Meet Devin Griffin: Breaking boundaries with BET+

This Black History Month, we’re thrilled to speak with one of the most impactful people in the media and entertainment industry: Devin Griffin, General Manager of BET+. Discover what Devin has to say about his career achievements at the top Black-centered streaming service in the world, and the challenges and successes he’s navigated during his career.

Devin Griffin: I've always cared a lot about the ways in which Black people and their stories are depicted in the media.

I think there are always opportunities to bolster how Black people are portrayed. I saw BET+ as an opportunity for me to make an impact by pushing to ensure a variety of Black perspectives and experiences are shared with the world.

BET (BET Media Group) is such an iconic, historic brand, and an unrivaled place at which to do this work; I couldn’t possibly pass it up.

I've been in this role for four years and our team has achieved so much already: We've amassed the largest collection of premium original Black programming, which is a big achievement in the current marketplace.

We’ve also reinvented iconic shows like “College Hill” alongside our raw and real sitcom, “The Ms. Pat Show.”

Before we partnered up, Ms. Pat was doing theater and club venues and looking for a bigger break in entertainment. Now she has two shows on the air and a lot more to come. These are just a few of our team’s achievements; we know there’s a lot more to do and we have so much more we’d like to accomplish.

On a professional level, I’ve been fortunate to be a part of elevating amazing stories throughout my career such as Michaela Coel’s “Chewing Gum,” “The Last Dance (Michael Jordan),” “The Martin Reunion Special,” and “Average Joe.”

That said, there are quieter moments that I'm even more proud of. For instance, being a part of a media network that I grew up watching, or seeing the look on my father’s face when I give him a BET+ hat, and then getting to hear how he sports his gear around the neighborhood so he can strike up conversations about the things we’re doing at BET.

Then, there’s the impact my work has on my kids. To know my son is proud of what I do because he wears his Martin Reunion jacket to school (which my daughter has already called dibs on once he grows out of it). To see the way my work connects with my family, which is the most important part of my life, really makes me most proud.

I think you have to follow your own path and do what feels real, authentic, and true to you. We're in a world where there are so many places that are looking to elevate voices and tell stories from streaming, to podcasts, to video games, to social media, and so on.

I see it as an opportunity to pursue the thing that you feel passionate about. The technology and platforms we have access to now make it possible to find connection points around ideas that would not have been possible even 15 to 20 years ago.

Well, I think the biggest challenge that we've had is that BET is no longer alone in its ambition to elevate the community and share its stories and truths. Now writers, producers, and creatives of various stripes are in a great situation because they have lots of options, and lots of platforms where they can pitch, sell, and distribute content through.

It's become more challenging to break through due to increased competition, but I think we’ve been able to drive success by staying true to ourselves. Our success has come from sticking to our knitting, doing what we do in a space that others are starting to come into, and helping us expand.

I get excited by the challenges that we get to take on and the problems that we get to solve. We're in this environment where everything from storytelling structures to technology to production and financial models are shifting and changing.

Media entertainment is going through a massive moment of transition. So, to be able to work on things that we believe in and evolve the ways that we show up the world, and our business, is truly powerful.

I really admire what Rihanna has done with her brand and businesses. She discovered new ways she could take bits of the lifestyle and point of view she represents and use them to connect to her fans, and communities that emerged around her.

And I love that Wemimo Abbey started his company, Esusu, based on his lived experiences as an immigrant, and on having a deep understanding of how our financial systems operate. He figured out how to work within the system to make it more accessible to people who were historically shunned by it. I hope to do something as cool as he has one day.