Another Nigerian, Pearlena Igbokwe, has made the country really proud as she was appointed the chairman of America’s Universal Studio Group.
This comes just a few weeks after Kaycee Madu, a Canadian of Nigerian origins became the Solicitor General of Alberta, Canada. Igbokwe’s promotion brings even more accolades for Nigerians all over to be proud of.
Universal Studio is under the NBC Universal, a world-leading media and entertainment group of companies that cover vast TV interests for the world audience.
Not only is this a win for Nigerians, but the black community worldwide would also be celebrating this significant achievement. According to Premium Times, Igbokwe made history with the appointment as she became the first black woman to hold such a significant position.
A press statement by the group said that the Nigerian would be leading the company’s international television businesses and will be giving reports to Jeff Shell, the CEO of NBCUniversal.
Igbokwe was born in Lagos in the 1960s during the infamous Nigerian Civil War. She migrated to the US at the age of six and later got her first degree from Yale University before getting her MBA from Columbia University.
She was the president of Universal Television, where she oversaw all aspects of the studio business and achieved record volume for the legacy studio.
Some of the programmes under her purview include the critically acclaimed comedies “Russian Doll,” “The Good Place,” “Superstore,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and “Little America,” popular dramas “Good Girls” and “New Amsterdam,” and Wolf’s new “FBI” and “FBI: Most Wanted,” among many others.
She served as Executive Vice President, Drama Programming, for NBC Entertainment, where she developed the top-rated new broadcast dramas.
Before joining NBCUniversal, she worked at Showtime for 20 years and was involved in developing a variety of hit series including “Dexter” and “Nurse Jackie.”
She currently serves as the Vice President of the Hollywood Radio and TV Society (HRTS) board and is a member of the Television Academy Executive Committee.
