SHONDA RHIMES

Chief Executive

Shondaland

Shonda Rhimes is chief executive of Shondaland, the producer of long running television hits such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” all broadcast on ABC. She is the first African American woman to create and executive produce a top 10 network series. She struck a $100 million deal late last year with Netflix to create new programming for the streaming service. Forbes estimates her worth at $135 million, a figure that makes her the richest female showrunner ever, according to the magazine. Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, described her as “one of the greatest storytellers in the history of television.” Rhimes earned her first wide recognition in 1999 for the HBO biopic “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” starring Halle Berry. She worked as research director on the documentary “Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream,” which was nominated for an Emmy Award and an Academy Award. She has received a Television Producer of the Year award from the Producers Guild of America, a Lucy Award for Excellence in Television from Women in Film and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series.