Merah Chung
VP, Development and New Series, Style Media
NBCUniversal
Chung heads development and production for The Style Network’s new programs, a role that also entails fostering relationships with the entertainment community and recruiting talent. In her tenure at Style, she’s been outspoken about minority- focused programming, such as the series “Chicagolicious,” an African- American targeted spinoff of “Jerseylicious” (her work as well), “Empire Girls” and “Tia & Tamera.” When it comes to diversity in cable, Chung sees plenty of room for improvement, particularly in pushing diversity behind the scenes. “If we can commit to seeking out, recruiting and mentoring diverse talent at the junior level, they can be groomed and trained to grow into sought after showrunners, network executives, agents, etc. It’s an investment in our future.”