Project Description
Jennifer Salke was named President, NBC Entertainment in July 2011. Reporting directly to NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt, Salke is responsible for comedy development, drama development, current programming, casting and diversity programming initiatives for NBC, as well as the entirety of Universal Television operations, which includes parallel divisions of development, programming and casting.
Salke oversees the development and cultivation of more than 25 scripted series for the network each season as well as the development and production of more than 20 series for the studio.
Her strong relationships with creators and writers have fostered some of the biggest scripted successes on NBC in years, including this year’s breakout phenomenon “This Is Us,” which is the #1 new show of the fall, as well as Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” franchise, which welcomes its fourth installment, “Chicago Justice,” this season.
Salke brought the critically acclaimed ”The Carmichael Show” to the network, as well as last year’s #1 new fall drama in the 18-49 demo, “Blindspot,” and #1 new midseason drama in total viewers, “Shades of Blue.” At the studio, she oversaw the development of several award-winning shows, including “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “The Mindy Project.”
Prior to joining NBC Entertainment, Salke served as Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs at Twentieth Century Fox Television, a post she held since 2006. During her tenure at Twentieth Century Fox, the studio enjoyed an incredible run, highlighted by her development and championing of the hit series “Glee” and “Modern Family” in one season.
In 2002, Salke joined Twentieth Century Fox as Senior Vice President of Drama Development, where she was instrumental in the creation of several hits, including the long-running “Bones” and “Prison Break.” She began her career at Aaron Spelling Productions in the early 1990s, where she first worked with Greenblatt (who was then at Fox) on such seminal series as the original “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Melrose Place,” among the many other series Spelling produced at that time.
A board member for the Los Angeles chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Salke also acts as an ambassador for the non-profit Operation Smile. Salke and her husband, Bert, who is President of Fox 21 Television Studios, reside in Los Angeles and have three children: twin daughters Kate and Georgia, and son Henry.