Jaime Fraser & Elizabeth Bohnel | The 2022 MAKERS Conference

MAKERS

Jaime Fraser & Elizabeth Bohnel at the 2022 MAKERS Conference.

Video Transcript

- Please welcome Jamie Fraser.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

JAIME FRASER: Hello, again, to everyone in the house and to everyone joining on the livestream welcome to the 2022 MAKERS Conference.

[CROWD CHEERS]

Yes. I'm Jamie Fraser, general manager of MAKERS. It is so good to be with all of you tonight. Over the next three days, we're going to look into our crystal ball and discover the many ways that we can work together to make the future we all want to see.

I took on this role in April, right before the Supreme Court abortion opinion leaked and I felt so grateful to be working for a brand that could speak out about women's rights. One of the first clips the team showed me was a MAKERS profile on Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who successfully argued for Roe in front of the Supreme Court and has sadly recently passed at the age of 76. And now, 50 years later, tomorrow you'll hear from Alexis McGill Johnson, the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, who is doing everything in her power to keep women's rights secure today.

[CROWD CHEERS]

And they are just a few of the voices that makers has amplified in the fight for women's equality because we depend on multiple people and multiple points of view to tell the stories of women. And that's what Dyllan McGee realized a decade ago when she launched MAKERS.

[CROWD CHEERS]

She wanted to do a documentary on Gloria Steinem and Gloria wisely told her you can't tell the story of a movement through just one woman, so now makers has this treasure trove of irreplaceable content, stories from the past that guide our plans for the future. And together this week, we are creating more of that content. The moments on stage here will add to that incredible collection of women's stories that generations will be able to access for years to come. Are you guys excited to see them?

[CROWD CHEERS]

So although I'm new to the team, I feel like I've always been destined for this role. When I was 11, I directed, produced, and starred as Jo, of course, in a production of "Little Women" for my entire middle school.

[CROWD CHEERS]

I got approval from the principal. I helped build the set. I casted my classmates in the right roles. And I put up posters around the school, basically every single thing I do at my role at MAKERS today. I love making it all happen and I love providing a platform for others to shine too. And we have a lot of talented people on the MAKERS team that shine every single day, like Ja'Nay Hawkins, our--

[CROWD CHEERS]

--yeah, there she is-- our chief partnerships officer. She's a close friend and colleague to so many of you. And with her team, she drives these powerful MAKERS relationships all year long. Jeffrey Pettit, our secret weapon. He keeps our operation running smoothly. He keeps us all in line. Alyssa Lakoff and our unbelievable events team, they put this all on. It's just beautiful.

[CROWD CHEERS]

Courtney Coburn and our PR team. Alyssa Raynor and Kathryn Eberhardt, our legal team. I could go on and on. Our leadership team, Alison Williamson, our chief diversity and Inclusion officer at Yahoo. And our new CEO, who you'll meet just shortly, Jim Lanzone, who is absolutely a MAKERS man. So I could go on and on, but I only named a few members of the core team by name because you're going to meet some more of them on stage over the next couple of days.

And the first one that I want you to meet, if you haven't met her before, is Elizabeth Bohnel, our executive producer. She put this entire show together and with her extremely dedicated production team. So, Elizabeth, I would love for you to come out and join me.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

ELIZABETH BOHNEL: Hi, everyone. Hi. Jamie, it is absolutely wonderful to welcome you to the MAKERS family. Hi, everyone. It's so good to see your faces tonight.

[CROWD CHEERS]

I'm Elizabeth, I am the executive producer of MAKERS. I have had the privilege for eight years to interview and tell over 100 stories of these incredible MAKERS, everybody from Margaret Hamilton, the data scientists who got man to the moon to the actual GOAT Serena Williams.

[CROWD CHEERS]

Whoo! But don't ever ask me who my favorite one is because they are all my favorite. I've been a fantastical storyteller since I was a little girl. I once actually wrote an illustrated story to Hillary Clinton when she was living in the White House about my worries about the environment. Yes, I've always been ahead of my time. The White House wrote me back and I still have the letter framed on my wall as a reminder to always keep pushing the envelope.

[CROWD CHEERS]

Another fun youthful fact about me, I was a synchronized swimmer in high school, so that kick off felt very close to my heart. And it was hard for me not to jump in the water with them, I resisted the urge so that I could be up here with you tonight. Because it is my greatest joy to tell the stories of these extraordinary women who have made the past and are about to make the future. Now onto the show.

Jim will be sitting down a little bit later with the incredible Jessica Alba, reproductive rights activist and MacArthur Genius Loretta J. Ross will be on the stage in just a moment.

[CROWD CHEERS]

But, first, let's take a look at a pioneer in arts and activism, who is laying the groundwork for a brighter, better future for all of us-- Constance Wu.

[CROWD CHEERS]