Pearlena Igbokwe

Last updated

Pearlena Igbokwe is the chairman of Universal Studio Group, [1] a division of NBCUniversal. She is responsible for all aspects of creative affairs and production for four studios: Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP), Universal International Studios and Universal Television Alternative Studio.

Contents

She is the first woman of African descent to head a major U.S. television studio, as she comes from the Igbo tribe of Nigeria. [2]

Early life and education

Igbokwe was born in Lagos, Nigeria in the 1960s. She lived with her family in a village which was affected by bomber planes while they depended on airlifted food during the Nigerian Civil War. She moved to the United States at the age of six. [3] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and an MBA from Columbia University. [4]

Career

From June 2016 to September 2020, Igbokwe was president of Universal Television [5] where she oversaw creative development, casting and production for one of the country's largest and most successful studios. She led the division to new heights with record volume, commercial success and critical acclaim. Some of her programming highlights include Russian Doll, The Good Place , New Amsterdam, The Bold Type , Good Girls, and Dick Wolf’s successful new franchise, FBI and FBI: Most Wanted , among numerous other notable projects. In a highly competitive landscape, Igbokwe was able to secure pickups for her projects on every major streaming service, a variety of premium cable outlets and every broadcast network.

Before her studio role, Igbokwe served as executive vice president, drama programming, [6] for NBC Entertainment, where she developed the top-rated new broadcast dramas for three out of her four years in the role (Blacklist, Blindspot and This Is Us ).

Igbokwe worked at Showtime for 20 years where she was involved in developing the pilot and overseeing the first five seasons of Dexter , Showtime's most popular series ever. She also developed the pilot for Masters of Sex , starring Michael Sheen, and supervised the Emmy Award-winning and critically acclaimed original series Nurse Jackie . In addition, she shepherded Tracey Ullman's State of the Union , Damon Wayans' The Underground, Kirstie Alley's Fat Actress and the television adaptation of the hit feature film Barbershop . She was also instrumental in the five-season run of the hit Showtime series Soul Food , a two-time NAACP Image Award winner for best drama series.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBCUniversal</span> American media and entertainment conglomerate

NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and is headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Schlamme</span> American director

Thomas David Schlamme is an American television director, known particularly for his collaborations with Aaron Sorkin. He is known for his work as executive producer on The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as well as his work as director on Sports Night and The Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Television</span> Television production company

Universal Television LLC is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predecessor of the company, NBC Studios, previously assumed such functions, and a substantial portion of the company's shows air on the network.

NBCUniversal Media Group is the television and streaming arm of NBCUniversal, and the direct descendant and successor of the former division NBCUniversal Television Group, which existed from 2004 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imagine Entertainment</span> American film and television production company

Imagine Entertainment, formerly Imagine Films Entertainment, also known simply as Imagine, is an American film and television production company founded in November 1985 by producer Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn Whitfield</span> American actress (born 1953)

Lynn Whitfield is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her breakout performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical film The Josephine Baker Story (1991).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Gordon</span> American television writer and producer (born 1961)

Howard Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilene Chaiken</span> American television director, producer and writer (born 1957)

Ilene Chaiken is an American television producer, director, writer, and founder of Little Chicken Productions. Chaiken is best known as being a co-creator, writer and executive producer on the television series The L Word, and was recently an executive producer on Empire, The Handmaid's Tale, and Law & Order: Organized Crime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuyorican Productions</span> American production company founded

Nuyorican Productions, Inc. is an American production company founded by Benny Medina and Jennifer Lopez. The name “Nuyorican” reflects Lopez's Puerto Rican heritage and her upbringing in New York. In other words, the name is a portmanteau of "New York" and "Puerto Rican".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merle Dandridge</span> American actress, singer (b. 1975)

Merle Dandridge is an American actress and singer. She is best known for performing in Broadway musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Spamalot, Rent, and Once on This Island, as well as her video game roles as Alyx Vance in Half-Life 2 and Marlene in The Last of Us franchise. She played the leading role of Grace Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Greenleaf (2016–2020). She's had recurring roles on television series such as Sons of Anarchy and The Night Shift and starred as Kim Hammond in the first season of HBO Max comedy-drama series The Flight Attendant in 2020. In 2022, Dandridge began starring as Natasha Seo-Yeon Ross in the ABC action series Station 19. She reprised her role as Marlene in the 2023 television adaptation of The Last of Us.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Television</span> American television production company

20th Television, Inc. is an American television production company which is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of the Disney Entertainment division of The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment distributes the television series produced by 20th Television in home media formats through the 20th Century Home Entertainment banner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie Hammer</span> American businesswoman and network executive

Bonnie Hammer is an American network and studio executive. As of 2020, her title is vice-chairman, NBCUniversal.

Audience Network was an American pay television channel that was owned by AT&T. It featured a mix of original and acquired series, specials, and feature films. The network operated as a commercial-free service and broadcast its programming without editing for content. It was originally exclusive to DirecTV, though it was also added to AT&T U-verse after AT&T's 2015 acquisition of DirecTV. It was also made available on later AT&T streaming efforts, including AT&T TV and AT&T Watch TV, a lower-cost option available to AT&T Mobility customers. As of 2019, the channel had a subscription base of 26 million. The channel ceased operations on May 22, 2020.

JoAnn Alfano is an American television producer.

Ann Biderman is an American film and television writer. She is the creator and executive producer of the NBC/TNT series Southland (2009–2013), and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Drama Series for an episode of NYPD Blue. She created, wrote, and produced the Showtime drama Ray Donovan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Content Productions</span> American television production company

Universal Content Productions LLC (UCP) is an American television production company operating within the Universal Studio Group division of NBCUniversal, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast.

Steve Stark is a television producer and studio executive. He currently is the Chairman & Executive Producer for Toluca Pictures.

Sue Naegle is an American television executive and producer, former President of HBO Entertainment, former Chief Content Officer at Annapurna Pictures, and founder of Dinner Party Productions. In 2012, Naegle was recognized as the 46th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes Magazine.

<i>FBI</i> (TV series) 2018 American crime drama television series

FBI is an American police procedural television series created by Dick Wolf and Craig Turk that premiered on CBS on September 25, 2018. The series is produced by Wolf Entertainment, CBS Studios, and Universal Television, with Dick Wolf, Arthur W. Forney, Peter Jankowski, and Turk serving as executive producers.

References

  1. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (2020-09-09). "Pearlena Igbokwe Promoted To Lead NBCU's Global TV Studio Operation, Bonnie Hammer Named Vice Chairman". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  2. ↑ David, Adetula (2016-06-06). "Meet Pearlena Igbokwe, the first Nigerian woman to head a major US television network". Ventures Africa. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  3. ↑ "Pealena Igbokwe". Ladybrille. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ Max Ndianafo (August 13, 2016). "20 Facts on US based Pearlena Igbokwe as she records a 1st in US TV Network". CP Africa.
  5. ↑ "Pearlena Igbokwe Named President of Universal Television". Variety. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  6. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (2012-07-10). "NBC Names Pearlena Igbokwe New Drama Head". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
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.