Channing Dungey | |
|---|---|
| Born | Channing Nicole Dungey (1969-03-14)March 14, 1969 (age 56) Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1991–present
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Merrin Dungey (sister) |
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][2] In 2020, she was announced as the new chairwoman and CEO ofWarner Bros. Television.[3]
Dungey was born inSacramento, California, to Don and Judith Dungey. She is the older of two daughters; her younger sister is actressMerrin Dungey.[4] Dungey graduated fromRio Americano High School in 1986.[5][6] In 1991, Dungey graduated from theUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.[7]
Dungey began her career in entertainment as a development assistant for producers J. Todd Harris and Joseph M. Singer. She later joinedWarner Bros. as a production assistant, where she helped develop and supervise a number of commercially successful films includingThe Bridges of Madison County (1995),Heat (1995),The Matrix (1999), andThe Devil's Advocate (1997).[8] Dungey joined Disney'sABC Studios in the summer of 2004, later becoming head of drama.[9] In that role, she is credited with helping to build the prolific television portfolio ofShonda Rhimes[2][10] "from the ground up."[9]
She was appointed president ofABC Entertainment on February 17, 2016, replacingPaul Lee.[11] The appointment made Dungey the first Black executive to run a major U.S.television network.[9][12] She oversaw the development of ABC Studios shows such asScandal,How to Get Away with Murder,Nashville,Quantico,Army Wives, andOnce Upon a Time.[13] During the second cancellation ofRoseanne[14] on May 29, 2018, despite having previously defended the show's racially controversial jokes;[15] Dungey labeled Barr'stweet “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values”, drawing praise on social media.[12]
She was ABC Entertainment's president when aBlack-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.[16]
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 of21st Century Fox.[17] Karey Burke, head of original programming for Disney's Freeform cable channel, took Dungey's position as head of ABC Entertainment.[17] On December 17, 2018, it was reported thatNetflix had hired Dungey as their new vice president of original content.[18] While at Netflix Dungey reported to Cindy Holland, Netflix's vice president of original content. She worked with fellow ABC alumsShonda Rhimes andKenya Barris at Netflix.[19] She leftNetflix in October 2020.[20]
On October 19, 2020, it was announced that Dungey would succeedPeter Roth in the position of chairwoman ofWarner Bros. Television Group, reporting toAnn Sarnoff.[21] One of few Black executives running a Hollywood television studio,[12] she is the first woman and first Black executive to lead WBTV.[22]
On May 4, 2021, theChicago Red Stars of theNational Women's Soccer League announced that Dungey and her spouse Scott Power had joined the women's soccer team's ownership group.[23][24][25][26]
After the April 2022 merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia;[27] on August 16, 2024, it was announced that Dungey will succeed Kathleen Finch as chairwoman ofWarner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks, following Finch's retirement at year's end,[28][29] making her the chair and CEO chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group and WBD US Networks, within theWarner Bros. Discovery group of companies, as of 2025.[30]
Dungey has been listed annually amongThe Hollywood Reporter's "Women in Entertainment Power 100",[31] since its 25th list of 2016,[2] and toVariety's annual 500 Most Important People in Global Media, since it began in 2017.[32] She received the Lucy Award for Excellence in Television fromWomen in Film in 2018, and stressed the necessity of role models such as those who've inspired her career:Lucy Fisher,Sherry Lansing,Gail Berman,Anne Sweeney andOprah Winfrey.[14]
Married to Scott Power since 2003,[citation needed] the couple share two children.[33]
Dungey serves on theMotion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) Board of Governors.[34] She became an honorary member ofDelta Sigma Theta sorority in 2023.[35]
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