Jasmyn Lawson

Jasmyn Lawson (born 1991)[1][2] is an American digital media executive. Lawson has been manager of original series at Netflix since 2020. She previously worked for the streamer's Strong Black Lead initiative, and was a culture editor at Giphy.[3]

Early life and education

Lawson was raised in Jackson, Michigan.[4] She received her bachelor's degree from Spelman College, where she was a drama major and a film studies minor.[4][5] During college she held an internship at Cartoon Network.[5] Lawson also blogged regularly and at 21 wrote a post expressing her desire to work at Netflix.[6]

Career

Lawson's first position out of college was as a page at NBC.[5] After her program term ended she worked at social media marketing agency Glow.[5]

She left Glow in 2016 to work as a culture editor at Giphy. She developed GIFs relevant to Black culture and used Twitter to inform which ones to create.[7] Maintaining a Twitter presence is central to Lawson's work and she credits Black Twitter with driving cultural trends.[5]

Lawson was scouted by Netflix in 2018 to join their fledgling Strong Black Lead initiative.[8][6] She was hired as the editorial and brand manager for the project and oversaw social media communications.[1][8] Lawson produced the podcasts Strong Black Legends and Strong Black Laughs.[4] She noticed conversations Twitter users had about the desire to stream Black sitcoms from the late 1990s and early 2000s.[9] That influenced her to advocate for Netflix to pick up licensing rights for programs such as Sister, Sister and Moesha.[9] The shows had high viewership ratings after they debuted on Netflix.[9]

In November 2020 Lawson was promoted to the executive level as manager of original series including Never Have I Ever and Dear White People.[10][6] She also oversees the development of new comedy shows.[10]

Personal life

Lawson resides in Los Angeles.[11]

Accolades

References
  1. "Under Jasmyn Lawson's Unapologetically 'Strong Black Lead,' Our Lives Are That Much Better and Blacker". The Root. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  2. Lawson, Jasmyn (2020-09-28). "I'on work jobs, I am a job". Twitter.
  3. Cut, The (2018-04-04). "No Filter Wraps Up, and How Culture Editor Jasmyn Lawson Makes Herself Visible". The Cut. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  4. Khan, Nisa. "Young Michigan experts make Forbes's annual 30 under 30 list". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  5. Truong, Peggy (2017-05-22). "Get That Life: How I Became the Culture Editor at GIPHY". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  6. Evans, Erin E. (2021-04-29). "Jasmyn Lawson Is Working To Get Iconic Black Shows And Films Back On Your TV". HuffPost. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  7. Wheeler, André-Naquian (2018-01-05). "giphy culture editor jasmyn lawson is making gifs more black". i-D. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  8. Ifeanyi, K. C. (2020-07-30). "Inside Netflix's Strong Black Lead: How the streamer showcases a variety of Black experiences". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  9. Schneider, Michael (2020-12-10). "'Sister, Sister,' 'Girlfriends' and Other Beloved Black Sitcoms Are Finding New Life on Netflix". Variety. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  10. "30 under 30". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  11. Breaux, Adrienne. "Jasmyn Lawson's Rental Apartment Features Black Art from Black Artists in Almost Every Room". Apartment Therapy. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  12. "The Root 100 - Jasmyn Lawson". The Root. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
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