WHM: Leading Ladies We Love

In honor of the many (and yet still not enough) wildly talented and dynamic leading ladies who have graced us with their presence on screen, on stage, on paper and in our ears, we wanted to share just a few of some of the characters and creators that we personally love and admire.

When Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Rest In Power) was asked about when there would be enough women on the Supreme Court, the Notorious RBG answered unwaveringly: "There will be enough when there are nine.” When men are in the forefront of entertainment, we don’t bat an eyelash. There is an unjust precedent which normalizes and reinforces the gender hierarchy. When we can look at the entertainement industry, and see every color of the rainbow as opposed to just one, solid block of (white, cis-male) representation, then perhaps, in the words of RBG, “there will be enough” equality to go around.

Until then, we highlight the trailblazing women who have fought their way up the ladder, and continue to pull others to the top.

-SH

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LARA’S LEADING LADIES

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NORA’S LEADING LADIES

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BRIAN’S LEADING LADIES

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LYNNE & LAURIE’S LEADING LADIES

author: lara freeman-erbin

WHM: Lara's Recommended Reading

Hello! I’m back with more reading recommendations for my fellow bookworms :) Here are some of my recent reads that tell the story of a woman to be reckoned with.

All of these stories impacted me in a different and distinctly poignant way — I find even if my personal life story couldn’t be more different from another’s, there’s always something (a particular experience, a thought process, an emotional reaction) that still resonates as familiar. Beyond finding familiarity in one another though, I think one of the most powerful things we can do as women is to not only recognize shared experience and the things that bind us, but to acknowledge how our world structures differ as well, and to discuss the things that alienate and divide us. I think the most revolutionary thing that women can do together is to listen and learn from one another.

On our own, we are mighty. But as a united force we are unstoppable.

I hope you enjoy any or all of these stories, and as always, please send me picks of your own!

xxx, L

My Own Words

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

A Great Read For: Anyone with an interest in political history and feminist legislation. Also for anyone missing the irreplaceable RBG.

You’ll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again

Julia Phillips

A Great Read For: Film buffs! And lovers of unabashed, occasionally politically incorrect, badass women.

Finding My Voice

Nadiya Hussain

A Great Read For: Food lovers, Great British Bake-Off/Baking Show fans, and those who champion representation in all industries.

A Woman Of No Importance:

The Untold Story Of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II

Sonia Purnell

A Great Read For: History nerds who are still agitated knowing the people we should have been studying in grade school…

Untamed

Glennon Doyle

A Great Read For: Anyone needing a pick-me-up from self-doubt. Also anyone needing the courage to start over. For the better.

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

Gertrude Stein
Illustrated by Maira Kalman

A Great Read For: Art history/herstory lovers! Also anyone who wants a very sweet example of love at its purest.

author: lara freeman-erbin

In Response: Stop Asian Hate

Something any actor can attest to is that this industry waits for no one. Our courageous actors are all too familiar with the unspoken requirement of a brave face. No matter what goes on in their own spheres – a sick child, a stressful work day, a school final, heartbreak, anxiety – we know you are forced to collect yourselves to perfect that audition, to shine in that callback, to charm in the vocal booth, to grace audiences with the ability to escape thru your performance when you yourself may be in need of escape. It is a thankless aspect to your jobs. For the record, we know this. And we see you.

 COVID-19 has been challenging for everyone, but the extent of the emotional and physical suffering endured by our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities is pervasive, horrific, and unacceptable. The AAPI communities have been shouting into the void for the past year, and after the recent domestic terror attack in Atlanta, we cannot let these horrific patterns of racism and violence be brushed under the rug. The COVID-19 virus is non-discriminatory – like all illnesses, it chooses its victims with no reservation; all of us are in this boat. And yet malice, blame, and violence has been directed at the AAPI community for reasons which will never be justifiable. Racism is also a virus.

The Stop AAPI Hate National Report, which has documented this violence from 3/19/2020 thru 2/28/2021, reveals more than 3,300 cases of racially-motivated hate crimes against Asian Americans. 68% of these incidents have targeted Asian women. Roughly 503 of these reported incidents took place in 2021 alone. That’s 503 reported hate crimes in the span of 59 days. How many more have gone unreported, unacknowledged?

This is atrocious. Nauseating. Infuriating. Disgraceful.

TO EVERY AAPI ACTOR ON OUR ROSTER AND BEYOND: WE STAND WITH YOU. You deserve respect, safety, visibility, and all of the allegiance we have to give.

We know this industry wants you to keep a brave face. But we want you to know that we do not ask this of you. If you need to grieve, to sleep, to stay home, to be with family, to disconnect, to reconnect, to march, to create – we support all of your efforts to maintain your emotional and mental health within the confines of your country who isn’t protecting you like it should. If we can make you feel safe in even the smallest way, we will move mountains to do so.

To our Non-AAPI actors and beyond: we humbly encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open and do what you can to protect and support those around you who need it most.  

With love and hope for a better world,
Shirley Hamilton Talent

Below are resources for information and support:

Stop Asian Hate GoFundMe
Stop AAPI Hate
Chinese For Affirmative Action
Asian American Advocacy Fund
Asian Mental Health Collective
#HATEISAVIRUS

Author: lara freeman-erbin

Happy St. Patty’s!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all the Irish folks on our roster and beyond! To our Ham Fam celebrating their heritage: we feel lucky to represent each and every one of you. (Did you know the Irish have been observing today’s holiday for over 1000 years?)

We know that Chicago LOVES to get together on March 17th and get loose after being cooped up all winter. But please don’t forget that this year is a little different. Please continue to wear masks, and keep your celebrations intimate this year. Take it from St. Patrick: be smart, and stay COVID safe out there!

xoxo, Your Shirley Hamily

AUTHOR: LARA FREEMAN-ERBIN

WHM: The Iconic Shirley Hamilton

How better to really kick off Women’s History Month here at Shirley Hamilton, than to celebrate and commemorate our very own inimitable namesake? For while you may gaze around the vast city of Chicago these days and recognize many influential women dominating the high ranks of our industry, both in Talent Representation and Casting, you can bet your bottom dollar this was not always the case. And you can certainly thank our personal OG Queen Bee, Ms. Shirley Hamilton.

First to paint the picture.

Shirley was born in the “roaring” 1921, but was soon after abandoned on the steps of Chicago’s Robert Burns Hospital by her birth mother. Discovered by the hospital staff and lovingly dubbed Betty Burns (get it?), baby Shirley lived at Robert Burns during her earliest years, commuting home with resident doctors on weekends. It was during one of these babysitting doctor’s weekends that Shirley co-hosted (by proxy) a poker game, at which was couple Ernie and Josie Hultgren who were enamored with little orphaned Betty. World: meet Shirley Huntgren.

Fast forward. Shirley Huntgren (gorgeous as she was) started modeling in high school to rake in some additional income to assist her parents, and continued this career after high school. Huntgren eventually became Hamilton, when she married her high school sweetheart Grant in 1943, in the midst of the second World War. After Grant’s return from deployment a couple of years later, the couple settled back in Chicago – he a photographer, and she still modeling and acting commercially.

And then the foundation of it all: in the 50s Shirley began working for Patricia Stevens – at the time, owner of Chicago’s largest talent agency and modeling school. In a do-or-die scenario, Stevens appoints Shirley as her on-camera replacement – she must host on WGN-TV’s weekend talk show while Stevens jets off on her honeymoon. The end result? Shirley is promoted to Director of the modeling agency side of the business.

In 1962, following an incompatible stint with another agency Talent, Inc., and coupled with the enthusiastic encouragement of her former top Stevens clients, Shirley decided to take the plunge and found her namesake: Shirley Hamilton, Inc. A precursor to the now all too familiar “home office” – thanks, COVID – Shirley operated out of her home, with her husband Grant balancing the books.

SHI’s first dedicated work space was no larger than a closet — literally. She simply had a desk and a (landline) telephone, stationed inside her music producer friend Jerry Abbott’s storage closet on Michigan Ave. Recollected by her daughter Lynne, Shirley’s energy and dedication to her talent and business was legendary, assigning new meaning to the phrase “work ethic.” She didn’t pack up at 5 p.m. like her Michigan Ave. advertising counterparts; oh no. She worked late into the night, calling talent from home, puffing her cigarette with audition schedules splayed.  "She always wanted to be at work," Lynne has said. “Shirley always put her actors first.” 

Shirley has been resting peacefully since 2011, but her legacy has not wavered. In the words of veteran agent Linda Jack (of Grossman Jack), at a time when women in authority and women business owners were a silent minority, Shirley Hamilton showed other women that they could start their own business and be successful: “Having seen what Shirley had done gave them confidence in their own abilities to try it for themselves, me being one of them.” Our fellow industry colleague, Lily Lui, was registered on Shirley’s roster before founding her own agency, Lily’s Talent in ‘83. Another industry name you may recognize, Dawn Gray of Gray Talent Group, interned at SHI under Shirley herself before her own entrance into talent management and ownership. Chicago’s own Stewart Talent’s Joan Sparks has shared: “Shirley Hamilton was the first. She paved the way for many.” Today, as you know, Shirley Hamilton Inc. is operated and championed by her daughters, Lynne and Laurie Hamilton.

Perhaps because Shirley began her life fending for herself, she was destined to become the firecracker force of trail-blazing achievement she was. Or maybe more likely, she worked her tail off, brushing away adversity during the “Mad Men” age with grace and determination. It is thanks to her unparalleled commitment, later instilled in her children, that Shirley Hamilton Talent stands as the oldest talent agency in Chicago, indisputably contributing to Chicago’s spot on the entertainment map.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we hope you appreciate Shirley’s and Shirley Hamilton Talent’s history and legacy as much as we do. We hope Shirley’s story inspires perpetual confidence in the raw ability of women to lead, to succeed, and to revolutionize. As always: onwards and upwards.

Sincerely,

Shirley Hamilton Talent, Est. 1962
Cheers to 59 years, and counting.

author: lara freeman-erbin

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Happy Women's History Month!

Happy Women’s History Month everybody!

As most of you probably know, every year the month of March is dedicated to celebrating and discussing the immense hurtles that women have braved throughout history. We take this time to recognize the immeasurable value that women of all ages, shapes, colors, backgrounds, cultures, professions and abilities provide to global society, despite historically having to fight to extend it with full vigor.  Every year, WHM has a theme in order to highlight a particular aspect of this fight. The theme of 2021:

"Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.” 

If there is one thing women have proven throughout their fight for equality, it is their incompatibility with silence and complicity. Need a fitting example? How’s this timeline:

What does this tiny glimpse into the evolution of women’s voices prove? We will ALWAYS strive for more.

More progress.
More equity.
More representation.
More platforms.
More voices.
More listeners.
More learners.
More allies.
More justice.

 We are so looking forward to celebrating this year’s Women’s History Month with you.

XOXO, SH

author: lara freeman-erbin

BHM: Historic Black Entertainers

While reflecting upon Black history and the arc of racism, it’s important to contextualize it within our own front yard: the entertainment industry. The Black community has faced discriminatory barriers as far back as we can see — ranging from the dehumanization of Blackface, the bigotry of segregation, to prejudiced stereotyping, and beyond — that made not only participation, but also diverse representation, in entertainment a daunting and unjust mountain to climb. We still have many more mountains to recognize and climb today.

In honor of the historical struggle that the Black community has faced in our industry, here are just a few of entertainment’s Black trailblazers, who helped pave the way for people of color on the stage, on screen, on paper, and behind the camera today. Click thru to learn tidbits about the incredible contributions and momentous occasions that they graced us with!

May we all continue to work together to break down racial barriers, and create inclusive and diverse spaces for Black art and artists to flourish.

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Gail Fisher

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Sidney Poitier

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Hattie McDaniel

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Whoopi Goldberg

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James Earl Jones

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Tressie Souders

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Harry Belafonte

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Juanita Hall

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Diahann Carroll

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Arsenio Hall

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Cicely Tyson

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Geoffrey Holder

author: lara freeman-erbin

BHM: Lara's Recommended Reading

Hello friends, and happy Black History Month! One of the ways I personally support and celebrate different communities is thru reading and buying books. I like to oscillate between fiction and nonfiction books; exploring creative expression as well as real life stories and wisdom. Here are a few of my most recent reads by Black authors that I would recommend in a heartbeat. If you’d like to celebrate BHM bookworm style, please consider supporting Black authors and your local Black-owned bookstores!

Xoxo, Lara

P.S. — have a reading recommendation for me? Shoot me an email! <3

Between The World And Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Sula

Toni Morrison

The Chiffon Trenches

André Leon Talley

The Water Dancer

Ta Nehisi-Coates

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness

Austin Channing Brown

author: lara freeman-erbin

BHM: Supporting Black Businesses

Encouraging support of Black-owned businesses and putting a spotlight on the need for economic equality is always a key topic when it comes to Black History Month and racial justice — 2020 created an even more dire reality for the Black business community. In a report on the impact of the COVID crisis on small businesses, the National Bureau of Economic Research revealed:

“The number of African-American business owners plummeted from 1.1 million in February 2020 to 640,000 in April,” — that translates to about 41% of Black-owned businesses in the U.S. going under in the wake of COVID-19.”

In the wake of the current pandemic, now more than ever it is so important to recognize the struggles that Black businesspeople face: barriers to entry rooted in systemic racism, industry monopolies that swallow small owners, gentrification that limits expansion and sustainability — to name only a few. If you’re not sure how to support businesses who face these obstacles, here are some resources from us that might help to get you started! 

•••••

• For our fellow Chicagoans: If you want more insight into how to support Black owned businesses and entrepreneurs of all different varieties right in your Chi Town backyard, check out Black Owned Chicago! 

• For our hand-made lovers: Looking for a gift for yourself or someone else? Or maybe you need some retail therapy… skip the big guys (Amazon is doing JUST fine) and try checking out Black artists and Black-owned shops on Etsy! 

• For our beauty junkies: Why not learn some new makeup tricks, or try out a new skin care regimen? Maybe it’ll come in handy when we can actually socialize again! Here are some recommendations from Queen Oprah herself. 

• For our music lovers: Dedicate your new music perusing to Black artists or playlists! If you need a place to start, check out Spotify’s Black History is Now campaign, where they are celebrating the contributions of Black artists to the music industry and global culture. 

• For our theatre nerds: 2020 was a tough year for our industry, but our theatres took (and continue to take) the brunt of the hit. Since we can’t yet buy tickets, consider donating to Black theatre companies and programs, either here in Chicago or across the country. 

IMAGE PULLED FROM APARTMENT THERAPY; ART BY D’ARA NAZARYAN

author: lara freeman-erbin

Happy Hamiltine's!

author: lara freeman-erbin

Black History Month: #SoMuchMore

As many of you know, the month of February is dedicated to the Black community. Patrisse Cullors, Black Lives Matter Co-Founder and Executive Director, recently wrote a beautiful piece contextualizing Black History Month, and reminding us all of its meaning and importance. In her February 1st article entitled Our Movement Is #SoMuchMore, Ms. Cullors writes in part:

“From the time historian Carter Woodson created Negro History Week in 1926 up through today’s celebration of Black History Month, the goal has always been to recognize Black Americans' prolific contributions that had been ignored, dismissed or diminished in textbooks and popular culture. 

The point is to highlight the pivotal role we play in this country's advancement -- from science, math, politics, literature, arts and more -- and convey that our influence on every aspect of society and culture has been greater than what we were taught in history classes. 

The spirit of Black History Month goes beyond achievement. It is also about remembering and demonstrating that our lives and contributions are creative, industrious, transformative and joyful. Given the traumas of the last year, it's important to call out that our experience is about more than the deaths we protest and the pain we hope to heal. Black life is so much more than that. We are not only triumphant and resilient, we deserve to be celebrated and valued. Our minds, our bodies, and our spirits are worthy of real investment.”

If you’d like to continue reading, [please check out her thoughts in their entirety] on the Black Lives Matter website. We thank Patrisse for this wonderful piece that reminds us to pay attention to our own industry, and the work and progress still to be done.

IMAGE PULLED FROM BLACKLIVESMATTER.COM

author: lara freeman-erbin

2020 Reflections

Wow. What a ride.

For most (if not all) of us, 2020 was a year of new challenges, self-reflection, perhaps some stir-craziness, and a tingling anticipation for things to return to normal coupled with an urge to witness positive change. During the course of the pandemic, weeks of uncertainty turned into months. Our Ham-Fammers created new normals: Zoom auditions up the wazoo, at-home haircuts, new hobbies to fill the time, self-edited voiceover reels, home studio makeovers, theatre on the web, symptom checklists, contact-less office visits, and long distance digital hugs.

All of these new normals were paved and navigated while facing brutal, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking truths about the state of our country, communities, and industries. Faced with traumatic injustices and incomprehensible losses, our roster of superheroes led and attended protests, bravely shared their stories, created art, and fostered and participated in difficult but important conversations in order to create greater understanding, love, equity, and allegiances. We learned so much from them, and continue to every single day. Our commitment to being the change we too want to see, only continues to grow.

Our Ham Fam faced all of this and more: fear of our health crisis, blatant racial injustice, separation from loved ones, political and social unrest, career uncertainty. And yet our incredible roster handled a year of constant adjustment and acclimation with determination, patience, humor, and grace. We are in such awe of everything you all accomplished. Thank you.

Cheers to 2021 Ham Fam! May it be a year of health, happiness, positive change, social justice, ambition and success. If we can make it thru 2020 together, we can make it thru anything!

Love, Your Shirley Ham Family

author: lara freeman-erbin

Welcome to our blog!

Hello all! We’re so excited to launch another platform to communicate with. While we love using social media to rave about our amazing talent, share company tidbits, chat with you all in the comments, and cast wider nets for certain projects, we felt the need to find a way to have larger conversations (without over-saturating your feeds). We hope to provide a more personal peek into our company consciousness and the topics we are passionate about at Shirley Hamilton. Thanks for stopping by!

AUTHOR: LARA freeman-erbin