North Bay Woman

is focused on developing and produc- ing independent films that challenge gender stereotypes and empower women. Her first film, "Miss Representation," debuted at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and is still being screened by schools, organizations and film festivals worldwide (and is also avail- able via Netflix, iTunes or Amazon). The documentary explores the ways mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in the United States. The film includes interviews with everyday people as well as notable entertainers, journalists, activists, politicians and academics, including Rosario Dawson, Margaret Cho, Jane Fonda, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Gloria Steinem, Condoleezza Rice and Nancy Pelosi. Newsom's passion for empowering females is not new. Growing up in Ross in a family of daughters, Newsom and her younger sisters (Brooke, Melissa and Jessica) were raised to be "outdoorsy and athletic," she says. "My parents (Judy and Ken) did an outstanding job of raising us. My mom really expected me to lead the way and inspire my sisters." Lead and inspire she did. Newsom played soccer during her high school years at The Branson School in Ross, and continued as a soccer player during her undergraduate years at Stanford University. A master's degree in business administra- tion at Stanford followed, but that's where her path took another turn. During business school, Newsom says, she hated being called on. "I was so shy in class. I was so mad at myself that I started taking public speaking classes which led to acting." So she moved to Hollywood to pursue her dream. Appear- ances in films and television shows – from "In the Valley of Elah" and "Something's Gotta Give" to "Mad Men" and "Numb3rs" – followed, along with a growing distaste for the way women were treated in the entertainment industry. Not only does the fabled Hollywood "casting couch" exist, but Newsom says "it's amazing what they can get away with. The girls are afraid to speak out. There are clearly great people in the industry, but there's also seediness and shadiness." Especially offensive to Newsom are reality shows such as "Real Housewives" that pit women against each other: "I'm very proud of my sisters and proud of sisterhood. It's not inherent (in us) to be catty and bitchy. Those shows are so over the top in stereotyping gender. They're perpetuating a stereotype that our only value is our beauty. They do a real disservice to women who take their careers and motherhood seriously." And Newsom herself is clearly a woman who is serious about both her career and motherhood. Up every morning at 5:30, she gets her children ready before she heads to the office. "It's a sprint," she laughs. "It's pretty stressful. It's back to back to back." When she's not shooting a film or interviewing people in far-flung places, she's working to grow her organization or flying somewhere for a speaking engagement or a screening. In 2012 she traveled to 61 different cities around the world. She says she hasn't had a chance to sit down and count the cities she visited last year, the first half of which she was pregnant with Brooklynn, but "I was on a lot of planes, very nauseous with projectile vom- iting. It made for some really fun plane flights." Her current projects include "The Mask You Live In," a documentary that explores the socialization of boys in American culture, and "The Great American Lie," which delves into the ramifications of a culture whose values are built on extreme masculine ideals. The Repre- sentation Project also helped launch an online campaign called #NotBuyingIt to combat sexist commercials. Participants have used the hashtag in Tweets to call out advertisers as diverse as Volkswagen, Go Daddy, American Apparel and Disney. In February, the group launched the #NotBuyingIt app – the world's first app dedicated to fighting sexism in the media. Newsom has been buoyed by support from Hollywood pals, including Geena Davis, From top to bottom: Jennifer (in black) and her sisters in New York when she was in 5th grade; Jennifer played on the Stanford soccer team in the early 90s'; Jennifer and the Lt. Governor's wedding on July 26, 2008 at her parents ranch in Montana; Jennifer speaking at the Women of the World Festival in London hosting a screening of Miss Representation. – Top three photos courtesy Jennifer Siebel Newsom. WOW photo, bottom left, courtesy Women of the World Festival.

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