Hello Sunshine Hosts Second Annual Shine Away Event

Hello Sunshine, a part of Candle Media, proudly kicked off its second annual Shine Away event, an experiential franchise connected by AT&T, on Saturday, October 5 at the state-of-the-art, female-founded, nya studios in Los Angeles. Day one of Hello Sunshine’s two day marquee consumer event brought the Hello Sunshine community together to connect women to greater possibilities through connection, entertainment, and joy.

Following a hilarious stand up set from comedian and actress Heather McMahan, Hello Sunshine founder Reese Witherspoon kicked off the day by welcoming guests to the second annual experience. She also paid special tribute to Reese’s Book Club’s 100th book pick author Margaret Renkl and the entire RBC author community before sitting down for an empowering panel discussion with Octavia Spencer and Laura Dern moderated by AT&T Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, Kellyn Kenny about how they defied expectations and built a network that fueled their journey to success. Witherspoon then joined business leader and fellow female CEO and founder, Sara Blakely, for an enlightening fireside chat on entrepreneurship.

“When I started Hello Sunshine, I dreamed of connecting people - women, and people who celebrate them through storytelling. I wanted to shine a spotlight on the female experience, and I wanted us to all really be on the same team, to energize each other, to inspire each other, to connect with each other, to support one another and share our knowledge so we can all succeed together,” said Witherspoon. “The world feels incredibly fragile right now. It’s up to us to look out for each other and have one another’s backs, to support all women’s rights, and to chart a path toward a better future for ourselves, and for future generations.”

Day One of Shine Away’s curated programming, bespoke activations, and robust digital content included a wide array of conversations with top talent across entertainment, media, sports, literature, and more. As the day continued, Cari Champion moderated a moderated a trailblazers panel presented by AT&T featuring some of the biggest athletes in women’s sports, Candace Parker, Alex Morgan, Diana Flores, in which they discussed harnessing connection—to each other, their teams, and their communities—to fuel a winning mindset both on and off the field. The day continued with an afternoon of exciting conversations that kicked off with a surprise dance performance by social media sensation Jaden Barba after which, CNBC reporter Julia Boorstin moderated a discussion on stories of resilience and ambition with founders Candace Nelson, Karla Gallardo, and Cassandra Thurswell, and award-winning entrepreneur Kathleen Griffith led attendees in a workshop on developing a clear vision and actionable plan to take control of their business and bring their full selves to the table. Peoplehood, a first-of-its-kind practice designed to improve interpersonal relationships, also collaborated on an AT&T experience to help facilitate connection, conversation, and engagement between attendees.

The day’s programming also tapped into the culture-defining brands from across the Hello Sunshine portfolio, including a live podcast recording presented by L’Oréal Paris with The Bright Side’s Simone Boyce and Danille Robay with guest Gaby Dalkin. During the episode taping, Robay and Boyce also announced the second class of the Hello Sunshine Collective which includes: Arianne Bellizaire, Ellen Bennett, Molly Carlson, Gaby Dalkin, Carmeon Hamilton, Michelle Hsu, April Lockhart, Hannah O’Flynn, Raegan Revord, and Ali Truwit. Earlier in the day, some of the new Hello Sunshine Collective members including Carmeon Hamilton, Molly Carlson, and April Lockhart joined an empowering conversation led by inaugural Hello Sunshine Collective member and Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development at University of Texas, Sydney Carter about unlocking your authentic self.

As the first day of the event winded down, Mary Alice Haney moderated an impactful panel presented by Eli Lilly and Company featuring Olivia Munn, Dr. Thais Aliabadi, and The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer on the importance of self-advocacy and life lessons learned through their personal breast cancer journeys and Kate Bowler spoke with Brooke Baldwin, Amanda Kloots, and Danielle Ponder about their personal and inspiring stories and how they transformed their lives and mastered the art of the pivot. During the Sunshine Hour, guests enjoyed branded experiences and experiential pop-ups while dancing along to a special musical performance by The Castellows.

Surrounded by an immersive exhibition of brand activations, Shine Away guests had unique opportunities to engage with both speakers and Hello Sunshine’s robust brand offerings. Attendees relaxed in the AT&T Recharge Lounge, took new headshots in the AT&T Headshot Studio and shopped in various pop-ups, including Chase Ink’s specially curated small business marketplace of women-owned businesses as well as the Reese’s Book Club store, made possible with the help of Sheraton Hotels and Santa Monica’s female-owned Zibby’s Book Shop. The Home Edit Experience, sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company, showcased the stunning transformations of living areas while emphasizing the importance of wellness in all aspects of life.

Hello Sunshine proudly debuted Drop of Sunshine, a new wine offering in partnership with Treasury Wine Estates, pouring glasses for guests during happy hour. The collaboration blends joy, connection, and expertly crafted wines, perfect for elevating everyday moments. Inspired by Hello Sunshine’s mission to shine a light on where women are now and empower them to chart a new path forward, Drop of Sunshine is a toast to women, our connections, and the stories that bring us together.

Shine Away is rooted in Hello Sunshine’s mission to uplift female voices and change the narrative for women through connection while encouraging communities and unlocking new opportunities that lead to greater possibility. Shine Away was created in response to the insight that women, facing unprecedented levels of burnout, are unable to find time to focus on themselves. While fostering connection at every point of the experience, the experiential franchise offered opportunities for fans to connect with inspiring entrepreneurs, authors, athletes, musicians, and one another, providing attendees with actionable tools for personal and professional growth.

Day two of the second annual Shine Away event continues Sunday featuring conversations with Naomi Watts, Julie Rice, Nadia Munno, Ashley Flowers, Conor Holloway, Tatyana Ali, Lauren Makler, Francesca Hogi, Shamicka Jones, Gabriela Safa, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Ellen Bennett, Samah Dada, Kerry Diamond, Asma Khan, Nedra Glover Tawwab, Ashley Elston, Lauren Ling Brown, Andrea Bartz, and more.

About Hello Sunshine

Founded by Reese Witherspoon, Hello Sunshine puts women at the center of every story it creates, celebrates and discovers. Hello Sunshine is a multichannel media company- shining a light on where women are now and helping them chart a new path forward. Hello Sunshine is also home to Reese’s Book Club, The Home Edit and Fair Play. These brands are fast growing in reach and influence with communities that are propelled by meaningful connections, commerce experiences, and sophisticated content and media ecosystems.

Hello Sunshine is part of Candle Media, an independent, creator-friendly home for cutting-edge, high-quality, category-defining brands and franchises. By bringing together elite talent operating at the intersection of content, community, and commerce, it helps to position leading entertainment businesses for accelerated, sustainable growth in the current market and beyond. Candle is run by its Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs, leading entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, and backed by investment capital from funds managed by Blackstone’s flagship private equity business.

About AT&T

We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.