Channing Nicole Dungey (born March 14, 1969) is an American television executive and the first black American president of a major broadcast television network.[1] In 2020, she was announced as the new chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group.[2]
Channing Dungey | |
|---|---|
| Born | Channing Nicole Dungey March 14, 1969 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1991–present
President of ABC Entertainment Group (2016–2018) |
| Spouse |
Scott Power (m. 2003) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Merrin Dungey (sister) |
Early life
Dungey was born in Sacramento, California, to Don and Judith Dungey. The eldest of two daughters, Dungey's younger sister is actress Merrin Dungey.[3] Dungey attended Rio Americano High School, where she was a cheerleader; later graduating in 1986.[4][5] In 1991, Dungey graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.[6]
Career
Dungey began her career in entertainment as a development assistant for producers J. Todd Harris and Joseph M. Singer. She later joined Warner Bros. as a production assistant, where she helped develop and supervise a number of commercially successful films including The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Heat (1995), The Matrix (1999), and The Devil's Advocate (1997).[7] Dungey joined ABC Studios in the summer of 2004[8] and worked as head of drama. Dungey was hired as president of ABC Entertainment on February 17, 2016, replacing Paul Lee.[9] Dungey oversaw the development of ABC Studios shows such as Scandal, Criminal Minds, How to Get Away with Murder, Nashville, Quantico, Army Wives and Once Upon A Time,[10] as well as the second cancellation of Roseanne on May 29, 2018. Dungey previously defended Roseanne over racially controversial jokes made on the show. [11] Dungey was ABC Entertainment's president when a Black-ish episode was pulled from the schedule. Dungey noted ABC executives disagreed with the creative direction of the episode, wherein the writers touched on NFL players kneeling during the American national anthem to protest police brutality and show support for black human rights. [12]
On November 16, 2018, Dungey left her role as President of the ABC Entertainment Group in advance of management changes triggered by Disney’s takeover of 21st Century Fox.[13] Karey Burke, head of original programming for Disney's Freeform cable channel, took Dungey's position as head of ABC Entertainment.[13] On December 17, 2018, it was reported that Netflix had hired Dungey as their new vice president of original content.[14] Dungey will report to Cindy Holland, Netflix’s vice president of original content.[needs update] Netflix said Dungey will work closely with fellow ABC alums Shonda Rhimes and Kenya Barris, as well as with other top Netflix talent.[needs update][15] She recently stepped down from Netflix.[16]
On October 19, 2020, it was announced that Dungey would succeed Peter Roth in the position of chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group, reporting to Ann Sarnoff.[17]
Personal life
Dungey has been married to Scott Power since 2003.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Tambay A. Obenson (February 17, 2016). "Names its First African American President". Shadow and Act. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ White, Peter (2020-10-19). "Channing Dungey Confirmed As Chairman Of Warner Bros. Television Group, Will Succeed Peter Roth". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ^ "Sister, Sister". Television Academy. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ 1986 Rio Americano High School (Sacramento, California) Yearbook
- ^ The Sacramento Bee - She was a Rio Americano cheerleader in the 1980s. On Tuesday, she canceled 'Roseanne' - May 29, 2018
- ^ "Channing Dungey". UCLA School of TFT. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ "ABC Executives". Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Company Overview of ABC Primetime Entertainment". Bloomberg. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^ Joe Otterson (17 February 2016). "Channing Dungey Replaces Paul Lee as Head of ABC Entertainment". TheWrap. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ Nellie Andreeva (February 17, 2016). "ABC Shakeup: Paul Lee Out As President, Channing Dungey To Succeed Him - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ John Kolblin (May 29, 2018). "Roseanne Barr Offensive Tweets". New York Times.
- ^ Emily Yahr (May 18, 2018). "Channing Dungey Replaces Paul Lee as Head of ABC Entertainment".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b Holloway, Daniel and Littleton, Cynthia. "How ABC Pulled Off a Stealth Transition for Channing Dungey and Karey Burke" Variety, November 16, 2018
- ^ Flint, Joe. "Netflix Hires Former ABC Entertainment Boss, Stepping Up Rivalry" Wall Street Journal, December 17, 2018
- ^ Bradley, Laura. "Channing Dungey Is Heading to Netflix, in New Blow to ABC". HWD. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
- ^ Ago, 1 Day (2020-10-12). "Netflix's VP of originals Channing Dungey steps down". TBI Vision. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Turner, Nick (2020-10-19). "Warner Bros. Enlists Netflix's Channing Dungey for Top TV Job". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-10-20.