Brad Jenkins (producer)

Brad L. Jenkins is an American producer. He is the managing director and executive producer of Funny or Die DC. Jenkins is the former associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.[1][2]

Brad L. Jenkins
Jenkins speaks at the 2017 Citizen University National Conference
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Virginia
Occupation(s)Executive producer, Funny or Die DC

Career

A native of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, Jenkins attended Steinert High School, where he took an advanced course about government that included presentations from local elected officials and a three-day trip to Washington that allowed him to gain a greater understanding of how government works and was the germ of his interest in politics years later.[3]

After graduating from the University of Virginia, Jenkins worked as an investment professional for six years in New York and San Francisco, where he worked for Farallon Capital.[1][4] After moving to California, Jenkins and his wife joined a volunteer group for Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2007 before the Democratic primaries.[3] He later moved to Chicago and became the national deputy director of special projects for the Obama campaign.[4][3]

Jenkins served as the founding vice president of Business Forward, an organization that brings entrepreneurs into the policy-making process, before signing on at the White House as associate director for the Office of Public Engagement under Valerie Jarrett.[5] At the White House, Jenkins served as a liaison to the creative community working with executives, celebrities, artists and advocacy leaders.[6] In his role, he also served as a liaison for the comedy video website Funny or Die and was involved in an episode of Between Two Ferns, in which Zach Galifianakis interviews President Obama about the Affordable Care Act.[7][1] Several weeks after the interview aired, Jenkins and Jarrett briefed the President in the Oval Office about its widespread critical acclaim and how it was the show's "most successful video."[8] Jenkins recounts this story in depth in West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House, a collection of personal stories by Obama administration staffers.[9]

In 2015, it was announced that Jenkins would be named managing director and executive producer of Funny or Die's new Washington, D.C. branch, where he produces politically themed content and provides consulting services.[6] In 2020, it was announced that he and Meena Harris would launch a production studio titled "Phenomenal Productions".[10]

Jenkins runs Enfranchisement Productions[11] whose first hour-long special, TAAF Heritage Heroes, premiered on Hulu.

References
  1. "Meet Funny or Die DC executive producer Brad Jenkins". The Washington Post. November 4, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  2. Natalie Jarvey (April 2, 2015). "Funny or Die Opens Washington, D.C., Office". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  3. Clerkin, Bridget. "Steinert government class leads Hamilton native to White House job", The Times (Trenton), October 15, 2014. Accessed January 17, 2018. "For Brad Jenkins, that journey led from the halls of Steinert High School to the corridors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The Hamilton native now is an associate director in the Office of Public Engagement – “literally the front door of the White House,” he said – finding and inviting various leaders and advocates to Washington to discuss how best to move forward with issues that are important to them, the president and the country."
  4. "Brad L. Jenkins". whitehouse.gov. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via National Archives.
  5. Italy Hod (April 2, 2015). "Funny or Die Opens DC Office Led by Former White House Liaison". The Wrap. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  6. Ted Johnson (April 2, 2015). "Funny or Die Opens DC Office Led By Former White House Official". Variety. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  7. resident Barack Obama: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis on YouTube
  8. Juliet Eilperin (May 26, 2015). "Here's how the first president of the social media age has chosen to connect with Americans". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  9. West Wingers | PenguinRandomHouse.com.
  10. "Phenomenal's Meena Harris, Funny or die Alum Brad Jenkins Launching Phenomenal Productions (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 3 December 2020.
  11. "Entry".
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