New York and Beijing – MAKERS, the first-of-its-kind multi-platform initiative from AOL becomes a global platform on April 24 with the launch of MAKERS in China. In partnership with Yang Lan, a broadcast journalist and founder of Sun Media Group – one of China’s private media companies – MAKERS China highlights and celebrates ten trailblazing Chinese women, and presents an unprecedented opportunity for MAKERS to reach hundreds of millions of new viewers.
“By leveraging a truly open, global strategy MAKERS aims to be the largest collection of women’s stories ever assembled – by partnering with Yang Lan and Sun Media Group, we are able to create new MAKERS stories, a new cultural exchange between American and Chinese women, and ultimately reach a broader audience,” said Maureen Sullivan, President of AOL.com and Lifestyle Brands.
Responsible for helping select and produce all content, Yang Lan serves as the Executive Producer for MAKERS China. Yang Lan, one of China’s broadcast journalists, media entrepreneurs and philanthropists, has been a strong and effective advocate for Chinese women around the world, and is often credited with influencing the social, economic and cultural transformation underway for the modern Chinese woman. MAKERS is recognised by the quality of its impactful, original programming, and Yang Lan has worked closely with a diverse and accomplished board of advisors to select each MAKER, using the same process that the brand uses across the board.
“The stories of extraordinary Chinese women should be told. When we first approached AOL about bringing MAKERS into our country, we were hopeful,” said Yang Lan. “There’s a strong need for an inspirational platform like MAKERS in China. The ethos of MAKERS transcends geographic borders.”
Beyond the MAKERS platform, the stories of the ten Chinese MAKERS will be distributed on Her Village, Yang Lan’s online destination for women which reaches over 300 million viewers and consumers worldwide each month. She will be hosting the Her Village International Forum on April 26 where the Chinese MAKERS will be honoured at an awards ceremony. Translations of these stories will also be featured on MAKERS.com and MAKERS.cn starting in May. Yang Lan’s MAKERS story launches on MAKERS.com on April 24.
The Chinese MAKERS include:
- Fu Ying: the serving vice Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China and the first female spokesperson in the history of the National People’s Congress of China (NPC)
- Li Yinhe: an acclaimed female sociologist in China, she is a well-known sexologist and an activist for LGBT rights
- GuoJianmeib: the founder of mainland China’s first public interest institution to offer legal support and service to underprivileged women
- Dong Mingzhu: a powerful female entrepreneur in the Chinese manufacturing industry
- Gong Li: the first Chinese actress to become widely known to the western public
- Laura Cha Shih May-lung: the first woman deputy chair of the China Stock Exchange and the first person outside of mainland China to join the central government of China at the vice-ministerial rank
- Hu-Shuli: well-known and distinguished Chinese financial journalist and business owner in the media industry
- Yang Liping: celebrated dancer and choreographer, she revived and modernised ethnic dance, and also brought Chinese dance to western culture
- Yan Geling: regarded as a groundbreaking and influential Chinese writer and playwright in the world’s literary landscape
- Li Yan: well-accomplished athlete and coach, she won the first-ever medal on short track speed skating for China at the 1992 Olympics and is the most decorated Chinese coach in a single Olympic game
“When we first created MAKERS, the idea of expanding beyond the U.S. was always a goal in my mind,” said Executive Producer Dyllan McGee. “The ten Chinese MAKERS will not only have an impact within China, but their stories have the ability to educate and impact people everywhere.”
The documentary MAKERS: Women Who Make America premiered to 2.6 million viewers on PBS in 2012. Today, MAKERS.com features thousands of videos from more than 230 women. In addition to global expansion, MAKERS held its inaugural conference in February 2014, drawing more than 500 men and women. Continuing the momentum, six new one-hour MAKERS documentaries will air on PBS this fall.
