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Sheila Ducksworth Named President Of CBS/NAACP Production Venture

Will Packer Media’s Sheila Ducksworth will lead the recently launched CBS/NAACP production partnership, a venture aimed at elevating a diverse range of voices as well as increasing the visibility of Black artists. In her role as president of the venture, Ducksworth will supervise development and production of scripted, unscripted and documentary content for linear television networks and streaming platforms. She will assume her new role on November 9.

“Sheila is an extraordinary creative executive with an incredible eye for great content,” said George Cheeks, President and CEO of the CBS Entertainment Group. “We are excited to draw upon her leadership and experience to establish a production venture that is committed to telling compelling, inclusive stories, while expanding the range of creative voices that bring these stories to the screen.”

Ducksworth most recently served as head of scripted television and production for Will Packer Media. During her tenure, Ducksworth oversaw development and production of the Night School pilot for NBC, which is currently awaiting word on a series pickup. She also served as executive producer on the upcoming Wendy Williams biopic for Lifetime as well as JPacker Media’s OWN series Ambitions.

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Prior to joining Packer, Ducksworth headed her own production banner, Ducksworth Productions, and oversaw television for Susanne Daniels’ First Move Television and Tracey Edmonds’ Edmonds Entertainment. She produced the 2013 Showtime documentary Why We Laugh: Funny Women with Joan Rivers. Ducksworth also produced the 2015 Lifetime movie With This Ring, which earned three NAACP Image Awards nominations. Additionally, she served as a producer on the landmark Showtime drama series Soul Food, which earned seven NAACP awards during its five-season run.

“We are delighted to welcome industry-veteran Sheila Ducksworth to the NAACP family,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. “Together, we have the opportunity to create and distribute truly groundbreaking content that speaks to the Black experience.”

Under the agreement, announced in July, CBS Television Studios’ creative team, led by President David Stapf, has been working with the NAACP to establish a dedicated team of executives and infrastructure to acquire, develop and produce programming. Ducksworth’s appointment is a key part of that effort.

“I am proud to join the CBS family and to represent an organization as rich in history as the NAACP. And I am thrilled to be working with executives of the caliber of George Cheeks, David Stapf and Derrick Johnson to bring exciting and diverse content to the screen,” said Ducksworth. “My career has always focused on telling captivating and compelling stories while increasing representation in front of and behind the camera, and this new venture is an opportunity to continue that mission in a dynamic way.”

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