Together, our combined studios produce an impressive 2500+ hours of programming currently streaming or airing around the globe, we own one of the biggest libraries in the world with over 120,000 episodes of television and we have some of todays most ambitious storytellers in our studio family and this is only the beginning! Pearlena Igbokwe is a married woman. What did those next steps and conversations entail? Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. Igbokwe said she was most proud that "we were able to grow our volume of series by 100%. IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE TELEVISION ACADEMY - President of ABC Entertainment, Hulu & Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals Craig Erwich, left, and Chairman, Universal Studio Group Pearlena Igbokwe, right, participate in "A Frank Conversation.About the State of the Business," at the Wolf Theatre of the Saban Media Center on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023 in Los Angeles. I remember when I got to L.A., one of the few people I saw was Debra Martin Chase, she was a big-time producer a Harvard-trained lawyer whod worked with Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington, and Id see her at events back then and I was too scared to even go up to her. Her primary source of income is his career as a media executive. She was born and partially bred in a small village in the southeastern part of Nigeria, she lived through the Biafran warher village was severally attacked by bomber planes and they depended on food that was airlifted to them. She told a group of journalists in London recently that the arms race for top talent is subsiding. The bar is higher when you tell someone you are remaking their favourite show., To that end, Igbokwe said Universal put up with a year of criticism around theFresh PrincePeacock reboot from fans of the original cult 90s classic. Prior to her studio work, she served as Executive Vice President, Drama Programming, 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). Blessed with great looks and an amazing goddess-like figure, she can definitely rock any wear she decides to put on. Mr. Elumelu has interest in real estate, finance, energy, agriculture, and health. Do you alter the character in any way? [9] Awards and philanthropy [ edit] Her nationality is American-Nigerian. Pearlena Igbokwe is Chairman, Universal Studio Group (USG), where she leads four powerhouse studios: Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP), Universal Television Alternative Studios and Universal International Studios that produce over 3,000 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe. She led the division to new heights with record volume, commercial success and critical acclaim. As of September 2020, Pearlena was the Chairperson of Universal Studio Group (fka NBCUniversal Content Studios), which incorporates Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP) and NBCUniversal International Studios. She eats right and works out on a regular basis to maintain her shape and weight. Top 20 Richest Igbo Men and Women Lets name top 20 richest Igbo man and women. Regarding her recognition, she has been featured in numerous industry trade magazines for her leadership, including The Hollywood Reporter (Women in Entertainment Power 100, Top 35 Under 35), Variety (Power of Women), Ebony (Top 50 Showbiz Players), and Essence, among others. Find all the responses as well as more in our post below. We are keeping tabs and will update this information once it is out. Modified Mar 03, 2023 05:54 GMT. "Pearlena has forged an impressive track record over her successful career that has earned her the admiration of the creative community. Toby will continue to oversee development, domestic sales strategy and creative affairs, while collaborating closely across all areas of production, casting, business affairs and international commercial development for UTAS. But now a wunderkind from the favelas of Sao Paulo has accepted the challenge. September 17, 2020 10:04am. No. With a lot of the Dick Wolf shows, I dont know that people are really giving him enough credit. We produced approximately 25 series when I first arrived in 2016 and by early 2020, we were up to 50 series at 12 different networks or platforms." Is something that was meant to be a funny joke worth falling on your sword for when theres a group of people it offends? The former Showtime exec, who became chairman around two years ago during the early stages of the pandemic, is currently overseeing 129 projects across 29 platforms including Hacks, Never Have I Ever, Young Rock, Umbrella Academy and Gaslit. Every senior executive had to get up and tell some story about themselves. We were running for our lives. When it is that Igbokwe, 56, and her roughly 450 full-time employees will actually return to a physical office is anybodys guess, but the married mother of two teens insists her business hasnt slowed at all. And New York Undercover, a show about Black and Latino cops policing their own community, was a title that wed been talking to Dick about for a very long time. 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Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day, Inside the business of TV with breaking news, expert analysis and showrunner interviews. She is the first woman of African descent to head a major U.S. television studio . But people seemed so impacted by it. In a town where a lot of people have masks on and a lot of pretense, Pearlena is real, down-to-earth good people, says producer Debra Martin Chase, who has known Igbokwe for years and recently signed a first-look deal with Universal TV. Besides, she has also evolved as one of the fashion icons in the biz. (Laughs.). 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. But I dont think there has been too much pullback yet. For a lot of platforms, its about driving subs. Currently, he is a businessman, education philanthropist, and politician. NBCUniversal named Pearlena Igbokwe to lead its global television studio business, elevating a Black woman to a key management role at Comcast Corp.'s entertainment division. She reports directly to Jeff Shell, CEO NBCUniversal. Kanu Nwankwo is another well-known football player with the Igbo origin. She has accomplished much admiration but her journey does not end here. The familys small black-and-white television was her babysitter, her companion and her primary instructor in the language of her adopted home. The show is meant to be fun and funny and to speak to some social issues. Should we just kill it because we dont want someone else to have it? For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. She was named an executive committee appointee to the Television Academy Executive Committee in 2019. I thought, Well, if it helps other people, I should start telling it. As for what it does for me, I am grateful every day. Whereas the details about her salary are still to get unfold yet. She also began her Showtime career as Manager of Direct Response, Television Marketing, and earlier worked as an Associate at NBC in New York City. Learn more in our Privacy Policy. Some sources name Mr. Orji Uzor Kalu, but others name Mr. Arthur Eze. I knew I would love to be here.. 2020) Salary: To be updated Source of Income: Media, Place of living: Los Angeles, California Cars: Car Brand to be Updated. The Hollywood Reporter's Women In Entertainment Gala - Arrivals December 8, 2021 View 3 Pearlena Igbokwe Pictures Also Appearing: Selma Blair, Laura Harrier, Tessa Thompson, Maggie. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Hes already been dealing with that topic [of policing and, in particular, a Black cops struggle] prior to the events of this May. Her career spans over a decade, this includes her assets, money and income. Orji Uzor Kalu owns the Sun Newspaper and New telegraph. She is currently residing in Los Angeles, California with her husband and kids. Pearlena Igbokwe is Chairman, Universal Studio Group. Such schools give education to poor children. It is a branch of NBC Universal Television Group. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Tony Ezenna takes his place on the list of richest Igbo in Nigeria. The production arm had two shows in the running for best comedy series at the Emmy Awards last month (Russian Doll and NBCs The Good Place). Pearlena is around 52 years old as of 2020, she was born in the mid-1960s in Lagos State, Nigeria. But the Showtime and NBC alum, who has headed Universal Television since 2016, didnt know what work lay ahead in the spring of 1985, as her sophomore year at the Ivy League college was coming to an end. Right now, theres no sense that were not going to have that flexibility. She knows her job and does it to the best of her ability. Do you find the content, what people are looking for, has changed? What do you make of it all? Additionally, Marni Pedorella will take on the role of General Counsel, Universal Studio Group. So, in recent weeks, as the newly promoted chairman of the Universal Studio Group has readied her new space on the Universal lot, she commissioned yet another wall to be painted gold. Here is the new Universal Studio Group leadership team that will report directly to me: As President, Business Affairs and Operations, Masami Yamamoto will overseeall aspects of business affairs for the global studio group including negotiations and deal-making for Universal Television, UCP and NBCUniversal International Studios. Her major source of wealth comes from media executive career and she is satisfied with her earnings as of today. Not everything has to be a $40M to $50M show, Igbokwe talked up Universals balance of producing for internal Comcast-owned platforms such as NBC, USA and Peacock along with third parties including Netflix, Apple TV+ and Amazon, describing this as the best of both worlds.. Pearlena Igbokwe is a strong vigorous woman. She only knew she needed to hurry up and find a summer job. Considered hot and sexy actresses of today's time, she takes extra care of her appearance. Pearlena Igbokwe is Chairman, Universal Studio Group (USG), where she leads four powerhouse studios: Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP), Universal Television Alternative Studios and Universal International Studios that produce over 3,000 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe. Now that this team is in place, we will be able to provide more clarity for the rest of the organization in the coming weeks. Appearing virtually from her Los Angeles home, Igbokwe, who now reports to CEO Jeff Shell, opened up about her Nigerian upbringing, the recent demographic shifts in Hollywoods executive ranks and why she thinks powerhouse creator Wolf doesnt get enough credit for his portrayals of police. Background, Court records found on Pearlena's Family, Currently, Mr. Ekeh leads the Nigerian IT scene. Instead, we had producers who were so engaged and were like, We have to deal with it in the show. And they didnt have answers because, by the way, our society doesnt have the answers. The color of sunshine, she says, revealing her love for the kind of shock of color that can immediately warm up a room and put those within it at ease. She wears outfits that make her glow. On her watch, Universal TV has upped its volume of output and gained traction on the prestige front. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. below. Pearlena is a famous media executive as well as the Chairperson of Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal. Overall, she has got a healthy body. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Tony Elumelu is known as one of the most influential persons in Nigeria. Its kind of amazing in that it hasnt impacted the creative. * The other websites referenced on this site are owned and operated by their respective companies, and the associated trademarks and logos are the property of those companies. Before it, he worked in his family apothecary. Coscharis Group is one of the largest Nigerian car companies, dealing with cars and car parts. It will start with a conversation with Elliot. No credit card required. She is responsible for all aspects of creative affairs and production for four studios: Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP), NBCUniversal International Studios and Universal Television Alternative Studio. 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All different shows had different kinds of consultants. Furthermore, she developed the pilot for "Masters of Sex", starring Michael Sheen, and supervised the Emmy Award-winning and critically acclaimed original series "Nurse Jackie". Additionally, 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. It consists of special schools that are placed all over Nigeria. Pearlena is married to her husband (anonymous), the pair has two children and resides in Los Angeles, California. All Rights Reserved. How about that? Please feel free to reach out to your supervisor or your HR manager with any additional questions. government sources. to see possibly who they are and full class lists found from school records and public sources. Look at the way people are reacting to Ted Lasso or Saved by the Bell. (in en-US) The Hollywood Reporter's 2018 Women in Entertainment Power 100. NYC311 Accounts Learn how to sign up for an online account to create and track NYC311 Ser : Group Representative at Prudential Financial 1992 1994: Manager, Direct Response Marketing at Showtime Networks 1994 1996: Director, Special Projects at Showtime Networks 1996 1999: Director, Original Programming at Showtime Networks 1999 2004: Vice President, Original Programming at Showtime Networks 2005 2012: Senior Vice President, Original Programming at Showtime Networks 2012 2016: Executive Vice President, Drama Development at Showtime NetworksExecutive Vice President, Drama Programming for NBC Entertainment, Net Worth: $50 million dollars (approx. She earned her way to that shot by naturally demonstrating the mix of business savvy, creativity and empathy that makes for a strong leader in entertainment, in producer Martin Chases view. The most worthy Igbo people are pointed out in an arbitrary order. Nevertheless, this section will be updated as soon as it is available. Leo Stan Ekeh established Zinox Technologies Limited. A version of this story first appeared in the Dec. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. They are spending a lot of but creativity isnt necessarily about spending a lot of money. What I hope it yields is that other women, people of color, immigrants, what have you, will feel like, Oh, I can come to this studio and theres someone who might understand me or the story that I want to tell there. The other thing I really hope happens is, in my case, that theres some 20-year-old Black woman somewhere who sees me in this job, who sees Channing Dungey in her job [at Warner Bros. TV], who sees Tara Duncan in her job [at Freeform], and she goes, Oh, I can do that. Because when I was coming up, there wasnt all these black women running companies in the entertainment business. They all just piled on me until finally someone was yelling, Theres a kid under there! Igbokwe says. Igbo people are understood for their diligence and broad participation in organisation life in Nigeria. People are still funny in the comedies and giving [strong] performances in the dramas. The company is involved in high tech and manufactures computers and other computer-based devices. Pearlena Igbokwe is Chairman, Universal Studio Group (USG), where she leads four powerhouse studios: Universal Television, UCP, Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal International Studios that produce over 3,000 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe. Background details that you might want to know about Pearlena include: ethnicity is African American, whose political affiliation is unknown; and religious views are listed as Christian. He was formerly chairman of UBA United Bank for Africa. Perhaps well call at last the richest Igbo man in Nigeria. Igbokwe announced the moves in a memo to staff Thursday. Pearlena Igbokwe is the Chairman of Universal Studio Group which is a division of NBCUniversal. Elumelu is also included in the Top 10 richest men in Nigeria with his net worth of 1.4 billion US dollars according to networthcars.com. Gorman was tapped to lead the division in August 2019 after Ahr was upped to head NBC Entertainment's Alternative and Reality Group. If we asked the 7-year-old you what you want to do when you grow up, what would you have said? She reports directly to Jeff Shell, CEO NBCUniversal. Links are provided for reference only and MyLife.com does not imply any connection or relationship between MyLife.com and these companies. The Igbo businessmen have actually been playing significant roles in Nigerian industrial and service spheres for a long period of time. Pearlena Igbokwe born in Lagos, Nigeria in the 1960s, is an American-Nigerian media executive. So much happened this summer, and we were all home to view it without distraction. For most of her career, Igbokwe worked on the buying side of TV, hearing pitches from studio executives and showrunners. Because MyLife only collects this data and does not create it, we cannot fully guarantee its accuracy. Click here to subscribe. Mr. That doesnt make any sense. Its a balance. We really said to the shows, What do you need? Pearlena lived through the Biafran war - her village was attacked by bomber planes and they depended on food that was airlifted to them. Also, he is involved in mass media and founded The Authority Newspaper and Nigerian daily newspaper. Our efforts to find out more about her family came to no avail as no such information is publicly available. Many buyers have done considerably less actual buying of late. At present, he owns Capital Oil and Gas Industries and Ifeanyi Ubah Football Club. See Orji Uzor Kalu is written in the list of the richest men in Nigeria too. What kinds of discussions did you have with folks like Dick Wolf about their portrayals of police? Now, with UTV, UCP, NBCUniversal International Studios and UTAS under the same umbrella we can further support our creators' ambitions to develop and produce great television no matter the format. 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 took over from Indian-American, Bela Bajaria, who was president up until her exit last month. From the world that I came from to work in the entertainment business none of it was supposed to happen.. I walked back through my village looking like one of the White Walkers from Game of Thrones.. Combining efforts in these areas to support the entire NBCUniversal television production and content portfolio will foster greater cross-studio collaboration, leverage shared resources and create consistent business practices. In 2016, Roberts received US$28.6 million in compensation, [8] and in 2020, his net worth was US$1.7 billion. Weve still been out there selling shows, but, yes, there is now a backlog of production because its just been hard to get things going. Igbokwe spoke with Variety's co-editor in chief Cynthia Littleton Friday during her headlinder conversation at Variety's Entertainment Summit at CES about [] 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. Previously cities included Montclair NJ, Encino CA and Pasadena CA. "Meet Pearlena Igbokwe, the first Nigerian woman to head a major US television network - Ventures Africa", Ventures Africa, June 6, 2016. And Ive been by a couple of the sets, masked and shielded and tested and the whole thing, because I do want them to know theyre not alone. Igbokwe has a natural warmth and a level of optimism that makes a difference. Pearlena Igbokwe Named President Of Universal Television Universal Studio Group Head Pearlena Igbokwe On The Importance Of Diverse Leadership Related People NBCUniversal Bonnie Hammer Vice. But currently, he owns Coscharis Group. Brad Melnick, as Chief Financial Officer, will have financial oversight of the television studios. Lets try to name some rich Igbo among Nigerian men who managed to earn decent net worth. Universal Television, UCP and NBCUniversal International Studios were recently brought together under the Universal Studio Group (USG) umbrella with the primary intention of streamlining and growing our global content business. For years she didnt share much with friends and colleagues about her experiences growing up in Lagos during the 1967-70 period of Nigerias civil war with Biafra.