On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) published its annual list, Women in Entertainment Power 100, which ranks the top female execs, associates, presidents and chairs who have the most power in Hollywood. Out of those 100 women, seven of them have one thing in common (besides owning it in entertainment): They all graduated from Boston University.
BU has a few famous female alumnae – Julianne Moore (CFA’83), Geena Davis (CFA’79), Ginnifer Goodwin (CFA’01) – but the women on this list aren’t household names, even though many of them are running the board meetings behind the scenes at your favorite channels.
This year, THR named Bonnie Hammer, chairman of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and 1971 College of Communications grad, Hollywood’s most powerful woman. The list, which honors the entertainment industry’s top “mavens, up and comer and game changers,” according to the New York Times, is calculated mostly by numbers: how many employees these women oversee, their box office numbers or ratings, and their industry clout. Each year, it’s one of the most competitive industry titles; the New York Times dedicated an article exploring the behind-the-scenes selective process.
The other BU grads in the top ten were Nancy Dubuc (COM’91), the chairman and president of A+E Networks, who took third, and Nina Tassler (CFA’79), CBS Entertainment chairman and president, who ranked sixth.
While BU Today reported on the news of the alumnae who ranked as powerful women in Hollywood, THR noticed the pattern as well. The publication ran a story on Friday, “Boston University: Hollywood’s Secret Female Training Ground,” which detailed the number of talented women in Hollywood all hailing from BU, and how they build their networks and offices with fellow BU grads. Actress Ashley Williams, who graduated with Ginnifer Goodwin, called the powerful connections the “BU wink.”
THR also followed up their powerful-BU-women-in-Hollywood coverage with a slideshow that looked at the school’s top Hollywood alumnae. The list is populated with actresses Geena Davis, Ashley Williams and Kim Raver, and network executives, as well as a woman you didn’t know you knew: Judy Smith, the crisis manager who inspired Scandal‘s Olivia Pope.
Here’s the complete list of BU alumnae who made THR’s Women in Entertainment Power 100.
1. Bonnie Hammer (COM’71), chairman of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment
3. Nancy Dubuc (COM’91), chairman and president of A+E Networks
6. Nina Tassler (CFA’79), chairman and president of CBS Entertainment
38. Bonnie Arnold (COM’78), film producer at DreamWorks Studios
56. (Tied) Beth Roberts (LAW’83), vice president of business operations at NBC Universal Cable Entertainment
67. Hilary Estey McLoughlin (COM’84), president of creative affairs at CBS Television Distribution
68. Tracey Jacobs (CAS’79), board member and partner at United Talent Agency
As a Boston University grad myself, I think it’s time I start milking these connections, no?
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