Bartels), as they each discover their own brand of independence in a glamorous and ever-changing world reluctant to give it.
About Paramount Network:
Paramount Network is a premium entertainment destination that pushes the limits of story-telling with bold original scripted and non-scripted series. Inspired by over a century of cinema, Paramount Network is where today's brightest stars bring the experience of the big screen to every screen with stories that are immersive, inclusive, and deeply personal. For more information, visit www.ParamountNetwork.com.
About NowThis:
NowThis creates news content for the social, mobile generation by informing, entertaining and inspiring its audience about what's happening and important in the world right now. Launched in 2012, NowThis is the #1 news brand in the world on social with more than 2.2 billion monthly views. NowThis has twelve content verticals, including: News, Politics, Entertainment, Future, Her, Money, Sports, Food and more. In December 2016, NowThis joined forces with Thrillist, The Dodo and Seeker to form Group Nine Media.
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