Ellen Farmer, CEO

Ellen Farmer helps companies achieve what matters most: profitable growth. As well as identifying ways to maintain and improve profit, Ellen is an expert at spotting places within a company or a project where costs can be reduced and where efficiency and streamlining can be improved. As the Chief Operating Officer of 1895 Films- an award-winning and profitable entertainment production company, for 15 years, Ellen delivered programs to multiple broadcast platforms and maintained continuous profits every year for the company  during times of radical industry disruption and transformation. Now, through Paladin Profit Group, Ellen brings her business acumen and hands-on operating and strategic management expertise directly into boardrooms, planning sessions, and execution playbooks as a consultant and fractional COO.

With a history of smart, decisive judgment, Ellen has kept organizations competitive, financially strong, and positioned to capitalize on new revenue streams. In 2023 and 2024, she was recognized by Cynopsis Media among the top women in media production operations and management.

From the structured discipline of Booz Allen Hamilton to the fast-paced demands of hospitality, associations, and the creative industries in which Ellen has worked, Ellen has built a reputation for implementing operational systems that not only deliver P&L profitability but also free resources to invest in growth opportunities. Her proven ability to identify patterns across complex businesses has been the key to her success in shaping actionable strategies that unlock efficiency, strengthen performance, and produce measurable results. With a history of strategic, decisive judgment she has kept organizations competitive, financially strong and positioned to capitalize on new revenue streams. 

As COO of 1895 Films, Ellen put the right pieces in place—finance, HR, IT, sales, marketing, and day-to-day operations—to scale the business into a sought-after production collaborator for major brands including Disney, National Geographic, Red Bull, and Paramount+. The work environments she fostered enabled creative teams to flourish and earn recognition with numerous accolades, including Peabody, Emmy, and Producers Guild of America awards as well as many others. She kept 1895 competitive in a rapidly shifting industry and ever changing economic landscape by launching  a branded content division and reshaping teams and business models and reducing personel to optimize function and  budgets and improve operational productivity.

Ellen holds a master’s degree from King’s College in London, U.K., and a bachelor’s degree from Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. She is currently completing the Wharton Business Emerging COO continuing education course. Ellen and her family reside in Los Angeles.