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Jesse Collins

Interviews

December 6, 2024
March 22, 2023

Profession

Category: EntertainmentMakers
Occupation(s): Entertainment Chief Executive

Birthplace

Born: September 28, 1970
Birth Location: Washington, District of Columbia

Favorites

Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Chicken Sausage
Favorite Time of Year: New Year's Eve

Favorite Quote

"I will drink muddy water and sleep in a hollow log before I let you make a fool out of me."

See maker connections

Biography

Producer and writer Jesse Collins was born Jesse Freeman Walker on September 28, 1970 in Washington, D.C. to Cheryl Walker and Jay Sutton. He graduated from J.E.B. Stuart High School in Falls Church, Virginia in 1988, and took courses at Northern Virginia Community College.

In 1990, Collins was hired at WKHI in Ocean City, Maryland and he worked there for three years before joining WPGC in Washington, D.C. in 1993. He then moved to Los Angeles, California and worked as a radio DJ on KKBT 92.3 The Beat and co-hosted Ruthless Radio, a program featuring rapper Eazy-E. In 1997, he was hired at Power 106 LA. That year, he was given the opportunity to television writer on the show on The Parent ‘Hood. In 2000, he co-produced the BET 20th Anniversary Celebration and then went on to produce programs for Black Entertainment Television, including the First through Fourth Annual BET Awards, the 2004 BET Comedy Awards, the BET Awards 2005, the 2005 BET Comedy Awards, the BET Awards 2010 and 2012, the 25 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary Special, and the 2020 BET Awards. Collins also produced the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2022 Soul Train Awards, the 2023 Golden Globe Awards, and the 75th and 76th Emmy Awards.

In 2012, Collins founded Jesse Collins Entertainment where he served as executive producer for The Real Husbands of Hollywood from 2013 to 2016, The New Edition Story in 2017, The Bobby Brown Story in 2018, and American Soul from 2019 to 2020. He also produced comedy specials like I Be Knowing with Amanda Seales in 2019 and Time Machine with Leslie Jones in 2020.

In 2022, Collins produced the Super Bowl Halftime Show starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Eminem. In 2023, he produced the halftime performance featuring Rihanna.

Collins received numerous awards for his work, including the Outstanding Variety Special Emmy Award in 2022 and a NAACP Image Award in 2017.

Collins lives in Burbank, California, and has three sons: James, Jarett, and Jamie Walker.

Jesse Collins was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on March 22, 2023.