When was Shondaland founded? Founder Shonda Rhimes looks back on 20 years of her production company

Shonda Rhimes’ production company, Shondaland, has completed 20 years in the industry. Founded in 2005, the company has produced several shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton, Scandal, and others.

On July 1, 2025, Rhimes and TV producer Betsy Beers sat down with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America to discuss the milestone of two decades. When Roberts asked if they could have imagined achieving these feats in 2005, the collective answer from the two producers was a vehement no. Looking back in time, Beers shared:

“We loved television and there was this whole gap because we didn't see anything that looked or acted like us.”

Rhimes pitched in, saying:

“There were no women who felt like real women on television at that point in time.”

Shonda Rhimes said that while working on Grey’s Anatomy, they made mistakes, but she didn’t see those mistakes as bad. She believed the results turned out great in the end. She explained that if they were going to mess up, they wanted to do it by staying true to themselves, not by making others happy.

They wanted to stick to the original idea they believed in. Reflecting on the iconic “Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me” line from the series, she said:

“I'm always telling people, don't do that. Don't do that anymore.”

When Robin Roberts asked how it felt to be part of culture, Shonda Rhimes said it felt personal. She was surprised and happy that something she imagined was loved by so many people.

She shared that people had told her they learned something from her show that helped them save a family member’s life. Rhimes was also amazed that many young women wanted to become doctors or study science because of Grey’s Anatomy’s Meredith Grey.

Looking back at Shonda Rhimes’ motivation to have a career in television

Shonda Rhimes said it was fun to tell scary stories when everything felt safe, like during the day with the lights on. However, otherwise, those stories didn’t feel as fun to tell. Hence, she and her team tried to focus more on joy and fun because she felt people wanted a break from real-life problems.

In May 2025, Rhimes sat down with other guests at The Paley Center for Media, where Craig Melvin asked her how everything started. Shonda Rhimes said that after becoming a mom, she realized she didn’t get to go out much anymore.

While staying up at night with her baby, she spent a lot of time watching TV and noticed that the best character stories were happening there.

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That made her want to work in television. However, when she told her agents, they weren’t excited and passed her to another agent, who still works with her. Shonda Rhimes then met Betsy Beers, who also hadn’t made TV shows before.

After working together, they heard that the head of the company wanted a medical show. So they decided to write one — and that’s how they ended up creating Grey’s Anatomy.

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