A Media Empire... What, Like It's Hard?

Like many other Legally Blonde fans, we have long been enamored with Reese Witherspoon. Though best known for her films, Witherspoon is truly a multi hyphenate: she is an accomplished actress, producer, founder, businessperson, and author.

Her media company, Hello Sunshine, is a testament to her multipronged efforts. Founded in 2016, Hello Sunshine houses a number of projects ranging from interior design to live events. In 2017, she brought her book club, Reese’s Book Club, under the Hello Sunshine umbrella—a move that was likely equal parts organizationally efficient and synergistic. As Witherspoon suggests books to her members, the Hello Sunshine team can gauge product-market fit and make an educated decision about whether to purchase the film/tv option. And if the story ultimately makes its way to the screen, the book club represents a captive (and primed) audience for initial distribution.

Perhaps most interesting from our perspective, Hello Sunshine (and its parent organization, Candle Media) has strategically leveraged creator platforms. In June, TikTok announced that it’s working with Hello Sunshine to find authors on the app. This is an exciting partnership that marries the power of traditional media with the democratization of a growing social media channel—and one that is rife with book content. #BookTok is a huge subcommunity on TikTok where creators review and popularize books. In the past few years, it has served as a powerful marketing machine, driving sales for new and old books alike as users discover and share them with their audiences. Additionally, TikTok agreed to be a sponsor for the LitUpWriter Fellowship, which is a program Hello Sunshine started to support emerging authors.

Most recently, Hello Sunshine launched the Hello Sunshine Collective, a 1-year incubator for 15 female content creators. They each have different backgrounds and niches, and Hello Sunshine will work with these creators to expand their direct-to-consumer offerings. The decision to encourage and collaborate with growing creators represents a keen insight into the landscape of the consumer economy. While Hello Sunshine has the resources and know-how to make branded products, creators have the marketing and distribution power. We’re skeptical of retrofitting products to specific creators, as those efforts often read inauthentic, but we expect that Witherspoon’s commitment to individuality will mean supporting creators as they organically germinate business lines.

As creatives use social media to experiment, display their work, build relationships, and ultimately monetize, traditional media will have to adapt its means of sourcing, buying, and distributing (at least some of) their projects. Certainly, those committed to producing the best content–including A24 and Candle Media–are attuned to and committed to operating effectively within this new paradigm.