Netflix Comedy Exec Breaks the Top 10 in THR’s 100 Most Powerful People in Entertainment; See Who Else in Comedy Made The List
The Hollywood Reporters THR100 ranks the 100 most powerful people in Entertainment every year, filling their list mostly with studio heads, directors, producers- the movers and shakers who average America hasn’t heard of but there are plenty of familiar names on the list as well.
Only one person in comedy managed to crack the top 10, Netflix VP Lisa Nishimura, who oversees Original Documentary and Comedy Programming grabbed a spot at number nine sharing that space with two other Netflix VPs, Cindy Holland and Scott Stuber. THR praised her contribution to the change in culture that the stand up special is enjoying right now, with over 60 original specials coming to Netflix this year alone. This is her first time on the list.
We have to drop all the way down to #35 to find the next power player in comedy, With Lorne Michaels taking that power spot thanks to SNL having their best ratings in decades as well as Lorne’s oversight of two late night spots including the Tonight Show. A regular on the Top 100, Michaels jumped up 3 spots this year from last year’s 38.
Whether you do or don’t count The Rock as someone in the comedy business, he took the 38th spot in the power rankings, and the man responsible for the Minions, Chris Melendandri, CEO of Illumination is in slot #41.
The great multihyphenate Donald Glover took a big jump this year- last year he had just cracked the list at #100 and in 2018 he sits at #42 for his groundbreaking series Atlanta and his music. Ellen DeGeneres hit #44 just a one spot drop from last year, and Judd Apatow climbed six spots to land at power spot #45 and says he identifies with Ziggy. They round out the top half of the THR list for comedy.
No shame to be in the bottom half of a Power 100 list and eight more comedy giants have that honor this year: Jordan Peele is #55 (debuting at 93 last year), Tyler Perry at #57 (up ten spots from 67), Kevin Hart is #69 (also rising from 80th in 2017), Tiffany Haddish breaks into the list at #79, Kenya Barris gets his first time in the rankings at #81, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay share #90, and Jon M Chu joins the list at #97 thanks to Crazy Rich Asians massive success.
