Shari Page is the Program Director for Half Initiative, launched by Ryan Murphy, aiming to make Hollywood more inclusive by creating equal opportunities for women and people of color behind the camera. Prior to Half, she worked at Film Independent as the Senior Program Manager for Global Media Makers, a cultural exchange program in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, designed to foster relationships between American and International filmmakers. She consulted for Annapurna Pictures in their effort to support The Vidiots Foundation by writing grants and producing fundraising events that included VR events in collaboration with Chris Milk (Withn). Previously she served as Outfest Forward Manager facilitating the Screenwriting Lab, panels, networking events and also created and launched OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Project from Outfest Film Festival and The LA LGBT Center, an annual yearlong film lab in LA for LGBT youth. She also worked for five years with award-winning casting director Felicia Fasano, notably on the Golden Globe winning series Californication for Showtime. Shari holds a Bachelor’s in Education from Southern Illinois University, previously taught middle school and coached basketball in Chicago and holds an MFA in Film from Columbia College Chicago.