SYNOPSIS
Founded by prolific storyteller Shonda Rhimes, Shondaland is the pioneering storytelling company behind many groundbreaking television series including Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder. Over the last decade, Shondaland’s television series have earned numerous awards including a Golden Globe, the Peabody Award, GLAAD Media Awards, NAACP Image Awards and eight Emmys.
Join us for a look inside Shondaland from some of the company's key figures.
PANELIST BIOS
Alison Eakle
Alison Eakle is the Head of Comedy and Drama for Shondaland. Since joining the company in 2013, Ms. Eakle has developed the ABC dramas “How to Get Away with Murder,” “The Catch,” and the “Still Star-Crossed” as well as the upcoming series “For the People” and the “Untitled Grey’s Anatomy Spinoff.” Prior to her time at Shondaland, Ms. Eakle worked as a coordinating manager at Ellen DeGeneres’ production company, A Very Good Production. She began her career in features, working in development and production at Paramount Vantage and Columbia Pictures and in marketing at Paramount Pictures. In 2016, Ms. Eakle was named one of America’s 50 Most Influential Women by Marie Claire magazine. Ms. Eakle hails from Rumson, New Jersey and is a graduate of Georgetown University and The University of Texas at Austin.
Sara Fischer
In her role as Head of Production for Shondaland, Sara Fischer oversees all five series that are currently in production: “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “For The People,” and “The Untitled Grey’s Anatomy Spinoff.” She also manages production for all development and special projects for the company.
Ms. Fischer comes from ABC Studios, where she managed production of the Shondaland shows, as well as several others ABC Studios’ series, including “American Crime,” “Of Kings and Prophets” and multiple ABCS pilots. She began her career working in commercial production for EUE/Screen Gems and then moved into sports, where she was one of the first of two women hired at CBS Sports. She then segued into scripted television production, where she worked her way up the ranks from assistant director to production manager to line producer. She then moved over to Showtime overseeing numerous movies of the week as well as the ground breaking series “Queer as Folk” and “The L Word.” Some of her many production credits also include “Remington Steele,” “St Elsewhere,” “thirtysomething,” and “My So Called Life,” among others. She is a member of the PGA, DGA, and a Founding Board Member of the Willows Community School. Ms. Fischer is a graduate of University of Colorado at Boulder.
Moderator - Leanne Aguilera, Entertainment Tonight
