Students attended the second annual Women in Entertainment Summit at the Hollywood Cinerama Dome on Nov. 10.

The summit centered around panels led by prominent women in the media and entertainment industries.

The range of topics discussed on the panel included the need for female-led storytelling, how gender and sexuality shape societal identities, female representation in everyday life and the multi-media.

Upper school Visual Arts Department Head Cheri Gaulke said that student involvement in this discussion is crucial.

“We’re living in a time where there’s an increased awareness about the lack of representation of women both on the screen or behind the camera as directors in all roles in the film industry,” Gaulke said.

“For our students who are studying film or are interested in going in the industry, I think it’s a valuable opportunity for them to be exposed to producers, directors, writers and production designers.”

Speakers included ShondaLand Partner Betsy Beers, Google Entertainment Industry Educator in Chief Julie Ann Crommett and Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour.

The event was first created to promote and expand upon ideas of women empowerment and open discussion to more diverse characters and roles for females to play.

The organization also hopes to encourage the youth to take a stand against societal norms, standards and expectations, according to the Women in Entertainment website.

Attendee Annie Wendorf ’19 said that she had a great time and that the summit was a thoughtful and memorable experience that changed her perspective.

“The entire day was so informative,” Wendorf said. “It was such a good platform to open up the conversation of how women are portrayed in the media and the necessary steps to dominating the notoriously male field of the entertainment industry.”