On December 5th, the Women In Media community will raise a glass to the women and gender-nonconforming creatives shaping entertainment. Our 2026 Holiday Toast fundraiser brings the industry together to celebrate our legendary honorees and their extraordinary achievements. We’ll salute their leadership, artistry, and lasting impact on the art and craft of storytelling. These trailblazers are making history and securing their place in the film canon.

Join us for a sparkling champagne brunch, a lively silent auction, and an inspiring panel with our honorees. Hear heartfelt salutes from friends and colleagues who know the honorees work and professionalism firsthand. Our VIP Premier Pre-Party reception guests will mingle with the honorees, their toastmasters, and special guests before the festivities begin. All genders are welcome to celebrate the creative forces shaping our industry, above and below the line.

2026 Holiday Toast Honorees

Cybel Martin, ASC: Director of Photography ~ American Horror Stories, A League of Their Own, Kindred and XO Kitty
Laura Karpman: Composer ~ East of Eden, American Fiction, Ms. Marvel, Captain America Brave New World, Walk Run Cha Cha
Tessa Blake: Director-Producer-Writer ~ Matlock, 911, Veronica Mars, Station 19
More TBA

Moderator: Tema L. Staig, Women In Media Founder and Executive Director

10:00 AM Premier Champagne Pre-Party
11:00 AM General Admission
11:45 AM Welcome Remarks and Keynotes
12:15 PM Toasts to the Honorees
12:30 PM Panel and Q & A
1:30 PM Silent Auction concludes
1:45 PM Final Remarks

Dress code: Fierce and Fabulous

Premier Tickets

Enjoy the VIP Premier Pre-Party at 10:00 AM, seating closest to the stage, and commemorative champagne flute.

The Holiday Toast Legacy

This is our ninth Holiday Toast, and we couldn’t be more proud to continue the tradition. This annual event has moved the needle for women in every facet of entertainment. It came out of a grass-roots effort, screening films by women directors of historical significance with Seeking Our Story. We set out to prove that women had made an indelible mark in the entertainment crafts from the very beginning.

Seeking Our Story attendees were surprised that they hadn’t been aware of women’s contributions behind the scenes. For example, Alice Guy Blache’ was one of, if not THE first narrative filmmaker, making La Fée aux Choux in 1896. Dorothy Arzner was an editor who innovated and elevated story telling techniques as she evolved into directing. She was the designer of the boom mic, directed Paramount’s first talkie, The Wild Party in 1929, and was the first woman in the DGA. Lotte Reiniger made the first animated feature film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed in 1926.

We felt that it was criminal that we had not studied them in film school, or in our travels as cinephiles. When Women In Media became a nonprofit in 2017, we set our sights on something bigger. It was up to us to shape history as it happens, not just change how it’s remembered. We can’t wait to make history again as we add our honorees to the canon in real time.

Please be advised that all events hosted by Women in Media may be recorded and distributed for promotional purposes. Your voluntary participation in such events authorizes and acknowledges Women in Media and their event partner’s exclusive rights of ownership and use of all recordings.

Thank You

Gold sponsor

Silver Sponsor