In honor of Women’s History Month, we are highlighting five pioneering women in the digital media, storytelling, and journalism world. From different walks of life, whether they’re well established in their careers or just starting out, these women are impacting the media industry for the better.
Melissa Bell
Melissa Bell is known as an American journalist and technologist. At the start of her career, she helped launch the Indian business newspaper Mint and then transitioned to hold several senior positions at The Washington Post. After this, most successfully, she co-founded the news and opinion website, The Vox. She continues to connect and grow with her audiences on emerging media platforms.
Lakshmi Chaudhry
Lakhmi Chaudhry’s career commenced with its roots in journalism and digital media as she worked at Wired.com during the dot com boom. She then became a co-founder and executive director of the first entirely online news company in India, Firstpost.com. Now at the forefront of digital media, she works as an investment advisor and aids in funding independent Indian media startups like her own.
Nonny de la Peña
Nonny de la Peña, nicknamed the ‘Godmother of Virtual Reality,’ truly is a pioneer in the immersive journalism space. She created the first-ever VR documentary that premiered at the Sundance festival in 2012. Nonny de la Peña also founded the Emblematic Group that focuses on producing, VR, AR, and mixed reality journalism in conjunction with storytelling. Additionally, in the past, Peña has utilized virtual reality to talk about social issues such as homeless LGBTQ+ youth.
Melanie Perkins
Today, anyone can become an amateur graphic designer with Canva. Melanie Perkins is to thank for this. Melanie Perkins is the co-founder and CEO of Canva, a popular graphic-design tool website. Melanie is one of the youngest female CEOs of a tech start-up company to be valued at over $1 billion. As of 2020, she was the third richest woman in Australia.
Susan Wojcicki
A true boss woman, topping every list of successful women in media, is Susan Wojcicki. Susan was Google’s sixteenth employee, the initial marketing manager. As she rose up the ranks, she contributed to the development of Google Images and AdSense. Eventually, she suggested the acquisition of YouTube and rose to CEO in 2014. Susan is a strong advocate for women empowerment and takes a bold stance against gender discrimination. This op-ed of hers is a must-read: How To Break Up The Silicon Valley Boys’ Club.