Channing Dungey facts for kids

Channing Nicole Dungey (born March 14, 1969) is a very important person in American television. She is known for being the first Black American woman to lead a major TV network. In 2020, she became the chairwoman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television.

Channing Dungey: A Leader in Television

Growing Up in California

Channing Dungey was born in Sacramento, California. Her parents are Don and Judith Dungey. She has a younger sister, Merrin Dungey, who is an actress. Channing finished high school at Rio Americano High School in 1986. Later, in 1991, she graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Starting Her Career in Entertainment

Channing Dungey began her journey in the entertainment world as an assistant. She worked for producers J. Todd Harris and Joseph M. Singer. After that, she joined Warner Bros. as a production assistant. In this role, she helped create and oversee many successful movies. These included The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Heat (1995), The Matrix (1999), and The Devil's Advocate (1997).

In the summer of 2004, Dungey moved to Disney's ABC Studios. She later became the head of drama there. She is known for helping to build the successful TV shows of Shonda Rhimes.

Leading ABC Entertainment

On February 17, 2016, Channing Dungey was named president of ABC Entertainment. She took over from Paul Lee. This made her the first Black executive to lead a major U.S. television network.

While at ABC, she helped develop many popular shows. Some of these include Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Nashville, Quantico, Army Wives, and Once Upon a Time.

In May 2018, a show called Roseanne was canceled. Channing Dungey stated that a tweet from the show's star was "abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values." Many people praised her for this decision.

Dungey was also president when an episode of Black-ish was not aired. ABC executives felt the episode's creative direction, which discussed NFL players protesting, did not align with their values.

Moving to Netflix and Warner Bros.

On November 16, 2018, Dungey left her role at ABC Entertainment. This happened because of changes after Disney took over 21st Century Fox. Karey Burke took her place.

On December 17, 2018, it was announced that Netflix had hired Dungey. She became their new vice president of original content. At Netflix, she worked with people she knew from ABC, like Shonda Rhimes and Kenya Barris. She left Netflix in October 2020.

On October 19, 2020, Channing Dungey was announced as the new chairwoman of Warner Bros. Television Group. She took over from Peter Roth. She is one of the few Black executives leading a Hollywood TV studio. She is also the first woman and first Black executive to lead WBTV.

Other Roles and Recognition

On May 4, 2021, the Chicago Red Stars soccer team announced something exciting. Channing Dungey and her husband, Scott Power, joined the team's ownership group. This means they are part owners of the women's soccer team.

After a big merger in April 2022 between Discovery and WarnerMedia, Dungey received another important role. On August 16, 2024, it was announced that she would become chairwoman of Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks starting in 2025. This makes her a top leader within the Warner Bros. Discovery group of companies.

Channing Dungey has been recognized for her achievements many times. The Hollywood Reporter has listed her among their "Women in Entertainment Power 100" since 2016. Variety has also included her in their annual list of the 500 Most Important People in Global Media since 2017. In 2018, she received the Lucy Award for Excellence in Television. She often talks about how important role models are, mentioning people like Lucy Fisher, Sherry Lansing, Gail Berman, Anne Sweeney, and Oprah Winfrey.

Personal Life

Channing Dungey has been married to Scott Power since 2003. They have two children together.

Dungey is also involved in community work. She serves on the Board of Governors for the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF). In 2023, she became an honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.