Lee Steps Down, Dungey Steps In at ABC Entertainment

Mike Farrell — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 19:30:00 +0000

ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee has stepped down from that position, replaced by Channing Dungey, Disney Media Networks co-chairman and president Ben Sherwood said in a statement.

Dungey, who was instrumental in the development and success of such hits as “Scandal,” “Criminal Minds,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Quantico,” “Army Wives” and “Once Upon A Time,” will now report directly to Sherwood. In addition, Patrick Moran, executive vice president, ABC Studios, will continue to oversee day-to-day operations, and report directly to Sherwood.

“Channing is a gifted leader and a proven magnet for top creative talent, with an impressive record of developing compelling, breakthrough programming that resonates with viewers,” Sherwood said in a statement. “We thank Paul for his many accomplishments at ABC and his devotion to the ABC brand, and we wish him continued success in the future.”

Prior to this announcement, Dungey was executive vice president, Drama Development, Movies & Miniseries, ABC Entertainment Group. In this position she oversaw the development and production of all drama pilots, movies & miniseries and the launch of new series for ABC Entertainment.

“I’m thrilled and humbled that Ben has entrusted me with this tremendous opportunity. And I am truly grateful to Paul for being a valued mentor and friend,” Dungey said in a statement. “I’ve had the great honor of working alongside the talented team at ABC for many years and look forward to starting this exciting new chapter with them.”

Lee was named president of ABC Entertainment in 2010 after joining ABC Family (now FreeForm) in 2004. He had previously been CEO of BBC America.

“Leading ABC has been a fantastic experience,” Lee said in a statement. “I'm especially proud of the incredible team I built and the strategic, creative vision we established and successfully executed for both the network and studio. Together, we've transformed ABC into one of the strongest brands in television, with shows like ‘Scandal,’ ‘Blackish,’ ‘Once Upon a Time,’ ‘How to Get Away with Murder,’ ‘The Goldbergs,’ ‘Revenge,’ ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.,’ ‘Quantico,’ ‘Fresh Off the Boat,’ and ‘American Crime’. I wish Channing and Patrick all the best.”

TCA: ABC’s Lee Touts Diversity On and Off-Screen

Daniel Holloway (B&C) — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 21:45:00 +0000

Beverly Hills, Calif. — The onscreen diversity in ABC’s new fall series is an offshoot of the network’s efforts to mirror an evolving audience, according to ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee.

“It is a mission statement to reflect America. That’s our job,” Lee said Tuesday at ABC’s TCA summer press tour executive session. “And in a way it’s not so much diversity as authenticity."

Lee talked, as he did at the network’s upfront presentation in May, about the network’s strategy of singling out creators and approaching them to launch projects. He pointed to American Crime creator John Ridley, the Oscar-winning writer of 12 Years a Slave, as an example of the quality of creators the network has been able to attract. At the beginning of his session, Lee announced that ABC had that morning finalized an overall television deal with Ridley, whom he called “an extraordinary showrunner.”

Recent years have seen a dramatic dearth of series with primarily minority casts across all of broadcast. Next season, ABC will have three such series in new comedies Black-ish, Cristela and Fresh Off the Boat, as well a broadly diverse casts in American Crime and the Shonda Rhimes-produced How to Get Away With Murder.

Asked what the “tipping point” was that led to this season’s influx of diversity, Lee said, “Let’s not pretend we’re there yet. I think we’ve taken a very big step along that journey.”

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Lee Steps Down, Dungey Steps In at ABC Entertainment

TCA: ABC’s Lee Touts Diversity On and Off-Screen