How STARZ Breaks the Mold in Female Storytelling

At TheWrap’s 2025 Power Women Summit, STARZ executives and talent shared the company’s strategy of focusing on premium programming for women and underrepresented audiences and why it works well for both viewers and the business. Kathryn Busby (President, Original Programming) explained how commercial viability is directly related to the authenticity of women’s stories informed by real human experience, and also that a key to STARZ's success is embodying a creative process where women are empowered at every level. Actress Patina Miller (“Power Book III: Raising Kanan”) spoke candidly about how having real agency when she walked on set as the first female lead of the “Power” Universe made it one of the best experiences of her career. Toni Graphia (executive producer, “Outlander,” “Outlander: Blood of My Blood”) emphasized the role storytelling plays in mentoring the next generation of women through creation of complex female characters who influence the perspectives and experiences of younger women coming up. Kathryn Busby closed by acknowledging the importance of television as a platform for women, but emphasized there is so much more to be shared, declaring “We are half of this Earth, but we are not half of the stories that are told.”