Will Ferrell's Production Company Makes Division to Focus on Female Projects

In what seems like a great move, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company Gary Sanchez Productions now has a new division that will concentrate on creating female-driven movies and TV shows.

In what seems like a great move, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company now has a new division that will concentrate on creating female-driven movies and TV shows.

Per Tatiana Siegel of The Hollywood Reporter, Ferrell, McKay and Chris Henchy's company Gary Sanchez Productions launched the Gloria Sanchez Productions division, which will be headed by Jessica Elbaum, a Gary Sanchez production exec. "She has worked with some of the great female voices in comedy and has proven herself as a gifted producer who has a keen eye for material," Ferrell and McKay said in a statement. 

Male comedy bigwigs have played a large role in helping launch emerging female voices as of late. Judd Apatow, for instance, produced both Bridesmaids and Girls, projects which advanced the careers of Kristin Wiig and Lena Dunham, respectively. He's now producing and directing a movie from rising star Amy Schumer. Paul Feig, who found directorial success via Bridesmaids, went onto direct The Heat, and now has a number of female driven projects in the works. Ferrell's company was behind Leslye Headland's breakout comedy Bachelorette.

And while that's not to say that female comedians haven't helped other women—Amy Poehler, for instance, is producing the hilarious Broad City on Comedy Central—in a sect of entertainment that can seem like a boys club, it's a good sign that a place like Gary Sanchez Productions is making a concerted effort to look for and support female voices.