Former ABC executive Jamila Hunter is rejoining her onetime boss, Paul Lee, at the latter’s indie studio Wiip.
The move follows Hunter’s departure from Kenya Barris’ Netflix-based Khalabo Ink Society. She had been in talks with NBCUniversal for a top programming job at its forthcoming streaming platform, but that’s no longer in play. Hunter will work with Wiip on an interim basis for the time being.
Wiip declined comment.
Hunter worked under Lee at ABC from 2011-16, when Lee headed the network’s entertainment division. Hunter joined ABC as vp comedy in 2011 and was elevated to senior vp in 2016. (Former ABC drama head Nne Ebong is also an executive at Wiip.) Hunter left the network in 2017 to join Black-ish creator Barris’ company after he signed a lucrative overall deal at Netflix, but ended up spending less than a year there.
During her time at Khalabo Ink, she helped develop several projects for the streamer, including comedy Black Excellence (which will also star Barris alongside Rashida Jones), animated series Entergalactic, based on Kid Cudi’s forthcoming album, and sketch show Astronomy Club.
At ABC, Hunter shepherded shows including Black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat, the first incarnation of Last Man Standing and The Goldbergs. She began her career at NBC in the late 1990s and did stints at Bravo and NBC Entertainment, where she was senior vp digital and alternative programming.
Variety first reported the news.
