Jeanne Mau has joined NBCUniversal in the newly created role of Senior Vice President, TV Programming Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. She will report into Universal Studio Group Chairman Pearlena Igbokwe and Entertainment Content Chairman Susan Rovner.
In this role, Mau will drive diversity, equity and inclusion strategies for content across the entertainment networks in the NBCU Television and Streaming Entertainment portfolio – which includes NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, Universal Kids, USA and Peacock; as well as Universal Studio Group – which houses NBCU’s four powerhouse studios, Universal Television, UCP, NBCUniversal International Studios and Universal Television Alternative Studio.
“Jeanne has the vision, experience and expertise to elevate our current inclusion efforts during a time in our industry where rapid change is a constant and viewers are increasingly vocal about wanting universal stories that better reflect the world we live in,” said Igbokwe and Rovner. “With Jeanne at the helm, we will be able to expand efforts across our entire television entertainment portfolio and continue to show that NBCUniversal is a home for nuanced and inclusive storytelling, a training ground for the next generation of creators and a changemaker in our industry.”
Mau’s key responsibilities include overseeing the company’s diversity efforts both in front of and behind the camera. She will manage and expand NBCU’s 20-year legacy of television pipeline programs, that include Female Forward and the Emerging Director Program, the Alternative Directors Program, Late Night Writers Workshop, Writers on the Verge, StandUp NBC, Spotlight, the Casting Apprentice Program, Diverse Staff Writer Initiative, Writer’s Assistant Program, Production Assistant Initiative and Production Office Coordinator Program, Entertainment Associates and Production Associates Program – Unscripted.
Mau will also partner with internal creative executives to ensure that content accurately portrays underrepresented communities, and the company has maximized the opportunities to hire diverse talent in roles in front and behind the camera. Additionally, she will build on current partnerships with external advocacy groups and organizations that support the company’s DEI goals.
Before joining NBCUniversal, Mau was SVP, Global Inclusion at ViacomCBS where she oversaw the ViacomCBS Writers Mentoring Program, Directors Initiative, Viewfinder Emerging Directors Program and Nickelodeon Writers and Artist Program, and successfully built partnerships with executives and producers to create access for artists and creators across all platforms of the business. In this role, she also established initiatives to inspire and foster innovation, and cultivate a diverse, world-class talent pool of content drivers.
Prior to that, Mau was SVP, Entertainment Diversity and Inclusion where she supervised the CBS Directing Initiative and Writers Mentoring Program, while also serving as liaison with other networks and studios in their diversity and inclusion efforts and collaborated with producers and showrunners to ensure inclusivity in all aspects of storytelling. Over the past two decades, Mau rose through the company and served as VP, Current Programs, where she was responsible for the day-to-day management of shows including NCIS, Two and a Half Men and Criminal Minds.
