Respected comedy executive Jamila Hunter has been named senior vice president, ABC Comedy. It was announced today by Channing Dungey, president, ABC Entertainment, to whom she will report.
In her new position, Hunter will manage ABC's Comedy Department, overseeing the development and production of all comedy pilots for ABC Entertainment.
In making the announcement, Dungey said, "As one of our industry's most accomplished executives, Jamila has been instrumental in ABC's comedy resurgence. She brings a unique perspective to this important role, and I'm thrilled to have her leading our efforts."
Hunter added, "I'm honored to join Channing's senior leadership team. Over the years our network has built a strong comedy brand featuring unique, culturally relevant shows. I'm excited by this new opportunity and looking forward to working with my talented colleagues at ABC as we continue this tradition."
Hunter was named vice president of ABC Comedy in 2011 where she was tasked with overseeing the development and production of new sitcoms. During that time, she has worked on projects ranging from the Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning series "black-ish" and cultural phenomenons like "Fresh Off the Boat" and "The Real O'Neals." She also supervised Tim Allen's return to network television in "Last Man Standing," which is now in its sixth season.
In October 2015, multi-platform comedy development was added to Hunter's scope of responsibility. In this expanded role, she capitalized on her experience and relationships to target talent who can develop and produce original short-form content for the recently revamped ABC app. She also collaborated with the digital team on marketing and launch strategies for each show.
Prior to this position, Hunter was a senior member of the creative team that launched OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network and senior vice president of Alternative and Digital Programming at NBC Entertainment.
Before she joined NBC in 2008, Hunter served as vice president of Comedy Development for 20th Century Fox Television from 2005. During her time at the prolific studio, she was responsible for developing and overseeing new comedies (live-action and animation) for network television.
Hunter served as vice president of Development and Production at Bravo, where she was an integral part of the creative team that re-branded the channel and launched seminal shows such as "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Project Runway."
Hunter also worked as director of Alternative Programs at NBC Entertainment before being promoted to vice president, where she was involved with the creation of such NBC reality franchises as "The Apprentice," "Fear Factor" and "Last Comic Standing." She started her entertainment career in the Movies and Miniseries department of NBC in 1997.
A native of San Diego, California, Hunter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.
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