Marlene Sharp is a WiT Surprise Ladies Catalyst for Change Finalist
When most individuals take into consideration social influence, they consider consciousness.
International Toy Information’ contributing author, Marlene Sharp, thinks about motion.
Sharp has spent years creating alternatives for autistic people throughout toys, leisure, media, and past, and now she’s additionally a Finalist for the upcoming Ladies in Toys, Licensing & Leisure (WIT) Surprise Ladies Awards within the Catalyst for Change class. A daily at curating significant alternatives at Comedian Con, Toy Honest and each convention in between, Sharp reshapes how industries view neurodiversity, and definitely catalyzes new prospects for folks on the spectrum.
However maybe her biggest contribution isn’t just elevating consciousness. It’s constructing pathways.
By means of her management with Autism in Leisure (AIE), Sharp has helped create an ecosystem that connects autistic people with assets, mentors, employers, inventive alternatives, and each other. The group’s conferences, programming, and business partnerships have develop into a catalyst for significant change, serving to individuals navigate careers whereas constructing confidence, group, and visibility.
“Marlene doesn’t just talk about inclusion, she creates it,” says Genna Rosenberg, Founder and CEO of GennComm and creator of Lean Into Function. “She sees potential where others see limitations, and works tirelessly to build pathways that allow people to thrive. She is changing lives, changing perceptions, and helping our industries become stronger, more inclusive places for everyone.”
Centered on workforce growth, expertise cultivation, advocacy, and group constructing, Sharp doesn’t simply decide one lane; she masterfully fires on a number of cylinders.
She works with established expertise on the spectrum, together with Love on the Spectrum star Dani Bowman and Emmy Award-winning animator Jorge Gutierrez, whereas additionally serving to create alternatives for rising performers, as nicely. By means of AIE and different autism empowerment initiatives, she has helped safe paid work for numerous neurodivergent artists, together with voice actors Tyler Berman and Mallory Reese.
She has additionally inserts conversations about autism into mainstream areas, from Comedian-Con panels and anime conferences, to media protection in shops starting from Selection to TMZ.
Her affect extends past visibility. Sharp has develop into a trusted advocate when dangerous stereotypes floor in standard tradition. Earlier this 12 months, she and her enterprise accomplice joined others in difficult derogatory feedback about autism made throughout a high-profile comedy roast, serving to spark a broader dialog about illustration, respect, and the ability of language.
On the similar time, she continues to create optimistic alternatives that showcase expertise fairly than limitations. A current instance is AIE’s Laughs on the Spectrum collection, groundbreaking comedy showcases, one among which served because the opening occasion for Netflix Is A Joke Comedy Pageant on the world-famous Hollywood Chortle Manufacturing unit. Sharp performs an instrumental function in conceptualizing, producing, and amplifying the occasions, which spotlight neurodivergent comedians on comedy’s largest phases.
Maybe the clearest measure of Sharp’s influence might be discovered within the lives she has touched.
When aspiring voice actor and performer Mallory Reese attended the inaugural AIE convention, it was the primary autism-focused occasion she had ever attended. There, she found workforce growth assets, skilled alternatives, and a thriving group of friends. She met mentors, collaborators, shut mates, and finally her boyfriend, Tyler Berman, one other performer on the spectrum. At this time, the couple has constructed a life collectively, lately moved into their very own condominium, and usually emcee and carry out collectively by The Spectrum Laboratory performances, Vista del Mar’s Neurodiversity of Kindness selection present, and extra.
Most significantly, Mallory discovered a way of belonging. Reese credit the occasion by saying, “I feel like I finally found my people.” And it was a door that Sharp opened for her.
Tales like Mallory’s illustrate why Sharp’s work issues. She isn’t merely creating applications or producing occasions. She is creating connections, confidence, careers, and group.
Because the toy, licensing, and leisure industries proceed embracing inclusion and illustration, Sharp reminds us that significant change goes past the merchandise we create and the tales we inform. It requires investing in folks and constructing techniques that permit them to succeed.
That’s precisely what Marlene Sharp has spent her profession doing.
And that’s the reason she is so deserving of recognition as a Surprise Ladies Finalist.
In regards to the Surprise Ladies Awards
The Surprise Ladies Awards will probably be held at Paramount Photos on September 17, 2026. For tickets and extra info, go to https://www.womenintoys.com/wonder-woman-awards
