[link=/name/nm5097044]Isabela Merced[/link], [link=/name/nm10695146]Leo Woodall[/link], and more stars who are on the rise in 2025.

Top Stars to Watch in 2025

<a class="ipc-md-link" href="/name/nm5097044?ref_=nmawd_eds_right-3_lk">Isabela Merced</a>, <a class="ipc-md-link" href="/name/nm10695146?ref_=nmawd_eds_right-3_lk">Leo Woodall</a>, and more stars who are on the rise in 2025.

Take a look at the IMDb staff picks for the best movies and series coming to theaters and streaming.

Staff Picks: What to Watch in January

Take a peek at the biggest new and returning series coming to your screens in 2025, including new seasons of "Yellowjackets" and "Stranger Things."

IMDb's 2025 TV Guide

Take a peek at the biggest new and returning series coming to your screens in 2025, including new seasons of &quot;Yellowjackets&quot; and &quot;Stranger Things.&quot;

Veteran executive and Academy Award® winning producer Cathy Schulman began her career in film in 1987 and is currently the President and CEO of Welle Entertainment, a film and television production company committed to producing content that appeals to diverse audiences, with an emphasis on women and girls. Welle is a leading content supplier and producer for major motion picture studios, networks, and streamers.

Schulman, who has recently added screenwriting to her repertoire, is currently the showrunner and executive producer of the Showtime series THE FIRST LADY. Season One, on air now, is directed by Susanne Bier and stars Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson. The series is a refrain of American leadership told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House, with the first season focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt (Anderson), Betty Ford (Pfeiffer) and Michelle Obama (Davis).

Schulman also reunited with Davis for the epic action drama THE WOMAN KING, which recently wrapped photography in Africa. TriStar pictures will release the theatrical film, starring Davis, John Boyega, Thuso Mbedu (THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD) and Lashana Lynch (NO TIME TO DIE) worldwide in September, 2022. Gina Prince-Bythewood (THE OLD GUARD) directs.

Schulman's upcoming slate includes the romantic dramedy THE IDEA OF YOU, which Anne Hathaway stars in for Amazon, as well as numerous television series, including MEMORY OF A KILLER, starring Kiefer Sutherland.

Welle recently produced the YA drama hit FIVE FEET APART, starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson and the Netflix hit comedy film OTHERHOOD, starring Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, and Felicity Huffman.

Before founding Welle, Schulman served as the Head of Production for STX Entertainment, where she managed the studio's annual twelve picture slate, including box office hits BAD MOMS and the critically acclaimed dramedy EDGE OF SEVENTEEN. Schulman's many noteworthy producer credits include over 30 films and shows, including Oscar Best Picture winner CRASH, THE ILLUSIONIST, and DARFUR NOW.

Schulman was the President of Women in Film from 2007-2018. She is the cofounder of Reframe, the industry's leading systemic change project, where she established the ReFrame stamp, which recognizes productions that are making strides towards female-driven content, gender equality, and representation of women in key production roles. And as a top spokesperson for gender parity issues in media, Schulman designed the multi-year Annenberg School gender data project, introduced Unconscious Bias Training to Hollywood and established the WIF sexual harassment hotline.

Schulman is a decade-long Board Member of Film Independent and has served as a Council Member of the Producers Guild of America. She is a member of the AMPAS and has taught graduate level film producing at UCLA and Chapman, where she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. Schulman gave the 2016 media address for International Woman's Day at the United Nations. She is a graduate of Yale University, with a double major in Theater Studies and History of Art.

Cathy Schulman at an event for Darfur Now (2007)

Awards

Cathy Schulman

Academy Awards, USA

BAFTA Awards

Film Independent Spirit Awards

PGA Awards

Black Reel Awards

Black Movie Awards

Awards Circuit Community Awards

Gold Derby Awards

Athena Film Festival

Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards

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