Channing Dungey Praises Debra Lee for Shattering Barriers, Paving the Way for Women of Color in Media

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles hosted their annual gala at the iconic International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday night.

“The Big Night Out” Gala honored mentors from the BBBSLA with a particular spotlight on their Women In Entertainment Mentorship Program, a joint effort between BBBSLA and The Hollywood Reporter to match high-ranking female entertainment executives with high school junior girls from underserved communities in the greater Los Angeles area. 

“Mentorship has always been very important to me. I was raised that if you were able to accomplish something, you give back, and the way I’ve always chosen to give back is to help others come forward,” former BET CEO Debra Lee told THR moments before receiving her Defender of Potential award. 

The night’s festivities began as Stacey Sher, the storied producer of films like Erin Brockovich, Django Unchained and Pulp Fiction, delivered an emotional speech in recognition of her “chosen sister” Pamela Abdy for her continued support and guidance for young women in media. In keeping with the evening’s theme of family and mentorship, Sher drew a throughline between herself and Abdy, whom she had hired as an intern at Jersey Films, and her former boss Sherry Lansing, the legendary former CEO of Paramount Pictures. 

While receiving the Sherry Lansing Award, Abdy echoed Sher’s sentiments on the importance of maintaining a lineage of women through the past, present and future of the industry. “Stacey is fearless, caring and giving, and together we have experienced everything from producing movies to motherhood,” said Abdy.

She then went on to praise Lansing, garnering enthusiastic applause from the crowd. “Sherry always taught us that it’s easy to be there for people when there are hits, but it’s the misses that count the most, and it’s how you treat your team and talent that matters when a film comes up short of expectations,” Abdy continued, recalling her time at Paramount with Lansing. “Failure is not final, and it’s not fatal.”

She concluded her speech by announcing a new collaboration between BBBSLA and Warner Bros. Discovery — a pilot mentorship program that will launch in the spring semester of 2025 and will focus on creating career pathways for L.A. youth by connecting high school students with mentors in the entertainment industry. 

As one Warner Bros. CEO stepped down from the stage, another stepped up. Channing Dungey, chairwoman of Warner Bros. Television Studios and the first Black American president of a major broadcast television network, delivered the Defender of Potential award to Lee, attributing her own success and position in the industry entertainment to Lee’s trailblazing efforts.

“When she stepped into that role, she didn’t just break barriers, she shattered them,” Dungey said about Lee’s more than decade-long tenure at BET. “She paved the way for future generations of women of color in media, myself included, proving that leadership and excellence cannot be defined by traditional limits.”

Not only was Lee successful in her own right, but also she supported the success of those following in her footsteps by founding Leading Women Defined. The organization focuses on aiding Black female executives by providing “a safe place to not only network but support one another in the corporate battles we face in our careers,” Dungey said. Lee also founded the Monarchs Collective with the primary objective “to change the complexion of boardrooms.”

The former CEO insisted she still has faith in the entertainment business despite the challenges it has faced in recent years. “I still live by the old proverb of giving medicine with sugar or teaching with entertainment,” she said. 

Judge Michael D. Carter of the Los Angeles Superior Court was also honored with the Legacy Impact Award for his 30-year involvement with BBBSLA.

The ultimate mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles is to foster one-to-one support for at-risk and underserved youth, providing them with positive mentorship and guidance. “The Big Night Out” gala raised over $600,000 for the cause.