Gale Anne Hurd

Dubbed the “First Lady of Sci-Fi,” legendary industry veteran Gale Anne Hurd has spent the past 35 years producing classics such as The Terminator, T2, Aliens, and The Abyss. Today, she is an executive producer of the most-watched scripted drama on television and of last year’s second most-pirated show, The Walking Dead.

While many people might argue piracy helps generate buzz for a show or film by increasing its overall awareness, Hurd is forthright in her opposition to that kind of dangerous thinking. With millions of revenue dollars lost to piracy, Hurd fears content creators will no longer have the means to continue doing their jobs.