Virtual Interview with Cathy Schulman '83 Zoom Recording

The virtual interview with Sojourner Elleby ’11 and Academy Award® winning producer Cathy Schulman '83 took place on Wednesday, June 8. Click here to watch the Zoom recording.

Cathy Schulman '83
Academy Award® winning producer Cathy Schulman began her career in film in 1987 and is currently the President and CEO of Welle Entertainment, a film and television production company committed to producing content that appeals to diverse audiences, with an emphasis on women and girls. Welle is a leading content supplier and producer for major motion picture studios, networks, and streamers. 

Schulman, who has recently added screenwriting to her repertoire, is currently the showrunner and executive producer of the Showtime series THE FIRST LADY, starring Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson; premiering Sunday, April 17, 2022. The series is a reframing of American leadership told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House, with the first season focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt (Anderson), Betty Ford (Pfeiffer) and Michelle Obama (Davis). Schulman is currently producing the epic African female warrior tale THE WOMAN KING for TriStar pictures, also with Viola Davis set to star, alongside Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad), Lashana Lynch (NO TIME TO DIE), and John Boyega (STAR WARS.)  Gina Prince-Bythewood (THE OLD GUARD) directs, and the film arrives in theatres September 16 this year. 

Set for release in April, 2022, Schulman recently completed pen Road / Amazon’s MEMORY, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Liam Neeson. Schulman also produced Martin Campbell’s THE FOREIGNER, starring Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan.

Welle recently produced the YA drama feature film hit FIVE FEET APART and the hit comedy film OTHERHOOD starring Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, and Felicity Huffman for Netflix.

Before founding Welle, Schulman served as the Head of Production for STX Entertainment, where she managed the studio’s annual twelve picture slate, including box office hits BAD MOMS and the critically acclaimed dramedy EDGE OF SEVENTEEN. Schulman’s many noteworthy producer credits also include features such as her Oscar Best Picture winner CRASH, THE ILLUSIONIST, and DARFUR NOW. 

Schulman, a vocal activist for gender parity in the screen industries,  was the President of Women in Film from 2010-2018. She is the cofounder of Reframe, the industry’s leading systemic change project, where she established the ReFrame stamp, which recognizes productions that are making strides towards female-driven content, gender equality, and representation of women in key production roles. Schulman designed the multi-year Annenberg School gender data project, introduced Unconscious Bias Training to Hollywood and established the WIF sexual harassment hotline.

Schulman is a two decade-long Board Member of Film Independent and has served as a Council Member of the Producers Guild of America. She is a member of the Motion Picture Academy and has taught graduate level film producing at UCLA and Chapman, where she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. Schulman gave the 2016 media address for International Woman’s Day at the United Nations. She is a graduate of Yale University, with a double major in Theater Studies and History of Art.

Sojourner Elleby '11