Pearlena Igbokwe Named President of Universal Television

UNIVERSAL CITY: Pearlena Igbokwe, who joined NBC Entertainment in 2012 as executive VP of drama development, has been named president of Universal Television.

The appointment is effective immediately. She continues to report to Jennifer Salke, the president of NBC Entertainment. “Pearlena’s remarkable track record in drama programming at NBC over the last few years made it clear that she was the ideal choice to lead the studio into its next phase of growth,” said Salke. “Her leadership, vision and taste have resulted in an impressive string of drama successes—from The Blacklist, Blindspot, Chicago Med, Shades of Blue and the upcoming series This is Us, Timeless and Taken—that coincides with our return to a top position among networks. Pearlena also comes to the job with a wealth of experience in television movies and comedy and we have no doubt she will lead our prolific studio forward in a dynamic way.”

Igbokwe arrived at NBC after two decades in programming at Showtime Networks. Highlights of her series hits at Showtime range from Dexter to Nurse Jackie.