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From Donna Langley to Pearlena Igbokwe to Frances Berwick to Liz Jenkins, female executives largely run the show at NBCUniversal.
In television, Igbokwe’s core team is tasked with overseeing NBCU’s television studio
imprints — Universal Television, Universal Global Television and Universal Television Alternative Studio — and the scripted activity of NBC and Peacock. And that squad is dominated by women.
Erin Underhill leads Universal Television. Beatrice Springborn heads Universal Global Television. Liza Katz is president of scripted content for NBCUniversal Entertainment. Toby Gorman is the lone male leading a Universal TV production imprint in his role as head of Universal Television Alternative Studio.
Across the Universal-verse, the environment is unusually collegial and collaborative in Springborn’s experience because they’re all striving for the same thing: to make great television.
“When you create a creative environment, it helps everyone feel like they’re part of everything you’re trying to do. That makes a huge difference, and it is a distinguishing factor for Universal,” Springborn says. “Having people who are smarter than you in a lot of different areas and having people around you who want to succeed — that makes a huge difference.”
The strong work culture instilled by Igbokwe in her role as chairman of Universal Television Studios, NBC Entertainment and Scripted helps her teams channel their energy in the right direction, executives say.
“We support each other. We cheer each other on,” says Underhill, whose division is home to a broad range of shows, from brawny Dick Wolf procedurals to HBO Max’s Emmy juggernaut “Hacks” to Reba McEntire’s NBC sitcom “Happy’s Place.”
“When you have colleagues who have your back and are transparent and genuine, it just makes the environment a healthy one in which to thrive,” Underhill says.
RELATED STORY: Her Rise to the Top: NBCUniversal TV Studio Chief Pearlena Igbokwe Balances Creative and Business Instincts
Springborn underlines the point: “There’s not a sense of competition here. I have been at companies where you’re competing with people you work with. Pearlena doesn’t impose that, nor would I think she would tolerate it. I think we all subscribe to that.”
Katz has been with NBC since 2016. The vibes are good these days in Universal City, especially after the historic studio lot received a substantialoverhaul and upgrade that was completed in 2024.
“In the current regime with Donna and Pearlena, it feels like we’re all aligned,” Katz says. “Everybody is working toward a common goal. We all just want to do great work.”
A collaborative environment makes for a forward-thinking culture. Springborn, who joined Universal in 2020 from Hulu, notes that NBCUniversal was early to recognize the power of global television. Her division focuses on high-end series including Peacock’s Emmy-nominated “All Her Fault” and “The Five Star Weekend,” “The Day of the Jackal” and the upcoming “Dungeon Crawler Carl.”
Two decades ago, NBCU began investing in the U.K. market through the banners Working Title and Carnival Films and Television, and by beefing up its international TV assets and capabilities in general.
In 2011, NBCU and Carnival struck franchise gold with Julian Fellowes’ “Downton Abbey,” which emerged as a costume drama hit on ITV and PBS. Since then, the Crawley gang has yielded six seasons and three feature films (in 2019, 2022 and 2025) and promises to be an IP engine for years to come. The roots of that investment are serving NBCU well at a time when TV viewing is more global than ever before, thanks to the biggest streaming platforms.
“We’re hearing more and more domestic studios are starting to get into the international business. A couple of them have reached out to me and been like, ‘How do you guys do this?’ Suddenly it’s become the hot thing to do,” Springborn says. “‘Downton Abbey’ was the thing that helped the international studio have such an impact and to show that you could be financially successful. We’re very proud of that franchise.”
Katz emphasizes there’s a commitment to communication among the departments so that decision-making is clear. Universal Television remains an active seller of shows to networks outside NBCU’s ecosystem, in addition to supplying NBC, Peacock and Bravo. Even the mighty NBC doesn’t get everything it wants in the hunt for hot new properties, Katz observes.
“We’re always thinking about how what we do impacts our [sibling units] because their wins are our wins and vice versa,” she says. “So, the best show wins, the best idea wins, the best project wins. Sometimes I know [Universal TV] shows are going to go outside, and that’s a bummer. But it’s always handled aboveboard and transparently.”
Underhill notes that on days when more things go wrong than right, it helps to be able to turn to “friendly faces who get it, and who you know get you.” “It buoys you,” Underhill says of her colleagues.
(Pictured top: Lisa Katz, Beatrice Springborn and Erin Underhill)
