Pearlena Igbokwe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960s |
| Alma mater | Yale University (B.A. in English) Columbia University (MBA) |
| Occupation | Television executive |
| Employer | NBCUniversal |
Pearlena Igbokwe is the chairwoman ofUniversal Studio Group,[1] a division ofNBCUniversal. She is responsible for all aspects of creative affairs and production for four studios:Universal Television,Universal Content Productions (UCP),Universal International Studios andUniversal Television Alternative Studio.
She is the first woman of African descent to head a major U.S. television studio, as she comes from theIgbo tribe ofNigeria.[2]
Igbokwe was born inLagos, Nigeria in the 1960s. She lived with her family in a village which was affected by bomber planes while they depended on airlifted food during theNigerian Civil War. She moved to the United States at the age of six.[3] She earned aBachelor of Arts in English fromYale University and anMBA fromColumbia University.[4][5]
While an undergrad, Igbokwe completed two summer internships at NBC, first in the sales department and then at NBC News.[5] After graduating, Igbokwe worked in the financial services industry before going to business school. After earning her MBA, Igbokwe worked briefly atHBO before accepting an entry-level job atShowtime.[5]
Igbokwe worked atShowtime for 20 years.[5] At Showtime, Igbokwe was involved in the production ofDexter andNurse Jackie, and developed the pilot forMasters of Sex, starringMichael Sheen.[6] In addition, she shepherdedTracey Ullman'sState of the Union,Damon Wayans'The Underground,Kirstie Alley'sFat Actress and the television adaptation of the hit feature filmBarbershop. She was also instrumental in the five-season run of the hit Showtime seriesSoul Food, a two-time NAACP Image Award winner for best drama series.[7]
In 2012, Igbokwe was recruited to lead the development of drama programming forNBC Entertainment.[8] In that role, she developed successful series, includingTheBlacklist andThis Is Us.[5]
From June 2016 to September 2020, Igbokwe was president ofUniversal Television[9] where she oversaw creative development, casting and production for one of the country's largest and most successful studios. During her tenure, the studio had more than 40 shows in active production for both NBC and outside networks, includingRussian Doll,The Good Place,The Bold Type,FBI, andThe Gilded Age.[5]
In 2020, Igbokwe was promoted to Chairman, Universal Studio Group.[10]
In 2025, Igbokwe was promoted Chairman, Television Studios, NBC Entertainment & Peacock Scripted, as part of a restructuring of NBCUniversal's entertainment division. Igbokwe would continue to lead Universal Studio Group, but add NBC Entertainment as part of a more vertically integrated model for NBCUniversal.[11]