Bela Bajaria, the recently named president of Universal Television, is now considered as the highest-ranking Indian-American female executive in television. He is instrumental for hits, such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
She was born in London and moved to Los Angeles with her parents at the age of nine. Her parents are Indian, who were raised in East Africa.
Bela Bajaria's father's optimism and business skills were a big influence on her. She said, “My father said, we'll go to Los Angeles and open car washes, and that's what we did. Seeing his entrepreneurial spirit inspired me.”
Speaking about her journey into the television business, Bajaria said, “I ran a non-profit for four years, raising money for projects that benefitted Third World disadvantaged children. I discovered an appreciation for storytelling, and I like the intersection where creative talent and business come together. So in 1996, I started in the movie department at CBS. I watched, read and learned everything I could. I left to become a manager at Warner Bro., then CBS said come back and we'll make you an executive. So I did.”
For Bela Bajaria, it is important to be at home at night with her family. She grew up in an extended Indian family and tries to recreate that for her three children.
On speaking about Universal Television's future, she said, “Being an independent supplier of TV shows will be interesting in the coming years. People are watching so much TV, and there are a lot of places to sell. Each show is a building block for us... There are problems and pressure, sure. But it's all fun. After all, we're making TV shows.”
