Mary Donahue

SVP, Development & Programming

Lifetime

Mary Donahue is Senior Vice President, Non- Fiction at Lifetime, a position she assumed in September 2013.  In that capacity, she oversees current series, includingBring It,True ToriandDance Moms, as well as a slate of new series and development.  She also supervises a team of programmers and is part of the network’s strategic senior leadership.

Prior to joining Lifetime, Donahue served as VP, Development and Production at History.  In that role, she developed and launched many of History’s highest rated shows, including the mega hit,Pawn Starsand spin-offs SheCounting Cars, American RestorationandCajun Pawn Stars. She also developed and supervised the breakout hitSwamp People,as well as the top rated specialGettysburg, nominated for eight Emmys and winner of four.

Prior to joining HISTORY, Donahue worked from 2004-2008 at Discovery Channel, serving as Executive Producer, Senior Executive Producer and Vice President. During that time, she developed and launched an array of hits, includingMan Vs. Wild, Storm Chasers, Cash Cab, Alaska ExperimentandFuture Weapons, as well as the Emmy nominatedExpeditionseries with the BBC Natural History Unit. Donahue also oversawMythbustersandDirty Jobs, growing ratings on both high profile series.

Donahue produced for a wide range of organizations and programs, includingThe Oprah Winfrey Show, where she was a producer/field director for six years. Donahue also worked for ABC News, NBC News, USA Today and CNN. She also served as a show runner on TLC’sA Wedding Story, guiding that long running series to its first ever live event and its first Emmy nomination and win.

She is a cum laude graduate of Williams College and holds MA degrees in American Studies with a specialty in film studies from both Boston University and The University of Sussex in Brighton, England, where she was a Rotary scholar.

Donahue has been nominated for eight Emmys and won four times. Programs she developed have earned 20 Emmy nominations in various categories. 

Speaking at: Luncheon Roundtables (12:45pm-2:00pm); Talent Talk; Team America: U.S. Commissioners Talk TV