ABC hires Channing Dungey and she becomes the first black TV studio executive.
Channing Dungey, executive VP of drama at ABC, has been named entertainment president of ABC, replacing Paul Lee, who reportedly was in a power struggle with Ben Sherwood, president of Disney/ABC Television.
Dungey is now the first African-American person to be in charge of programming at a major broadcast network.
“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,” said Sherwood. “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.”
Dungey, who’s been with the network since 2009, is credited with developing many of ABC’s most diverse and successful dramas, including Scandal, Quantico, How to Get Away with Murder and American Crime.
Said Dungey, “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. 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.”
Dungey started her career as a development assistant for Davis Entertainment at 20th Century Fox. She then worked as a story editor at Steamroller Productions, where she worked on the development and production of movies such as Under Siege and On Deadly Ground. Following that she worked on hit movies such as The Matrix and Bridges of Madison County.
