In 1971, Pearlena Igbokwe and her family fled Nigeria amid the nation’s chaotic civil war. She was 6. They eventually settled in New Jersey, where television became her best friend and helped her navigate a new world.
Today, even as chairman of NBCUniversal TV Studios, that immigrant mentality still remains.
“There’s always that sense that you’re a bit of an outsider,” she says. “I’ve always been underestimated by a lot of people. But not by the right people who mattered, the people who entrusted me with opportunities. You can have 10 people doubting you — ‘Is she the right person for that job? — but all you need is one or two to say, ‘You’re the right person for that job.’ That has really been the trajectory of my career.”
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