Join Cynthia Erivo, Janet Mock and the leading minds behind "Grace & Frankie," "The Undoing," "The Great" and more! at BE Con 2021! No images? Click here My Isolation Diary By Emily Vogel Spotlight Conversation presented by National Geographic at BE Conference 2021
Dear Diary, There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has changed the way we do things… and I’m not just talking about going from live to virtual events like WrapWomen’s BE Conference. But rather, how it's transformed the meaning of things. For example, nowadays “B.C.” and “A.C." refer to "Before COVID" and "After COVID," the word "Corona" is no longer something you order with a lime and a “V-Card” is the piece of paper everyone is posting on social media after they get vaccinated... if you didn’t post your vaccine card on your Instagram Story, are you even vaccinated? Personally, all of this talk about things going back to normal is stressing me out. You're telling me I can't wear sweatpants to work everyday? Well, I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. Luckily, this year's BE Conference is elastic waistband friendly and hairbrush optional, because the three-day event (May 11-13) is all-virtual! That's right, you don't even have to leave your couch to hang out with Cynthia Erivo because we're bringing the legendary actor, singer and producer to you! Register for Days 1-2 FREE or join me for Day 3 workshops and small group video mentorship calls at 50% OFF using code "BFF50." Click here to upgrade. This offer is for my WrapWomen BFFs only and expires on 4/18, don’t miss out! Janet Mock, Marta Kauffman, Susanne Bier and Geeta V. Patel Join BE Mentorship Conference Award-winning directors and producers Janet Mock (“Pose”), Marta Kauffman (“Grace & Frankie”), Susanne Bier (“The Undoing”) and Geeta V. Patel (“The Great”) will join WrapWomen’s 2021 BE Mentorship Conference, May 11-13. During Day 2, Mock, Kauffman, Bier and Patel will join TheWrap’s founder and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman for a discussion titled “Script to Screen: Directing & Producing Quality Content.” During this session, the leading Hollywood storytellers will discuss their careers, lessons learned and what it takes to get your project made and seen. Days 1-2 are FREE to attend - click here to RSVP for free. Day 3 of the event will take a more hands-on approach in delivering a deep-dive into three key areas: Hollywood Voices, Business Leadership and Personal Growth. Attendees will have the opportunity to join workshops including “Building a Career in Comedy with ‘A Black Lady Comedy Sketch Show’ Star Skye Townsend” and “Breaking Into the Industry with ‘Younger’ Star Molly Bernard.” “Cherry” co-screenwriter and producer Angela Russo-Otstot and “Friends” writer Jill Condon will also host small group mentorship video calls on Day 3. Day 3 participation is available for a $99 upgrade - click here to learn more. (P.S. read my diary section above for a 50% off discount code.) Orthodox Jewish Women Can’t Sing In Front of Men. Instagram Is Giving Them a Voice(Source: Glamour) Decked out in a blonde wig, a full face of makeup, and a long-sleeve high-neck gown made by a Hasidic designer in Brooklyn, Devorah Schwartz is ready to step onto the stage. Her audience? Only women and girls, who purchased tickets for her virtual concert, which features a team of Rockette dancers. A decade ago the idea of an Orthodox Jewish woman pop star was something out of a wild fantasy. Here, traditional laws of modesty dictate that men are forbidden from hearing female singing. In the last decades, many young religious women were told that voice was a hopeless pursuit at worst, a secret hobby at best. “People didn’t look at it for women as having a career,” Schwartz says. “They always told us, ‘You only have half an audience.’” But with Instagram, young religious women have begun taking initiative, performing and publicizing their own music online. “COVID actually showed everyone that once you go international and you perform virtually, even if it’s half of the market audience, the world is big,” says Schwartz, whose recent Hanukkah concert sold thousands of tickets. She added, “The men’s songs are just not going to cut it. Women want to listen to female voices.” Stacey Abrams To Female Business Leaders: You Can Use Your Platform To Amplify Need For Voting Rights(Source: Forbes) Phyllis Newhouse was watching the news in the days following Georgia’s passage of a far-reaching bill that restricts voting rights when she heard one of the anchors say something that piqued her attention: the men of the Fortune 500, this anchor said, need to stand up and speak out against the bill. Newhouse, who also serves as CEO of Athena Technology Acquisition Corp, immediately called up her friend (and investor) Stacey Abrams and asked, "Why aren't we in the conversation? Why have we been left out of the conversation, and how do we get in?” Last week, Newhouse and the voting rights advocate had an invite-only Zoom call to talk about the issue... Abrams’ advice to the group: don’t underestimate the power of your platform. “It is our right and our responsibility, especially as leaders in our communities, to declare that these laws do not reflect our values and do not reflect our democracy,” she said. “Reach out to your vendors, your suppliers, making certain that those businesses know where you stand.” Journalist Gulchehra Hoja Calls On WrapWomen for Support While Her Relatives Are Being Held in Chinese 'Re-Education Camps'Nima Elbagir (left) and Gulchehra Hoja (right) at Power Women Summit 2020. If you attended WrapWomen's Power Women Summit in December, you probably remember the discussion "Journalists on the Front Lines" where CNN's Nima Elbagir spoke with the 2020 IWMF Courage Winners, female journalists who risk their lives every day to uncover the truth and expose corruption around the world. During the conversation, one of the journalists Gulchehra Hoja talked about the "incredibly high price" of reporting on China’s Uyghur oppression. Her family has faced surveillance and harassment because of her work. Her own relatives — including children — “disappeared” into what, she says, the Chinese government calls “re-education camps.” Earlier this week, I received an email from Gulchehra – the Chinese government had just issued a press release that featured multiple video clips of relatives of Uyghurs abroad. One of the video segments was about Gulchehra and her family, in which her relatives were forced to speak against her. The report also claimed Gulchehra's parents were not able to travel because of their poor health, which Gulchehra wrote in her email to me, "is a complete lie." She elaborated, "For years, my parents have been denied passports by the Chinese government for a very specific reason – retaliation against me for my journalism here in the US." To learn more about Gulchehra's incredible bravery as a journalist and what her family is experiencing in China, click here. K-pop Star Kang Daniel on Overcoming Depression and His New Album, "Yellow"(Credit: KONNECT Entertainment) The thing about mental health and battling depression is that it isn't confined to a specific gender, race or region. However, in Korean culture such topics of conversation have traditionally been considered taboo. K-pop star Kang Daniel is here to change that. #WeAreWithDaniel started trending in 2019 when the former member of Wanna One went into treatment for panic attacks and depression causing him to take a three month hiatus. But despite it, he never stopped believing in himself. In February 2021, Daniel made his official comeback with a brand new digital single called "Paranoia," about the struggles of fighting against the monsters inside you. (Watch music video here.) "It's important that you open up yourself," he told Allure's Devon Abelman. "If you close up your heart, it's just so hard to overcome it by yourself." Because of "Paranoia's" success, Daniel developed the confidence to release his latest album "Yellow" on April 13. (Listen here.) "After going through what I've gone through, I think the people around you are really important because when you come to a point when you don't trust yourself, it's really dangerous," Daniel reflects. For more Daniel Kang content, click here to check out the music video for his new single "Antidote." Who Run the World?! Girls. WrapWomen is a power base of influential women of entertainment, media, technology and brands committed to changing the face of their industries. Sure to stay up-to-date on all things WrapWomen at www.wrapwomen.com. Join the conversation on social media! Follow us on Instagram for surprise guest takeovers and Insta live performances. |