ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group is committing $250 million over the next three years to nurturing content from women- and BIPOC-owned and operated production companies, by providing them with funding, production infrastructure, services and staff.
Unscripted executive producers Lashan Browning and Adam Gonzalez, who last year inked overall deals with MTV Studios, will create their own third-party production ventures with an equity investment from MTV Entertainment. Browning is known as the showrunner of the previous season of VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” and “Cartel Crew”; she previously worked for Spike Lee and was a key part of the startup team for the Oxygen cable network, which is now owned by NBCUniversal. Gonzalez is known for his work as showrunner of VH1’s “Teyana & Iman,” “America’s Next Top Model,” and “Mob Wives.”
“As a former showrunner, this endeavor is something very close to my heart,” said MTV Entertainment president of content and chief creative officer Nina Diaz. “Having come up on the production side where this kind of pipeline didn’t exist, it is a great privilege to help launch a new generation of creative powerhouses into production ownership.”
Among MTV Entertainment Group’s other recent inclusion efforts is Culture Code, a diversity, equity and inclusion orientation for its staff, talent and production partners that aims to “construct a communal set of values, understanding and baseline cultural norms to create a more inclusive and welcoming creative community.” The company has partnered with The Museum of Tolerance, Color of Change, Anti-Defamation League, The Jed Foundation, MPAC, RAINN, RespectAbility, Storyline Partners and GLAAD on the effort.