Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Names Sarah Harden CEO

Former Otter Media president Sarah Harden, who had been serving as interim CEO of Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner since June, is joining the company full-time in the top position.

“From the moment I met Sarah Harden, I have been in awe of her vast understanding of business development and digital media brands around specific communities,” said Witherspoon. “Sarah is a force of nature. Not only does she believe that women should have every opportunity to succeed in media, she actually makes it happen. There have been so many ideas that I have wanted to execute over the past seven years. Sarah simply put her head down, did the work and made them happen. She leads with the motto ‘less talk, more progress.’ She elevates every idea, conversation and collaboration. I’m thrilled to have her lead this talented Hello Sunshine team.”

Witherspoon formed Hello Sunshine in 2016, in partnership with Otter Media, the joint venture formed between The Chernin Group and AT&T. The media company focuses on on telling female-driven stories across all platforms.

In her former role as President of Otter Media, Harden oversaw the growth of the digital media venture and its companies Fullscreen, Rooster Teeth, Crunchyroll, and Gunpowder & Sky and the formation of Otter’s initial partnership with Hello Sunshine. Before that, Harden served as EVP at the Chernin Group, where she focused on video-centered initiatives including the acquisitions of Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, McBeard and the formation of Otter Media.

“Having the opportunity to launch and build Hello Sunshine with Reese Witherspoon is a dream come true,” said Harden. “And to be able to do it at this particular time and with the backing of the same incredible partners in the Chernin Group and AT&T that I have had the privilege of representing in my role at Otter is about as good as it gets.”

Said Jesse Jacobs, President of the Chernin Group: “Sarah has been a force in optimizing Otter’s incredible growth since its inception, and we are thrilled that she is joining Hello Sunshine as CEO. Sarah has always been a champion for women, and her passion for building a modern, female-focused media company makes her the perfect executive for this role. “

In addition, Charlotte Koh has been named as ‎Head of Digital Media & Programming for Hello Sunshine. She’ll be responsible for developing and producing unscripted, social and editorial content across the company’s digital distribution channels. Most recently, Koh was Head of Video at HuffPost and previously the first Head of Originals at Hulu. Prior to Hulu, Koh was SVP Business Development at Marvel Studios and Creative Executive at Fox Searchlight.

Koh joins the Hello Sunshine executive team which also includes Lauren Levy Neustadter, Head of Film and TV.

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