Co-Chairman, de Passe Jones Entertainment Group.
• Producer KING: The upcoming DreamWorks motion picture on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. with Steven Spielberg and Madison Jones
• Producer, Billy Majestic’s Humpty Dumpty, with Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings, Mark Ordesky.
• Executive Producer, Commander In Chief’s Inaugural Ball for President Barack Obama.
• Executive Producer, upcoming VH1 TV Series, Satan’s Sisters from the book by Star Jones.
de Passe Jones has recently entered into a 3 year production deal with Universal Pictures.
Suzanne began her career as an executive at Motown, where she discovered and signed Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5, Lionel Richie & The Commodores, Rick James, de Barge, and other multi-million selling Motown acts, and oversaw the production of soundtracks for such memorable films as “Cooly High”, “The Mack”, and “Trouble Man”. She oversaw the production of Motown film and television projects including: “Mahogany”, “The Last Dragon”, “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars”, “Lady Sings the Blues”, The Jackson 5 cartoon series, and secured the rights to the film version of “The Wiz” for the Universal Pictures-Motown joint venture. As President of Motown Productions, she Executive Produced the iconic mini-series, “Lonesome Dove” (CBS), and many award winning shows including, “Motown 25” (NBC), “Sister Sister” (The WB), “Smart Guy” (The WB), “The Temptations” mini-series (NBC), “Kid & Play” Saturday morning cartoon (NBC), “The Jacksons: An American Dream” (ABC), “Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century” (Disney Channel). Suzanne has produced the “NAACP Image Awards”, “The Essence Awards”, and “Showtime at the Apollo”, Black Movie Awards (TNT)
She has won 2 Emmy Awards, her productions have garnered over 30 Emmy nominations, she won a Golden Globe, five NAACP Image Awards, and is the only African American female to be nominated for an Academy Award for screenwriting (“Lady Sings The Blues”). She received the Revlon Business Woman of the Year honor, was chosen by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the Top 50 Hollywood Power Brokers, Producers Guild Award; Directors Guild Award; and Prism Award, and has been the subject of two Harvard Business School case studies.
A veteran of over three decades in Hollywood, generating over a billion dollars in revenue in the entertainment industry, and dividing her time and talent between Los Angeles and New York, Ms. de Passe has also received countless awards for her contributions to the television, movie and music industries including:
• Essence: Hollywood Women of Power Visionary Award (2008)
• Savannah Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
• Black Enterprise Top 50 Hollywood Power Brokers (2007)
• The AWRT (American Women in Radio and Television) Silver Satellite Award (1999);
• Revlon Business Woman of the Year Award (1994);
• Inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame (1990);
• Essence Award (1989)
• Women in Film Crystal Award (1988).
Recent community honors include:
• Center for The Advancement of Women: 2007 Changing the Landscape for Women Honoree
• Jackie Robinson Foundation 2006 Trailblazer Award
• Ebony Magazine selected de Passe for its highest honor, presenting her with the 2004 Madame C. J. Walker Award
• 2003 Whitney M. Young Award; Los Angeles Urban League’s highest accolade. (In keeping with tradition, de Passe presented the 2004 award to Magic Johnson.)
Additionally, she has appeared as a speaker before numerous businesses
and industry trade groups, including:
• Miller Brewing Company; Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association;
• Burger King Franchise Owners Association
• Chicago Minority Business Development Council.
Ms. de Passe is currently featured in HBO’s, THE BLACK LIST: Vol. 2.
Ms. de Passe has lectured at the Harvard Business School on several occasions. In 2002, de Passe was named Time Warner Visiting Professor to the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications. A post she held for the requisite 3 years. During Howard University’s 138th Charter Day celebration in March of 2006, Ms. de Passe received an honorary doctorate degree of Doctor of Humanities. Ms. de Passe is currently serving as the Producer-in-Residence at Emerson College, School of the Arts in Boston. She also served as the Emerson College 2007 Balfour Distinguished Lecturer.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER FOR THE FOLLOWING TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS:
MINI-SERIES:
• THE TEMPTATIONS, NBC, four hours, 1998, de Passe Entertainment.
NAACP Image Award Winner for Best Mini-Series. (Nominated for six Emmy Awards, including Best Mini-Series and won an Emmy for Best Director.) Also nominated for a Golden Globe and won the .
• DEAD MAN’S WALK, ABC, five hours, 1996, de Passe Entertainment. Starring: Edward James Olmos, Keith Carradine, Brian Dennehy and F. Murray Abraham.
• BUFFALO GIRLS, CBS, four hours, 1995, de Passe Entertainment. Nominated for eleven Emmy Awards, including Best Mini-Series and Best Actress. Starring Angelica Huston, Melanie Griffith, Reba McEntyre, Sam Elliott and Jack Palance.
• STREETS OF LAREDO, CBS, five hours, 1995, de Passe Entertainment. Starring: James Garner, Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard and Sonia Braga.
• RETURN TO LONESOME DOVE, CBS, four hours, 1993, Motown Productions. Starring: Jon Voight, Barbara Hershey, Rick Schroder and Louis Gossett, Jr. and William Petersen.
• THE JACKSONS: An American Dream, ABC, five hours, 1992, Motown Productions. Nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, including Best Miniseries. Starring: Angela Bassett, Billy Dee Williams, and Vanessa Williams as Suzanne.
• LONESOME DOVE, CBS, eight hours, 1989, Motown Productions. Emmy, Golden Globe, Peabody Award-winning miniseries. Named “Outstanding Program of the Year” by Television Critics Association, Best Miniseries in TV Guide Annual Readers Choice Awards, D.W. Griffith Award by National Board of Review. Among other honors, the success of this landmark western resulted in de Passe’s induction into the Cowboy Hall of Fame. “Lonesome Dove” was based on Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Starring: Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones and Anjelica Huston.
• SMALL SACRIFICES, ABC, four hours, 1989, Motown Productions. Nominated for three Emmy Awards, including Best Miniseries and two Golden Globe Awards. Winner of the Peabody Award. Based on Ann Rule’s best-selling book. Starring: Farrah Fawcett, Ryan O’Neal and John Shea.
MOVIES FOR TELEVISION:
NETWORK:
• THE LORETTA CLAIBORNE STORY – Two-hour, 2000, Disney/ABC Sunday Night, de Passe Entertainment.
• SOMEONE ELSE’S CHILD – Two-hour, 1998, ABC, de Passe Entertainment.
• THE LAST ELECTRIC KNIGHT – (aka SIDEKICKS) – Two-hour, 1989, ABC,
Motown Productions.
• BRIDESMAIDS – Two-hour, 1989, CBS, Motown Productions.
• HAPPY ENDINGS – Two-hour, 1983, CBS, King Entertainment,
Motown Productions.
CABLE:
• ZENON: ZEE THREE – Two-hour, 2004, The Disney Channel,
de Passe Entertainment.
• ZENON: THE ZEQUEL – Two-hour, 2001, The Disney Channel, de Passe Entertainment. When it aired, the movie had the highest-ever rating for a Disney Channel original movie. Premiered January 2001 with 3.3 rating/6 share.
• CHEATERS – Two-hour, 2000, HBO Films, de Passe Entertainment.
• ZENON, GIRL OF THE 21ST CENTURY – Two-hour, 1999, The Disney Channel, de Passe Entertainment.
SPECIALS:
• 70TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE TO THE APOLLO THEATER: Two-hour, 2004, NBC, de Passe Entertainment.
• MOTOWN 40: THE MUSIC IS FOREVER, Four-hour documentary 1998, ABC, de Passe Entertainment. Executive Producer & Writer.
• MOTOWN 30: WHAT’S GOIN’ ON, Two-hour, 1990, CBS, Motown Productions, and Emmy Award Nominee. Executive Producer & Writer.
• MOTOWN MERRI X-MAS, One-hour, 1987, ABC, Motown Productions.
• MOTOWN RETURNS TO THE APOLLO, Three-hour, 1985, NBC, Motown Productions. Emmy Award winner for best variety Program. NAACP Image
Award winner. Executive Producer & Writer.
• MOTOWN 25: YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER, Two-hour, 1983, NBC, Motown Productions, Emmy Award winner for best variety program. Winner of NAACP Image Award and Peabody Award. Executive Producer & Writer.
• MOTOWN ON SHOWTIME:
– Smokey Robinson – One-hour, 1990, Showtime, Motown Productions.
– Comedy on Campus – One-hour, 990, Showtime, Motown Productions.
– Michael Jackson – One-hour, 1988, Showtime, Motown Productions.
– Marvin Gaye – One-hour, 1987, Showtime, Motown Productions.
– Temptations and Four Tops – One-hour, 1986, Showtime, Motown Productions
SERIES:
• ZANE’S SEX CHRONICLES: – 2008 Series; HBO-Cinemax – 13 Episodes for Fall 2008 release. Second Season schedule for 2010. Starring: Patrice Fisher.
• SISTER, SISTER: Half-hour sitcom – 122 episodes completed, 1995-1999, WB,
de Passe Entertainment. Starring: Tia and Tamera Mowry, Tim Reid and
Jackee Harry.
• SMART GUY: Half-hour sitcom – 51 episodes completed, 1996-1999, WB,
de Passe Entertainment. Starring: Tahj Mowry, John Marshall Jones, Jason Weaver, Omar Gooding and Essence Atkins.
• ON OUR OWN: Half-hour sitcom – 19 episodes completed, 1994-1995, ABC,
de Passe Entertainment. Starring: The Smollet Family.
• THE MOTOWN REVUE starring SMOKEY ROBINSON: Six one-hour episodes, 1986, NBC, Motown Productions. Starring: Smokey Robinson.
FIRST RUN SYNDICATION:
• Showtime at The Apollo: 130 one-hour episodes completed, variety program format. 2002-Present. Syndicated through Warner Brothers/Telepictures.
• Lonesome Dove, The Outlaw Years: 44 one-hour episodes completed, western drama, 1994-1996. Starring: Eric McCormack, Scott Bairstow and Paul Le Mat.
• Night Life: (195) half-hour episodes, talk show. 1986-87. Hosted by
David Brenner.
AWARD PROGRAMS:
• 2006 Black Movie Awards: A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present, & Future. A 90-minute special which aired nationally on Turner Network Television (TNT) October 18, 2006. Hosted by Tyler Perry
• 2005 Black Movie Awards: A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present, & Future. A 90-minute special which aired nationally on Turner Network Television (TNT) October 19, 2005. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer
• 34th NAACP Image Awards, Two-hour special, 2003 FOX, de Passe Entertainment. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer.
• 2003 Essence Awards, Two-hour special, FOX, de Passe Entertainment.
Winner of the 2004 NAACP Image Award for Best Variety Music Program. Hosted by Steve Harvey.
• 2002 Essence Awards, Two-hour special, FOX, de Passe Entertainment.
Hosted by Steve Harvey
• 33rd NAACP Image Awards, Two-hour special, 2002, FOX, de Passe Entertainment. Hosted by Chris Tucker
• 32nd NAACP Image Awards, Two-hour special, 2001, FOX, de Passe Entertainment. Hosted by Chris Tucker
• MUSIC and MORE…Image Awards, One-hour special, 2001, WB, de Passe Entertainment. Hosted by Sinbad and Brandy.
BOARDS, TRADE ASSOCIATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS:
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Member
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Honorary Member
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Member
American Film Institute, Trustee
American Society of Composers and Publishers, Member
Caucus of Writers, Producers and Directors, Executive Committee
Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Board Member
Humanities Prize, Board Member
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Former Board Member
Los Angeles Opera, Board Member
National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, Member
National Association of Television Arts and Sciences, Member
New York City Ballet, Former Board Member
Producers Guild of America, Member
Writers Guild of America, Member