Tana Nugent Jamieson’s father was a foreign correspondent for Newsweek and she thought she would grow up to be a journalist. She was, for a while. But her father steered her away from that declining medium and she channeled her storytelling into producing hit TV movies (Peter Benchley’s The Beast, for starters) and miniseries for the likes of NBC, TBS, The WB and A&E, where her scripted credits include Longmire, Bates Motel and Roots.
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In 2013, she moved from the network to become co-head of A+E Studios, which now has more than 70 projects in various stages of development and shows on a variety of top platforms.
Seizing an Opportunity
First among equals might be Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer, from David E. Kelley and author Michael Connelly.
Jamieson was the one who identified Lincoln Lawyer’s potential, knew Kelley was interested and led A+E to pounce precisely when the rights became available — like the minute after, according to studio president and co-head Barry Jossen.
“Obviously, the rest is history,” Jossen said. The Lincoln Lawyer, now in production on a third season, has been Netflix’s top returning series and a Top 10 show in 81 countries. It’s a global calling card for A+E, and Jossen thinks it might also have helped audiences find and re-embrace the legal drama Suits this year.
Jossen made sure Jamieson was credited as co-head soon after she came over from the network and said they have a successful partnership where either executive can sign off on a decision and where roles aren’t pigeonholed. They communicate throughout the day, he said. (Jamieson agreed: “We’re each other’s best friend,” she said, adding: “I think at the end of the day, I help him with the bigger-picture thinking.”)
Her understanding of the business and what makes sense in a very dynamic time in our industry is really gratifying, and makes it possible for us to do what we’re doing.”
Barry Jossen, A+E Studios
“I’ve never had a better experience working with a partner, collaborator, colleague than I’ve had with Tana,” Jossen said. “She’s very smart, knowledgeable and skillful. She’s excellent [at] working with creatives. Her relationships are stellar and her commitment to quality is really high.”
She’s not only smart and creative, but “her understanding of the business and what makes sense in a very dynamic time in our industry is really gratifying, and makes it possible for us to do what we’re doing,” he said.
Bela Bajaria, chief content officer at Netflix, has been a close friend for a long time. She said they have worked very well together regardless of which one is buying for a network or supplying from a studio — like when Bajaria ran Universal Television and Jamieson was at A&E and they did Bates Motel together for five years.
“She was incredibly supportive of the show and of the talent and always is so great about being a collaborator and just being partners with the talent and the creator in the studio,” Bajaria said. “Just having that real great mindset of, we all want the same thing. We want to make a great show that a lot of people watch. And she’s such a warm, kind, authentic, genuine person.”
A Fulfilling Role
Jamieson acknowledged that she’s been able to pivot often, from doing TV movies to series, from the network to the studio, and loves where she has ended up.
“This is my favorite job, by far,” she said. “It’s just great. I get to be creatively fulfilled with all different kinds of shows.”
Other A+E Studios shows of note at the moment, among many, include Parish, with Giancarlo Esposito, on AMC and AMC Plus; Flowers in the Attic: The Origin for A+E Networks-owned Lifetime and the in-development Lazarus serial-killer drama for Apple TV Plus, with Tom Hardy and Zazie Beetz.
Outside of work, she and her husband, J.J. Jamieson, a longtime TV executive, actively volunteer with Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), a charitable organization that helps underserved kids in the city, and they helped establish the George Perry Floyd Jr. Scholarship for Racial and Social Justice at Santa Monica College. They also have raised triplets, two boys and a girl, who are now 23 years old.
