When Pearlena Igbokwe was a sophomore in college, she landed a job as a summer associate with NBC. “It was my first taste of the entertainment business, and I was hooked,” she said.

Thirty-five years later, and Igbokwe now sits atop NBCU’s Universal Studio Group empire — which comprises Universal Television, Universal Content Productions, Universal Television Alternative Studios and Universal International Studios — leading a team of more than 450 people and a content roster that spans more than 30 platforms. 

It’s a full circle whose significance is not lost on the Lagos, Nigeria-born executive, the first woman of African descent to lead a U.S. television studio, who spent much of her childhood glued to the small screen when she didn’t have her head in a book studying. “I’m Nigerian,” she said. “It’s a culture of achievement.’ ”

Also: Welcome to the 30th Anniversary of the ‘B+C’ Hall of Fame

Igbokwe’s career hit the fast lane at Showtime, where she helped launch shows including Linc’s, Soul Food and flagship drama Dexter. After 20 years there, in 2012 she headed to NBC, where she reunited with her Showtime boss Bob Greenblatt. As executive VP of drama programming, she guided a string of hits including The Blacklist that elevated the network from fourth to first place. She rose to president of Universal Television in 2016, and took the helm of USG in September 2020.

“If someone walked into my office tomorrow and told me, ‘Sorry, it’s over, you’re out,’ I would not have one regret,” she said. That scenario, of course, is highly unlikely. Igbokwe is heralded as an executive who leads with business acumen, vision and humanity.

“Pearlena is a unique leader; she is an outstanding manager as well as a creative inspiration,” said Jeff Shell, NBCU’s CEO, to whom Igbokwe reports. “She has an amazing ability to find compelling stories, nurture new voices and create award-winning TV shows.”

Universal Studio Group’s portfolio includes Dick Wolf’s entire NBC roster, Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, HBO Max’s Hacks and Apple TV Plus’s Little America. The Kate McKinnon-starring Joe vs. Carole debuted on Peacock in early March; Hulu’s Elle Fanning true crime series The Girl From Plainville is up next.

“Pearlena is the best partner I’ve had in my 30-plus years at Universal,” Wolf said. “She has impeccable taste and we work together seamlessly.”

Tina Fey, whose production company Little Stranger is based at Universal Television and is behind hits including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Girls5eva, said Igbokwe offers a unique perspective for a studio chief. “Pearlena’s very smart,” she said. “She cares about story and quality. Also, she gets the jokes. It’s so much easier to make comedy for people who get the jokes.

“Pearlena is also great at staying calm during chaotic times,” Fey added. “And I think she has a deep sense of fairness.” 

Igbokwe’s penchant for keeping calm was handy when the pandemic altered the trajectory of the content business. 

“When the lockdown started, we were selling to everyone, and now in two short years it’s all become about streaming,” she said. “What I think about now is how quickly the environment can change, and how we constantly have to think ahead because some of the rights and deals we might not have anticipated are important now.  … It’s an interesting tug of war between studio and the streamers now around who’s owning rights.”

Telling Hopeful Stories

What hasn’t changed is her knack for bringing forth a good story. She waxes philosophical about the kind of content she’s most excited to deliver these days.

“Maybe it’s corny, but we as a species don’t have a reason to get up in the morning if we don’t believe something good’s going to happen,” she said. “I want to make all kinds of stories, but if we can lean toward those things that bring more hope into the world, I think we’re better off.”

Igbokwe has always been generous in sharing her time and knowledge, especially with young people. Lately, she’s grown more comfortable stepping into the spotlight.

“I remember looking around to see ‘are there other people that looked like me in the entertainment business?’ And there weren’t a lot,” she said. “So I’m realizing it’s important to be visible, that me having visibility means other people who never thought they could be in this business and rise to the level I have now know it’s possible. 

 “I have to leave some kind of legacy that’s different from if someone else had this job. Otherwise, that would make me having this job pointless. And I never want it to be pointless.” ■

The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame -- the premier industry event paying tribute to the pioneers, innovators and stars of the electronic arts -- returns with a full, in-person live gala celebrating the event’s 30th anniversary. The Hall of Fame celebration will take place at New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom on Thursday, April 14, 2022.

The new B+C Hall of Fame inductees join the ranks of more than 400 honorees previously recognized by Broadcasting+Cable magazine. The new Hall of Fame inductees (alphabetically) are:

Emily Barr, president & CEO, Graham Media Group.

Nomi Bergman, president, Advance/Newhouse Investment Partnership.

Brandon Burgess, former president & CEO, ION Media. 

Susanne Daniels, global head of original content, YouTube.

Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor and chief legal correspondent, TODAY & NBC News.

Hoda Kotb, co-anchor and co-host, TODAY & TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.

Pearlena Igbokwe, chairman, Universal Studio Group.

Leo MacCourtney, president, Katz Television Group.

Dan Mason, chairman emeritus, The Broadcasters Foundation of America, and past president and CEO, CBS Radio.

Steve Miron, chief executive officer, Advance/Newhouse Partnership.

Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO, Hearst.

Curtis Symonds, president, HBCU GO TV/Allen Media Group.

ESPN, Iconic Network. 

While the Hall of Fame previously has inducted iconic shows, ESPN is the first network to be admitted into the fold. “It’s a tremendous honor for ESPN to receive the first Iconic Network Award from The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame,” Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, ESPN and Sports Content, told B+C/Multichannel News. “When we launched in 1979, ESPN immediately created an indelible bond with sports fans by matching their passion. Thank you to the thousands of dedicated ESPN employees who, over four decades, have continued to create a non-stop immersive sports experience.”

“The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame has always been one of the entertainment industry’s signature events,” said Bill McGorry, chairman of the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame. “In a year like no other, we are beyond thrilled to be able to welcome back our community with a star studded live 30th Anniversary gala that will surely be a night to remember. With great anticipation, we look forward to celebrating together in April.”

“Each year we are completely awed by our Hall of Fame honorees and this class of 2021 raises the bar yet again,” B+C Editor-in-Chief Bill Gannon said. “This class is particularly noteworthy for the visionary and innovative leaders who have changed the industry both before and during the pandemic. The Hall of Fame is thrilled to add these exceptional individuals to the prestigious classes of honorees that have come before them.”

“Broadcasting+Cable’s Hall of Fame is one of the most important events in broadcasting,” Jim Thompson, president of Broadcasters Foundation of America, said. “Their generosity in donating a portion of the proceeds to support the mission of the Broadcasters Foundation of America is admirable, and we cannot thank them enough. Over the past 30 years, the Hall of Fame has contributed more than $700,000 to help our fellow broadcasters who have been hit by debilitating illness, accident, or disaster. We are grateful for the continued support of the Hall of Fame. With their help, we can continue to provide aid to our colleagues in desperate need.”

Since the event’s inception, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Broadcasters Foundation of America, a charitable organization that provides financial grants to those of our industry colleagues and their families who are in acute need due to critical illness or accident, advanced age, death of a spouse or other serious misfortune. In addition, the event benefits The Paley Center for Media, a non-profit organization leading the discussion on the social significance and advancement of television, radio and emerging platforms for the professional and media-interested public.

For sponsorship, table, ticket and advertising information, please contact Jessica Wolin at  jessica.wolin@futurenet.com or 212-685-4233.

For more information please visit the B+C Hall of Fame website.

Follow the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame at #BCHOF2021. ■

This has been a difficult year for everybody and every business, yet Pearlena Igbokwe, who was promoted this fall to chairman, Universal Studio Group, doesn’t see obstacles. 

“All I see is opportunity,” declared Igbokwe, who is now responsible for all aspects of creative affairs and production for Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP) and NBCUniversal International Studios, reporting directly to Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal. “The opportunity to share resources and talent across our four content production businesses; the opportunity to tell meaningful, impactful stories no matter the format; and the opportunity to bring our global teams together with the common goal of creating great television.”

Igbowke oversees production of more than 2,500 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe, but it’s an extension of a role in which she has repeatedly proven her chops. For the past four years, she was president, Universal Television, with dominion over creative development, casting and production for the studio. Her tenure produced the sitcom The Good Place, the acclaimed Russian Doll and a new Dick Wolf franchise FBI.

Igbokwe said she was most proud that “we were able to grow our volume of series by 100%. 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.”

Programming has long been a passion for Igbowke. In earlier positions she developed the top-rated new broadcast dramas for three out of her four years in the role, including The Blacklist, and This Is Us. During her 20 years at Showtime she helped shepherd into existence Masters of Sex and Nurse Jackie, among others, and was involved in developing the pilot and overseeing the first five seasons of Dexter.

Life at the top removes her further from day-to-day creative development, Igbowke acknowledged. “But I work with people who have instincts that I trust, and my job is to make sure they have all the resources they need to make hit shows,” she said. “I still watch dailies and cuts and read scripts, so I’m not too far away from the process. I can’t help myself.”

NBCUniversal, continuing to make organizational changes under new CEO Jeff Shell, said it promoted Pearlena Igbokwe as chairman of its Universal Studio Group, heading its TV production business.

Igbokwe, who had been president of Universal Television, one of NBCU TV studios, succeeds Bonnie Hammer. Hammer, an NBCU veteran becomes vice chairman. 

Both women report directly to Shell.

Since succeeding Steve Burke  earlier this year Burke put NBCU’s TV and streaming businesses under Mark Lazarus. Its head of entertainment, Paul Telegdy left last month amid complaints he created a hostile work environment.

There have also been reports that Susan Rovner, who is leaving her post as president of Warner Bros. Television, will join NBCU in a new job overseeing programming for NBC’s networks and Peacock reporting to Lazarus. NBCU declined to comment on those reports.

“This is an exciting time for our business, with demand for entertainment content at an all-time high and more distribution platforms available than ever before. Our television studios are key growth engines for the company, and Pearlena is ideally suited to lead them. She has extraordinary taste and is well-respected within NBCU, and throughout the global creative community,” said Shell.

Dawn Olmstead, president of UCP, and Jeff Wachtel, President of NBCUniversal International Studios, will now report directly to Igbokwe.

Some of the programs under Igbokwe’s purview include the critically comedies Russian Doll, The Good Place, Superstore, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Little America, dramas Good Girls and New Amsterdam, and Dick Wolf’s new FBI and FBI: Most Wanted.

Before joining NBCU, Igbokwe worked at Showtime for 20 years.

Shell said Hammer would serve as an adviser to him.

“Her deep industry experience, impeccable creative instincts and 25-plus years of prosocial advocacy will be immensely valuable to me and our company,” Shell said.

“Over the course of my career at NBCUniversal, I have been fortunate to touch every aspect of the television business and I am ready to take on this new corporate role. It is the perfect next chapter and I am delighted to pass the baton to Pearlena,” said Hammer. “She has a long track record of success and is the ideal person to take the helm of the studio group.”  

The realities of scripted TV show pitching, evaluating and promoting were shared with The Content Show attendees during a lively opening panel that followed a keynote conversation with Donny Deutsch Wednesday.

Pearlena Igbokwe (pictured, right), executive vice president of drama development for NBC Entertainment, had a popularly-tweeted comment when she estimated she heard 400 show pitches from July to October yearly. Of those, perhaps 50 scripts are ordered into development, eight shows gets pilot orders and four get series orders. “It’s quite a lottery,” she said.

Igbokwe, a former Showtime content executive, said broadcast networks are under competitive pressure to produce shows that don’t feel like traditional network fare, and don’t have the luxury some streamed series seem to have of audiences watching four or five episodes before deciding they like a show. NBC needs “eyepopping” first, second and third episodes “because every week you need to earn the viewer’s attention.”

Kim Rosenblum, EVP of digital, creative and marketing at Viacom-owned TV Land, said that network has evolved the way it approaches and markets original series from when Hot In Cleveland launched in 2010 and Younger debuted in 2015. TV Land is more willing now to make deals that have somewhat less favorable economics for the network in the first season -- provided the first season sets the stage for continued success in later seasons, she said.

Network marketers also must constantly go through social media sites looking for comments about a show and communicate with those fans and create a fear of missing out that will keep drawing in new viewers, Rosenblum said. “We go and read every comment on every social platform and find where the fans are and then just start to talk to them directly to try to snowball it, to try to get those people to talk about it, to bring up the next week and the next week,” she said. 

Shows also hope their stars will exploit social followings to help bring in viewers, panelists (questioned by Leftfield Entertainment CEO Brent Montgomery) said. Younger’s Hilary Duff, for example, can help by promoting the show, but then the network has to work and build on those new leads, not rely on Duff to do all the marketing, Rosenblum said.

Lisa Honig, senior EVP, program distribution, The Americas, for FremantleMedia (pictured, left), agreed that shows need to have buzz as part of the package and get talent to commit to help marketing. Chris Donahue, president of Paulist Productions, said original ideas are still paramount: his studio successfully pitched a series about cryogenics and what happens when frozen people come back to life.

Igbokwe stressed that the real key to successful scripted shows is great storytelling.

The Content Show continues today and tomorrow at The Park Central Hotel in midtown Manhattan.