WSJ. Magazine 2017 Entertainment Innovator: Reese Witherspoon has enthralled audiences since her first iconic film, Man on the Moon. As a woman in Hollywood, she sought roles that were complicated and honest, like “Tracy Flick” in Election and “June Carter” in Walk the Line–a performance that won her an Oscar. When, in 2008, she saw a dearth of opportunities for women to play such complex roles, she decided to do something about it. She created a production company whose only mission was to develop films with women at the center of the story, as the heroes of their own journeys. It launched with Gone Girl, subsequently produced Wild, and most recently the HBO limited series Big Little Lies. Each film received wide acclaim, including Oscar nominations, and a sweep of Emmys for Big Little Lies. Reese Witherspoon, actor, producer and entrepreneur, remains committed to producing stories that reflect the experiences of women around the world, creating more opportunities for women to see themselves on screen.

WSJ. Magazine 2017 Innovator Awards

Crafting a better future from a world in flux. This is the hallmark of WSJ. Magazine's 2017 Innovators—a group of visionary, foundation-shaking luminaries working across seven fields. This year's talents were honored at the annual Innovator Awards on November 1 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Selected by WSJ. Magazine editors, the honorees were: Reese Witherspoon (Entertainment); Raf Simons (Fashion); Diller Scofidio + Renfro (Architecture); Roman and Williams (Design); Musical.ly (Technology); Ryan Heffington (Performing Arts); Mark Bradford (Art).

For the third year in a row, MediaStorm has used its multidisciplinary approach to create films that shine a light on the legacies and innovations of each individual. These films showcase some of MediaStorm’s greatest strengths: an ability to develop a captivating story under tight constraints; combining beautiful cinematography and motion graphics to add unparalleled finesse; and working in close partnership with a client to get results.

These videos have been a critical part of WSJ’s strategy to drive it's audience to its site and to assert itself as the place of significance for the informed citizen.

In keeping with our mission to develop stories that matter, we are thrilled to play a role in recognizing the WSJ. Magazine 2017 Innovators.

The Wall St. Journal Magazine, for its seventh annual Innovator Awards, required short, fast paced, but personal, stories of innovation from each of its seven winners.

Access to celebrities and footage of their work is always a challenge. MediaStorm was fortunate to secure a personal, and in-depth interview with Ms. Witherspoon, which was enough to create a special narrative on her work promoting women’s stories in Hollywood. However, when WSJ. Magazine secured an interview with Oprah Winfrey to express her sentiments on Ms. Witherspoon’s impact, we knew it was an opportunity to enhance the film.

To marry the voices of Ms. Witherspoon and Ms. Winfrey, we focused on Ms. Witherspoon’s desires to create stories focused on women, and Ms. Winfrey’s support of her impact. The result is a film that celebrates Ms. Witherspoon’s work, with the validation of a media mogul whose legacy is about improving the lives of women around the world.

The film premiered at the WSJ. Magazine 2017 Innovator Awards, on November 1st, and then published on the Wall St. Journal’s and MediaStorm’s websites the next day. It is a key tool for driving awareness to the magazine and the prestigious awards themselves.

With five global editions spanning 62 countries, WSJ. Magazine—which publishes 12 issues a year—is The Wall Street Journal's luxury-lifestyle publication dedicated to the power and passions of the Journal's readership.