Pearlena Igbokwe

Pearlena Igbokwe is the president of Universal Television, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal Television Group.[1][2] 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.[3]

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.[4] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and an MBA from Columbia University.[5]

Career

Igbokwe began her entertainment career at Showtime where she held several executive positions in programming. She developed and supervised the series Dexter. She also worked on Nurse Jackie, The Big C, and Masters of Sex.[6]

In 2012, Igbokwe was named executive vice president for drama development at NBC.[6] She oversaw many successful dramas including The Blacklist, Blindspot, Chicago Med, Shades of Blue, This Is Us, Timeless, and Taken.[3]

In 2016, Igbokwe was named president of Universal Television, becoming the first Igbo woman to head a major U.S. TV studio.[3]

Awards And Recognition

In 2018, Igbokwe was recognized on The Hollywood Reporter's list of 100 Women in Entertainment Power, along with the two other co-presidents on her team at NBC.[7]

Board Memberships

Igbokwe was named to the HRTS board of directors in 2017.[8][9] She also joined the NATPE board that same year.[10]

References
  1. James, Meg (June 3, 2016). "NBC's Pearlena Igbokwe named president of Universal TV". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  2. Holloway, Daniel (2016-06-03). "Pearlena Igbokwe Named President of Universal Television". Variety. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  3. David, Adetula (June 6, 2016). "Meet Pearlena Igbokwe, the first Nigerian woman to head a major US television network - Ventures Africa". Ventures Africa. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  4. "Pealena Igbokwe". Ladybrille. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  5. Max Ndianafo (August 13, 2016). "20 Facts on US based Pearlena Igbokwe as she records a 1st in US TV Network". CP Africa.
  6. Goldberg, Lesley (July 10, 2012). "NBC Names Pearlena Igbokwe New Drama Head". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  7. "The Hollywood Reporter's 2018 Women in Entertainment Power 100".
  8. "Hollywood Reporter: Pearlena Igbokwe, Dan Erlij Among New HRTS Board Members".
  9. "Deadline: HRTS Elects New Officers From WME, Universal, Lionsgate, City National Bank".
  10. "NATPE: NATPE ADDS NETFLIX VP ORIGINAL CONTENT CINDY HOLLAND, FACEBOOK HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT MINA LEFEVRE, UNIVERSAL TELEVISION PRESIDENT PEARLENA IGBOKWE AND CBS SVP ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMMING SHARON VUONG TO ITS BOARD".


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