I'm very proud and excited for the launch of a series I wrote and story produced three episodes for, including the premiere. It's called WOMAN with Gloria Steinem and it airs 10pm May 10th on VICELAND.
Pitched and hosted by renowned activist, Gloria Steinem, this series is probably one of the most powerful and deeply upsetting projects I have ever worked on. It deals with the topic of violence against women around the world and the impact this has on countries and cultures.
Studies have shown that the single most important indicator of the health of a nation is the status of its women. And the reality is women suffer obscene and cruel violence around the world on a daily basis.
My three episodes deal with the issues of wide spread rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Femicide in El Salvador, and sexual assault in the US Military.
The first episode, set in the Democratic Republic of Congo, takes a deep look at what decades of warfare has done to the women and citizens there. It asks why sexual violence was used as a tactic in the fighting, why it's still continuing, and what needs to be done to stop it.
With this story, and with them all, I sat many hours alone in an edit listening to the detailed accounts of survivors. The cruelty they have endured, and the ongoing dangers they, and their children still face.
I cried a lot.
And I carry what I heard in all these episodes with me still.
That feeling became my compass as I got to work writing and crafting these narratives.
I want our audience to carry these stories with them too. I want the faces and voices of these women and children to stay with viewers long after they are done watching. Not just the suffering of these women, but their strength. And their message of resilience.
I want us not to forget. And I want us to do something about it.
I hope that myself, the incredible field producers, editors, production and post production teams, execs and staff at VICELAND have succeeded. Please judge for yourself.