Debra L. Lee

Last updated
Debra Lee
Debra L. Lee CEO BET.jpg
Personal details
Born (1954-08-08) August 8, 1954 (age 70)
Fort Jackson, South Carolina, U.S.
SpouseRandall Coleman
Children2
Education Brown University (BA)
Harvard University (JD, MPP)
Debra Lee at Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit.jpg

Debra L. Lee (born August 8, 1954) is an American businesswoman. She was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BET, the parent company for Black Entertainment Television from 2005 to May 28, 2018. Lee has sat on the board of directors for a number of companies/organizations, including the National Cable & Telecommunications Association the Ad Council, and the National Cable Television Association. She currently serves on the board of directors for Warner Bros. Discovery. Debra Lee has been named one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment" by The Hollywood Reporter due to her many achievements in her 30-plus year career at BET.

Contents

Early life and education

Debra L. Lee was born in Fort Jackson, South Carolina and grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. [1] She attended James B. Dudley High School. In 1976, Lee graduated from Brown University with a bachelor's degree in political science with an emphasis in Asian politics. She went on to earn a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and a J.D. degree at Harvard Law School, where she was a member of the Board of Student Advisers, in 1980.

Early career

From August 1981 through September 1981, Lee served as a law clerk to Barrington Parker of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. [1]

Lee joined BET as Vice President of BET's legal affairs department and general counsel in 1986 after over five years as an attorney with Washington, D.C.–based Steptoe & Johnson, a corporate law firm. [1] She has also served as BET's corporate secretary and president and publisher of BET's publishing division, which published Emerge magazine, YSB magazine, BET Weekend, and Heart & Soul magazine. [2]

Career

In March 1996, Lee became president and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of BET Holdings, Inc., replacing departing network founder, Robert L. Johnson. [3] [4] In 2005, she became president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). [5] The company had nearly $100 million in revenue last year. [6]

Under Lee, Black Entertainment Television has begun to move in a different format direction for the network. She increased the production budget by 50% and looked into incorporating original programming by getting 16 new shows for the new 2007 season. Lee has also redesigned BET's mission statement by supporting families, encouraging their dreams, and presenting fresh talent by creating new shows for its network. She created a new entertainment network, CENTRIC, in September 2009 that features new artists, reality shows, and movies.

In 2023, her memories under the title I am Debra Lee were published by Legacy Lit. She also became an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 2023. [7]

Directorships

Lee serves on board of directors of Marriott, and Revlon. [8] Lee is also a director of Washington Gas Light Company, WGL Holdings (since 2000) and the Monsanto subsidiary Genuity. [5] In May 2016, Lee was added to the board of directors of Twitter, following an attempt by returning CEO Jack Dorsey to boost diversity across the social media company's board. [9] Since 2022, Lee has served as a director of Warner Bros. Discovery. [10]

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WarnerMedia</span> American media conglomerate (1990–2022)

Warner Media, LLC was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City.

Village Roadshow Pictures is an American film company established in 1989 that co-finances and co-produces major Hollywood motion pictures. It's a division of Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (VREG), which in turn is majority-owned by Vine Alternative Investments and Falcon Investment Advisors, with the Australian media company Village Roadshow currently holding a 20% minority stake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soledad O'Brien</span> American broadcast commentator and producer

María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien is an American broadcast journalist and executive producer. Since 2016, O'Brien has been the host for Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, a nationally syndicated weekly talk show produced by Hearst Television. She is chairwoman of Starfish Media Group, a multiplatform media production company and distributor that she founded in 2013. She is also a member of the Peabody Awards board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherry Lansing</span> American film studio executive (born 1944)

Sherry Lansing is an American former film studio executive serving as chairwoman of Universal Music Group's board of directors since 2023. She previously served as chairwoman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, and president of production at 20th Century Fox prior to her retirement. From 1999 to 2022, she was on the University of California Board of Regents.

Debra Martin Chase is an American film, television, and theater producer. Chase was the first Black female producer to have a deal at any major studio. She is also the first Black woman to produce a film that grossed over $100 million. To date, her films have grossed over a half billion dollars at the box office. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn Ostroff</span> American businesswoman

Dawn Ostroff is an American businesswoman. She was the chief content officer and advertising business officer of Spotify and was the former president of entertainment of The CW and also the former president of Condé Nast Entertainment.

ESPN Inc. is an American multinational sports media conglomerate majority-owned by the Walt Disney Company, with Hearst Communications as an equity stakeholder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osceola Archer</span> American actress and fashion designer

Osceola Marie Adams, known professionally by the stage name Osceola Archer, was one of the first Black actresses to appear on Broadway in Between Two Worlds in 1934. Speaking of Adams' decade-long role as director of some three dozen productions at the Putnam County Playhouse, actor Carl Harms noted she was likely also the first African-American director of summer stock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home Box Office, Inc.</span> American mass media company owned by Warner Bros. Discovery

Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) is an American multinational media and entertainment company operating as a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded by Charles Dolan and based out of WarnerMedia's former corporate headquarters at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in the West Side of Manhattan, its main properties include its namesake pay television network Home Box Office (HBO), sister service Cinemax, HBO Films, and the international HBO Go streaming service. It has also licensed or maintained ownership interests in international versions of HBO and Cinemax, most of which are managed by Home Box Office, Inc. through sister division Warner Bros. Discovery International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BET Media Group</span> American cable television division of Paramount Global

Black Entertainment Television LLC is a subsidiary of American media conglomerate Paramount Global under its CBS Entertainment unit. BET oversees television channels and premium services aimed at African Americans, including its namesake cable channel.

Kevin Ken Tsujihara is an American businessman, and former chairman and CEO of Warner Bros Entertainment. He succeeded Barry Meyer as CEO in March 2013, and as chairman in December 2013, having previously been president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Upon assuming the role of CEO, Tsujihara became the first Asian American to run a major film studio. He resigned in 2019 due to alleged sexual misconduct revealed by leaked text messages.

Diane Whelan Nelson is an American business executive who was president of DC Entertainment from 2009 to 2018, and president and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment from 2013 to 2018.

Betty Susan Cohen is an American businesswoman and media executive. She is best known as the founder and original president of The Cartoon Network, Inc. from 1992 to 2001, the CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services from 2005 to 2007, the founder and president of Betty Cohen Media Consulting since 2008, and the founder and CEO of Hearts & Minds Media since 2019.

Channing Nicole Dungey is an American television executive and the first black American president of a major broadcast television network. In 2020, she was announced as the new chairwoman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Jay Solomon</span> American businessman and entertainment executive

Michael Jay Solomon is an American businessman, and entertainment executive. Solomon's career spans more than 55 years in the media and content distribution business. He is the founder, chairman and president of several publicly and privately held companies. Solomon has founded or sits on the board of philanthropic organizations benefiting education, public health, and the arts.

Ann Marie Sarnoff is an American television executive. She became the chairwoman and CEO of Warner Bros. in the summer of 2019. Sarnoff was the first woman to hold the position at the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Global</span> American mass media corporation

Paramount Global is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan. The company was formed on December 4, 2019, as ViacomCBS through the merger of the second incarnations of CBS Corporation and Viacom. The company took its current name on February 16, 2022.

Thasunda Brown Duckett is an American businesswoman who serves as the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of TIAA. She is a former CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, a division of JPMorgan Chase, and a member of the board of directors of Nike. Duckett is also a member of The Business Council's Executive Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Discovery</span> American mass media and entertainment conglomerate

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It was formed from WarnerMedia's spin-off by AT&T and merger with Discovery, Inc. on April 8, 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Harris, Janelle (January 5, 2011). "SO WHAT DO YOU DO, DEBRA LEE, CHAIRWOMAN AND CEO OF BET?". Mediabistro. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Black News and current events from African American Organizations, DogonVillage.com". www.dogonvillage.com. Retrieved Mar 12, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Sortable chart for the top 50 women -- WSJ.com". www.wsj.com. Retrieved Mar 12, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Austin Dental Implant Center". austindentalimplantcenter.com. Retrieved Mar 12, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Portfolio.com Top Executive Profiles
  6. ↑ "Company Search | Company Information | Hoovers Company Profiles - D&B Hoovers". www.hoovers.com. Retrieved Mar 12, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Celebrating the Newest Honorary Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc". Houston Style Magazine. March 24, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ "TopBlacks". TopBlacks. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  9. ↑ Chaykowski, Kathleen. "Twitter Adds CEO Of BET, Debra Lee, To Its Board Of Directors". Forbes. Retrieved Mar 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (2022-03-15). "AT&T Names Warner Bros. Discovery Board Appointees, Including Ex-BET Chief Debra Lee". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  11. ↑ "Debra L. Lee". BET.com. Retrieved Mar 12, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Brown confers nine honorary degrees". Brown University. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.