WIFD Talks: Sara Hirsh Bordo

Join us Saturday, June 27th, 2020 at 10:30am for an inspiring talk with Sara Hirsh Bordo, Founder of Women Rising.

SARA HIRSH BORDO, CEO & FOUNDER, DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER

Named as an Architect of Change by Maria Shriver, Sara previously held positions in media and entertainment including Executive Director of Interactive Marketing at Paramount Pictures, VP of Digital Marketing at MGM Studios, and CEO and Co-Founder of NowLive which was acquired by Live Media Group in 2013. During her experience in entertainment, she was told by her female boss, that she “belonged more in an apron than in an office.” Recognizing that women have to champion each other rather than allow each other to feel threatened by each other, Sara founded Women Rising, an impact-driven production company dedicated to empowering women and girls through content and experiences. After more than 15 years away in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, Sara returned to Austin for the opportunity to direct and produce for the first TEDxAustinWomen in 2013, which ultimately became the #1 viewed TEDxWomen event in the world across 58 countries. After meeting Lizzie Velasquez during TEDxAustinWomen, Sara and Women Rising secured Lizzie’s rights to tell her story. Sara’s directorial debut, “A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story”, premiered and won the audience award at SXSW and followed with winning awards at all 11 festivals it played, secured global distribution, and qualified for the Academy Award. Sara’s follow-up film “ProtectHer”, was a first of its kind sexual assault prevention film series aimed at protecting girls in dorm rooms by activating the power of the locker room. In January 2017, she returned to live experiences to direct and produced the rally of the Women’s March of Texas which became the largest gathering of women in Texas history. Sara is now in post-production on “We Go Higher”, a four year in the making film about healing and hope told by the 9/11 Kids, with release leading up to the 20th anniversary in 2021. Sara is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America New Media Council and a PGA Juror for Best Documentary Award 2018, was selected to attend The White House Women Entrepreneurship Conference, The White House Champions for Change Summit, and the White House’s It’s On Us summit under the Obama Administration, has been nominated twice for Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneur, has been included in Women to Watch media, and is soon to be included in The Most Inspiring Women of Austin book. She has been featured in Inc., Entrepreneur, Forbes, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, People, The Mighty, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post and The New York Times.