Alana Mayo

American film producer
Lena Waithe
​
​
(m. 2019; div. 2021)​
RelativesBarry Mayo (father)

Alana Mayo is a film executive, producer, and president of Orion Pictures.[1]

Early life and education

Mayo was born in New York City and was raised in Chicago. Her father is radio executive Barry Mayo who helped launch WRKS and was the first black general manager of RKO General and Emmis Communications.[2][3] She graduated from Columbia University in 2006 with a double major in English and film studies.[1][4] At Columbia, she studied under professor Richard Peña and interned for Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels.[5][6] She also interned for independent filmmakers such as Tribeca Film Festival and Warrington Hudlin during her time in New York City.[1][5]

Career

After graduating from Columbia, she moved to Los Angeles and worked as an assistant to film producer Andrew Lazar for two years before being promoted to Creative Executive at Mad Chance Productions. During her tenure there, she worked on films including Get Smart and I Love You Philip Morris.[5] She was also a Creative Executive at 20th Century Fox for two years before joining Paramount Pictures in 2012, working in the same capacity.[7]

She was promoted to Vice President of Production at Paramount Pictures, where she worked on movies including A Quiet Place, Annihilation, The Big Short, Fences, Selma, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.[5] In 2017, she was hired by Vimeo to be vice president and Head of Original Development to help create original television content for the platform.[7]

In 2018, she was hired as Head of Production for Michael B. Jordan's production company, Outlier Society, where she oversaw production of movies and TV shows including Just Mercy, Without Remorse, Fahrenheit 451, David Makes Man, and Raising Dion.[8] In 2020, she was tapped by MGM to relaunch its Orion Pictures label with a focus on underrepresented voices.[9][10][11]

Mayo also served as executive producer of gen:LOCK while working as head of production at Outlier Society Productions.[12][13] She was included in the 2022 Fast Company Queer 50 list.[14]

Personal life

In 2017, Mayo became engaged to actress Lena Waithe,[15][16][17][18] Mayo said she met Waithe as a writer and said in 2019 that she hoped to work with her on a project.[19] In 2018, at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards, actress Lena Waithe expressed her love for Mayo.[20] They married in November 2019 in San Francisco.[15] On January 23, 2020, Waithe and Mayo announced that they had separated after two months of marriage.[21] In November 2020, Mayo filed for divorce from Waithe; the single status of both was restored on May 24, 2021, with agreement for spousal support, and dividing up of property and other assets.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Alana Mayo". MGM Studios. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
  2. ^ T. H. R. Staff (2015-11-04). "Next Gen 2015: Hollywood's Up-and-Coming Execs 35 and Under". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  3. ^ "Barry A. Mayo's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  4. ^ "Newsmakers". Columbia College Today. Winter 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Meet Alana Mayo, Michael B. Jordan's Not-So-Secret Weapon". Essence. 6 December 2020. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  6. ^ "Moving the Film World Forward". Columbia College Today. 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  7. ^ a b "Vimeo Hires Paramount's Alana Mayo, Two Other Execs for L.A. Content Team". www.yahoo.com. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
  8. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2018-01-04). "Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society Sets Alana Mayo To Head Production & Development". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
  9. ^ Karpis, Paulina. "Just Mercy Co-Producer Alana Mayo On How She Creates Powerful Content". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  10. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2020-08-20). "Alana Mayo Named President Of MGM's Orion Pictures; Label To Focus On Inclusive Storytelling & Underrepresented Voices". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  11. ^ Galuppo, Mia (2021-01-13). "Michael B. Jordan Taps Elizabeth Raposo to Head Outlier Society Banner". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
  12. ^ "Adult animated series 'GEN:LOCK' season two debuts on HBO Max this November". AnimationExpress. October 29, 2021. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  13. ^ Bannon, Samuel Patrick (November 1, 2021). "HBO Max Releases Heart-Pounding 'gen:LOCK' Season 2 Trailer". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021.
  14. ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (2022-06-08). "Alana Mayo, president of Orion Pictures, is pushing for 'radical inclusion' in film". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  15. ^ a b Calvario, Liz (November 15, 2019). "Lena Waithe Reveals She Secretly Married Longtime Love Alana Mayo". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  16. ^ Missing, Natalie (December 19, 2017). "Lena Waithe Got Engaged on Thanksgiving, Is Truly Committed To Queering Thanksgiving". Autostraddle. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  17. ^ Leighton-Dore, Samuel (7 March 2018). "Lena Waithe encourages closeted colleagues to 'stop hiding' and come out". sbs.com.au. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  18. ^ King, Jamilah (August 10, 2018). "Lena Waithe's Comments About Her Haircut Say a Lot About the Gripping Power of Homophobia". Teen Vogue.
  19. ^ Harman, Jesse (March 6, 2019). "Alana Mayo, Michael B. Jordan's Secret Weapon, Is Poised to Take Over Hollywood". Glamour. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  20. ^ "'Being Proud to Be a Gay Black Female' Is a Revolutionary Act, Says Lena Waithe". DiversityInc. March 2, 2018. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  21. ^ France, Lisa Respers (23 January 2020). "Lena Waithe and wife Alana Mayo split two months after marriage announcement". CNN. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  22. ^ Drysdale, Jennifer (May 4, 2021). "Lena Waithe and Alana Mayo Come to an Agreement After Divorce Filing". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on August 8, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.