Dionne Harmon is making major strides in Hollywood as a producer. Next up is Sunday's BET Awards

BURBANK, Calif. — If Dionne Harmon never found an old script on the New Edition biopic, the R&The history of Group B could still be on a shelf instead of becoming a popular topic miniseries for BET.

The same can be said of other projects like The Bobby Brown Story and the Soul Train-inspired series American Soul. She may not have a household name, but she is known in Hollywood for working on big projects and major events, including the Academy Awards, Emmys, and Golden Globes. Harmon worked on several Super Bowl halftime shows, becoming the first black woman to produce the show.

Then, you will be a producer at BET Awards Sunday to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The show will be broadcast live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

The Emmy winner is one of the few black women in a prominent position in the entertainment industry. She is president of Jesse Collins Entertainmentone of the most sought-after television production companies. Harmon reports directly to the CEO Jesse Collinswho is her fiancé.

I've worked hard to build my toolbox just to be ready for these moments,” said Harmon, a Harvard University graduate who has been with JCE since 2012.

She started at JCE as an assistant, a position she was reluctant to accept until Collins introduced her to other employees who had gradually risen to high-ranking positions in the company.

Harmon accepted the job. Collins assured him that he would teach him everything he knew about the business, allowing him to shadow him in meetings and on phone calls.

It’s a place where you plant your roots and they grow, she said. On the surface, this seemed like a step backwards. I had to denigrate my ego, which didn't want me to take this step. …But it was the best decision I ever made.

Harmon's big breakthrough came from the 2017 project The history of the new edition.

After seeing the huge success of TLC's biopic CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story in 2013, she realized there were other opportunities to explore.

Harmon found an old script of the New Edition story written by Abdul Williams that had been lying around for years, took it to Collins, and convinced him to pitch the idea to Stephen Hill, BET's president of programming. at the time. The series became a huge hit on the network, but she was not credited as a producer.

However, Harmon did well enough to earn a promotion to unstaffed development director, which led to more projects. She led the reworked format of Hip Hop Squares which evolved into the creation of three spin-off shows such as CMT's Nashville Squares, BET's Celebrity Squares and Hollywood Squares for CBS with Drew Barrymore. She also played a key role in the development and production of the critically acclaimed competition show Rhythm + Flow on Netflix, which has now expanded to France, Italy and Brazil.

Erykah Badu said Harmon was instrumental in her returning for three consecutive years as host and producer of the Soul Train Awards starting in 2015. The singer called Harmon a pragmatic and deliberate producer.

With such an enigmatic work ethic, she reminds us that our best work is always within ourselves,” Badu said.

Under her leadership, Harmon helped JCE grow its staff from 11 full-time employees to 25. She also led the company's efforts to work directly with brands on content production at large-scale events with Nike, Ford, Pepsi and TikTok.

“She is very passionate, creative and knows how to navigate a very complicated world called Hollywood,” Collins said. “She always demonstrates integrity above all else. It really helped her grow. Once you build a trustworthy reputation and are creative, all doors open to you. »

Harmon became one of the few black women to co-produce the Oscars. And after co-producing the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show along with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and others, she was elevated to president of JCE, overseeing creative strategy and financial growth.

Life is good for Harmon, both professionally and personally. Collins proposed to her last year. She said their relationship was a perfect partnership and they both managed work-life balance well.

Harmon often reflects on her decision to put her ego aside and join JCE more than a decade ago. She joked with her mother that if she ever got married or met someone, it would be at the airport or at work.

It's crazy how one decision can impact every aspect of your life, she said during her interview with JCE. Never in my wildest dreams. …It never occurred to me that I would end up getting engaged. If someone said that to me, I'd say, “Oh my God, what's wrong with you?”

Harmon says Collins is a “great guy,” but at first he was just his boss.

But by working together, truly becoming equals, moving forward together and building this business, it just opened the doors to something completely different.

Harmon wants to continue to build on her and JCE’s success. She wants to create more scripted shows and feature films and, one day, produce the Olympics.

Collins sees directorial qualities in Harmon's cards.

Anything is possible for her, he said. But ultimately, she'll probably realize it at some point. She has a real eye for those kinds of details.”