Hallmark Faces One other Management Shakeup With Departure Of CEO Wonya Lucas

Whereas Wonya Lucas will now not be as lively part of Hallmark, her affect on the model will probably be felt for years to come back. Earlier than she got here on board in 2020, it was thought of strictly white-bread leisure — emphasis on the “white.” Below Lucas’s watch, the community expanded its imaginative and prescient to incorporate extra numerous casting and themes. As an illustration, inside months of her becoming a member of the corporate, Hallmark introduced its first film with an LGBTQ+ character: “The Christmas Home,” starring the late Deal with Williams. 

Two years later, “The Vacation Sitter” would go a step additional by centering on the romance between a same-sex couple. Lucas’s steering additionally led the community to supply movies like “Christmas on the Golden Dragon,” a heartwarmer with a predominantly Asian forged. “Eight Items of Hanukkah,” in the meantime, was Hallmark’s first film that actually celebrated Jewish tradition quite than a Christmas presentation with a Jewish character simply dropped in. Hallmark’s new Mahogany initiative, launched in 2022, options movies and different media with Black casts and themes. 

Most have aired on Hallmark Films & Mysteries, however in late August 2023, a Mahogany authentic movie, “Napa Ever After,” will probably be a part of the summer time Hallmark Channel lineup for the primary time. On her departure, Lucas acknowledged her legacy:  “I’m honored to have led this firm and am tremendously pleased with the progress we have made by creating an advanced leisure expertise that conjures up significant, emotionally linked moments for our audiences,” (through the Los Angeles Occasions).