Dionne Harmon is taking major steps to produce the BET Awards

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — If Dionne Harmon had never found an old script for the New Edition biopic, the story of the R&B group might still be sitting on a shelf as a substitute of becoming a highly rated miniseries for BET.

The same might be said about other projects like “The Bobby Brown Story” and the Soul Train-inspired series “American Soul.” She might not be a household name, but in Hollywood she is known for her work on major projects and major events, including the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes. Harmon worked on quite a few Super Bowl halftime shows, becoming the first black woman to produce the show.

He will next produce at the BET Awards on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. The show can be broadcast live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

The Emmy winner is one in every of the few black women holding top positions in the entertainment industry. She is the president Jesse Collins Entertainmentone in every of the most sought-after production firms in television. Harmon reports directly to CEO Jesse Collins, who is her fiancé.

“I’ve been working to build a toolkit to be ready for those moments,” said Harmon, a Harvard graduate who has worked at JCE since 2012.

She began at JCE as an assistant and was reluctant to accept the position until Collins introduced her to other employees who steadily rose to senior positions inside the company.

Harmon took the job. Collins promised to teach her all the pieces he knew about the business, letting her shadow him in meetings and on the phone.

“It’s a place where you put down roots and they grow,” she said. “At first, it seemed like a step back. I had to quiet my ego that didn’t want me to take that step. … But it was the best decision I ever made.”

Harmon’s big break got here with 2017’s The New Edition Story.

After seeing the huge success of the TLC biopic “CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story” in 2013, she realized there have been more opportunities to explore.

Harmon found an old script for the New Edition story written by Abdul Williams that had been lying around for years, took it to Collins and convinced him to pitch the idea to Stephen Hill, then president of programming at BET. The series became an enormous hit on the network, but received no producer credit.

But Harmon did well enough to earn a promotion to development executive — with no staff — which led to more projects. She spearheaded the revamped “Hip Hop Squares” format, which spawned three spinoff shows, including CMT’s “Nashville Squares,” BET’s “Celebrity Squares” and CBS’s “Hollywood Squares” with Drew Barrymore. She also played a key role in developing and producing the critically acclaimed competition show “Rhythm + Flow” on Netflix, which is currently also available in France, Italy and Brazil.

Erykah Badu said Harmon was instrumental in her return for 3 consecutive years as host and producer of the Soul Train Awards starting in 2015. The singer called Harmon a “hands-on, thoughtful producer.”

“With such an enigmatic work ethic, she reminds us that the best works are still within us,” Badu said.

Under her leadership, Harmon helped grow JCE’s full-time staff from 11 to 25. She also spearheaded the company’s efforts to work directly with brands to produce content for major events, including Nike, Ford, Pepsi and TikTok.

“She’s passionate, creative and knows how to navigate this very complicated world known as Hollywood,” Collins said. “She really does have integrity above all else. That’s really helped her grow. Once you build a reputation of trust and you’re creative, all the doors open up for you.”

Harmon became one in every of the few Black women to co-produce the Oscars. After co-producing the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and more, she was promoted to president of JCE, overseeing creative strategy and financial development.

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Harmon’s life is great each professionally and personally. Collins proposed to her last yr. She said their relationship is a “perfect partnership” and that they each have a superb work-life balance.

Harmon often thinks back to her decision to put her ego aside and join JCE greater than a decade ago. She joked along with her mom that if she ever got married or met anyone, it could be at the airport or at work.

“It’s crazy how one decision can impact every aspect of your life,” she said in an interview with JCE. “Never, in your wildest dreams. … It never occurred to me that I might find yourself engaged. If someone told me that, I’d be like, “Oh my God, what’s wrong with you?”

Harmon says Collins is a “great guy,” but at first he was just her boss.

“But in the process of working together, becoming equals, moving together and building this company, the door just opened to something completely different.”

Harmon wants to proceed constructing on his and JCE’s success, creating more series and have movies, and at some point producing the Olympic Games.

Collins sees Harmon as a directorial candidate.

“For her, everything is possible,” he said. “But ultimately she’s going to probably turn into a director in some unspecified time in the future. He has an eye fixed for the sort of detail.