Tara Duncan is an American executive in the entertainment industry. She is president of Onyx Collective, which focuses on content creators of color and underrepresented voices,[1][2] and is known for her role in diversifying content.[3][4] Duncan previously served as president of Freeform, Disney's cable network for Gen Z, from 2020–2023.[5] As of 2021, Duncan was one of only a few entertainment industry executives in the United States who is black.[6]

In 2023, Duncan was named a 2023 Black Women in Hollywood Honoree by Essence magazine.[7]

Early life and education

An avid television watcher since childhood, Duncan grew up in Inland Empire, two hours east of Los Angeles.[8][1] She was a fan of My So-Called Life and General Hospital.[8] During her senior year in high school, Duncan had an internship at ABC Daytime, which she secured with help from Sarah Dorsey Rice of the Emma Bowen Foundation.[9][8] She attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.[8]

Career

Duncan worked at production company Section Eight, founded by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh.[8] In 2005, she moved to New York City and worked for HBO, before moving to a role in production at AMC, which was in the early stages of building original series such as Breaking Bad.[8]

Duncan eventually left the cable industry to work with streaming services.[8] At Amazon Prime Video, she produced the pilot for Bosch, its first original drama series.[8]

In 2014, Duncan started working at Netflix as one of its first creative executives.[1] At Netflix, she oversaw the production of Orange Is the New Black and Narcos.[8] She left in 2018 to take a personal sabbatical and traveled the world for a year and a half.[4][1]

In 2020, Duncan joined Disney General Entertainment as president of Freeform.[9] She launched Cruel Summer,[1] as well as Single Drunk Female, the cable network's two most-watched original series.[10] Freeform has also launched its first animated series, Praise Petey.[11] Keep This Between Us has had the network's highest unscripted debut.[11]

After launching the Onyx Collective for Disney in 2021,[12] Duncan oversaw the creation of its first title, Summer of Soul, produced by Questlove, which won the 2022 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[1] Onyx has also added The Hair Tales, Unprisoned, and The Plot,[1] as well as the critically acclaimed Reasonable Doubt, produced by Kerry Washington.[10] In 2023, Onyx released the The 1619 Project docuseries.[9]

Another project that Duncan has worked on for Hulu is The Other Black Girl, an adaptation of the 2021 novel by Zakiya Daila Harris, which Duncan executive produced.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Murphy, Chris (July–August 2022). "Voices CARRY". Vanity Fair. Vol. 64, no. 7. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  2. ↑ Jackson, Angelique (July 10, 2021). "Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson Celebrates 'Summer of Soul's' Box Office Buzz With DJ Set at the Greek Theatre". Variety. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ Tinubu, Aramide; Victorian, Brande (March–April 2022). "124 Black Women in Hollywood". Essence. Vol. 53, no. 2. Retrieved February 24, 2023 – via EBSCOHost.
  4. 1 2 Perman, Stacy (January 27, 2023). "With '1619,' 'Summer of Soul' and 'The Plot,' Disney's diverse storytelling brand is making waves". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Tara Duncan – Disney General Entertainment Press". Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  6. ↑ Giorgis, Hannah (October 2021). "The Unwritten Rules of Black TV". The Atlantic. Vol. 328, no. 3. Retrieved February 24, 2023 – via EBSCOHost.
  7. ↑ Ruff, Rivea (February 21, 2023). "ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood to Honor Sheryl Lee Ralph, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Danielle Deadwyler, Tara Duncan, and Dominique Thorne". Essence. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Umstead, R. Thomas (June 1, 2022). "Tara Duncan, President of Freeform & Onyx Collective, Disney Entertainment". Broadcasting & Cable – Multichannel News. Retrieved February 23, 2023 – via EBSCOHost.
  9. 1 2 3 Victorian, Brande (February 23, 2023). "Tara Duncan: The Secret Is There Is No Secret". Essence. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  10. 1 2 O'Connell, Mikey, ed. (December 7, 2022). "Power 100". Hollywood Reporter. Vol. 427, no. 37. Retrieved February 24, 2023 – via EBSCOHost.
  11. 1 2 "Most Powerful Women 2022". CableFAX Magazine. December 2022. p. 54. Retrieved February 24, 2023 – via EBSCOHost.
  12. ↑ White, Peter (May 17, 2021). "Disney Sets Onyx Collective, Content Brand For Creators Of Color On Hulu, Led By Freeform Boss Tara Duncan". Deadline. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  13. ↑ Otterson, Joe (August 4, 2022). "Hulu Orders Comedy Series 'The Other Black Girl' With Rashida Jones Producing". Variety. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
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