BET names Zola Mashariki Head of Original Programming at BET

BET named television veteran Zola Mashariki head of original programming. She replaces Loretha Jones who vacated the position in September. Before joining BET, she served as head of SVP of Production at Fox Searchlight. She is credited for her work on films such as The Last King of Scotland, starring Forest Whitaker and Scandal’s Kerry Washington. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Mashariki founded the Black Film Initiative, which has brought new films such as The Secret Life of Bees to African American audiences.