Tendo Nagenda (born 1975) is an American film producer and former studio executive, described as "one of the most high-profile black film executives."[1][2]

Career

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Born in Los Angeles to a Ugandan father and a Belizean mother, Nagenda graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 1997 with a double major in accounting and government. He worked at Deloitte for a year and a half before spending four months at the New York Film Academy.[3][4]

Nagenda held positions at HBO, Good Universe, Warner Independent Pictures, and Plan B Entertainment before an eight-year stint at Disney. At Disney, he became executive vice president of production and oversaw the production of Queen of Katwe, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, A Wrinkle in Time, Dumbo, and Mulan.[5][6][7][8][9]

In 2018, Nagenda was hired by Netflix to serve as Vice President of Original Films as part of Netflix’s move towards self-produced as well as diverse content.[10][11][12][13] During this time he oversaw Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Hillbilly Elegy, The Harder They Fall, The Gray Man, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.[14][6][15][16][17] His unit handled roughly twenty films of budgets of around $25 million.[7]

He was associated with the work of Ava DuVernay, David Oyelowo, and Ryan Coogler throughout his tenure at both Disney and Netflix.[18][19][20]

References

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  1. ^ Kit, Borys (2018-08-24). "Netflix Poaches Disney Film Exec Tendo Nagenda". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  2. ^ viapiuser (2020-12-22). "Tendo Nagenda". Variety. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  3. ^ "Tendo Nagenda '97 | Claremont McKenna College". 19 October 2022.
  4. ^ Randall, Melissa. "Tendo Nagenda". NYFA. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  5. ^ "Tendo Nagenda". 22 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Netflix Film Exec Tendo Nagenda Leaving Streamer". The Hollywood Reporter. 29 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Tendo Nagenda: High-profile film executive in Hollywood". Monitor. 2020-10-10. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  8. ^ Kit, Borys (2016-05-16). "'Queen of Katwe,' 'Beauty and the Beast' Exec Promoted at Disney". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  9. ^ "The Year Disney Started to Take Diversity Seriously". Vanity Fair. 2016-11-23. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  10. ^ Smith, Ben (2020-07-06). "How Netflix Beat Hollywood to a Generation of Black Content". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  11. ^ Flint, Joe (2018-12-17). "Netflix Hires Former ABC Entertainment Boss, Stepping Up Rivalry". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  12. ^ www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2018/08/27/netflix-to-poach-rising-disney-executive.html. Retrieved 2023-07-17. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ Lopez, Ricardo (2018-08-24). "Netflix Set to Name Tendo Nagenda, Top Disney Exec, To Oversee Film Production". Variety. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  14. ^ "Netflix Restructures Studio Film Team, Top Executive Tendo Nagenda to Exit". 30 August 2022.
  15. ^ Galuppo, Mia (2023-03-31). "Exit of Netflix's Lisa Nishimura Marks End of an Era for the Streamer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  16. ^ Kit, Borys (2020-08-03). "Netflix Original Films Exec Says Pandemic Is Not Stopping Content: "We're Still in Pretty Good Shape"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  17. ^ "'Not because we're special, but because we are human': Black Hollywood executives on producing to power in 2023". Annenberg Media. 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  18. ^ Sperling, Nicole (2021-05-05). "David Oyelowo Fights for Representation in Family Films". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  19. ^ Ryzik, Melena (2018-03-01). "Ava DuVernay's Fiercely Feminine Vision for 'A Wrinkle in Time'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  20. ^ Flint, Joe (2021-02-18). "Ava DuVernay Launches Recruitment Tool to Improve Diversity of Hollywood Crews". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-07-17.