Sharon I. Waxman (born c. 1963) is an American author, journalist, and blogger who has been a correspondent for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', and founded the Hollywood and media business news site ''

TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...

'' in early 2009.

Early life and education

Waxman grew up in a Modern Orthodox,

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. She graduated from

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

in 1985 with a bachelor of arts in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. She then graduated from St. Antony's College,

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, in 1987 with a master of philosophy in modern Middle Eastern studies.

Career

Journalism

Waxman was a foreign correspondent in Europe and the Middle East from 1989 to 1995. During that time, she worked for ''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

'', as a Jerusalem correspondent, and a number of American newspapers. In 1995, she moved to Los Angeles to cover Hollywood for ''The Washington Post''. In 1998, Waxman won the feature writing award for arts and entertainment from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

. In 1999, she was nominated for the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

by ''The Washington Post'' for her work covering the Second Palestinian Intifada. In 2000, she won the Penney Award, the highest prize in feature writing. Between 2001 and 2003, Waxman covered stories in the Middle East for ''

.'' In 2012, Waxman was named the best online columnist at the National Entertainment Journalism Awards (NEJA). The following year, she won the Distinguished Journalist in New Media from the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

. Most recently, Waxman's WaxWord received an NEJA for Best Entertainment Blog in 2024. In 2021 Sharon Waxman was named Online Journalist of the Year by the

Los Angeles Press Club The Los Angeles Press Club is an American journalism organization founded in 1913. It honors journalists through its annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards and SoCal Journalism Awards. As of 2023, the Los Angeles Press Club hosted ...

s SoCal Journalism Awards, with WaxWord named as the best blog that same year. Additionally, “TheWrap-Up” podcast, creator of TheGrill podcast has won several top awards as has the website under her editorial leadership.

Authorship

In 2005, she published the LA Times best-seller "Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System." The book profiles six directors, including

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

and David O. Russell. In 2008, Waxman published her second book, "Loot: The Battle Over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World," which explores the global trade in antiquities and the battle by source countries to retrieve antiquities held in Western museums.

''TheWrap''

Waxman founded the Hollywood and media business news site ''

'' in early 2009. According to CBS Market Watch, Waxman raised $500,000 for TheWrap news, as a news portal site covering entertainment and media, which launched on January 26, 2009. A second round of financing was closed in 2010. By 2013, ''TheWrap'' had grown into a site with 30 employees. It also convenes an annual conference attended by leaders in entertainment, media, and technology called TheGrill. ''TheWrap'' has won multiple awards for investigative reporting, columns, criticism and feature writing. In 2021 Waxman was honored as the Best Online Journalist at the Los Angeles Press Club SoCal Journalism Awards, as well for her blog, WaxWord. ''TheWrap'' was chosen as the best online news website at the SoCal Journalism Awards in 2018, 2012 and 2009, and best entertainment website at the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards in 2018. In 2019, the site won two National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards for the multimedia package “#AfterMeToo: 12 Accusers Share What Happened Next, From Firing to More Trauma.” In 2021, the Los Angeles Press Club’s SoCal Journalism Awards gave the site top prizes for feature photography as well as for its weekly podcast, “TheWrap-Up.” She is also the creator of WrapWomen, a power base of influential women in media and entertainment, dedicated to promoting women’s leadership. WrapWomen convenes the largest annual event for women and underrepresented groups in entertainment, The Power Women Summit, which in 2021 drew 1 million streams over 3 days in a virtual format.

Toxic workplace allegations

In October 2021, ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'' published a story about Waxman titled "Hollywood Media Mogul Is 'Degrading' Boss From Hell, Her Staffers Say." Twenty former employees of The Wrap spoke with ''The Daily Beast'', detailing how Waxman's "toxic" actions in the workplace caused high turnover in her newsroom.

References

External links

*
Waxman's blog: WaxWord

TheWrap.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waxman, Sharon Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) American bloggers American women journalists Barnard College alumni Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford The New York Times journalists The Washington Post journalists Journalists from Los Angeles 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American women bloggers Writers from Cleveland Journalists from Cleveland