Breaking Barriers

Jenna Segal, B.A. ’98, has never shied away from a challenge. From political talk shows in Washington, D.C., to the bright lights of Broadway, her career has been marked by bold moves and daring reinventions. Yet, through it all, one thing has remained constant: her commitment to championing women’s voices.

Segal’s professional journey began at George Washington University, where she discovered her passion for media after attending an event featuring alumna Dana Bash, B.A. ’93, then a CNN newscaster. After graduating from the Elliott School of International Affairs, Segal immersed herself in political talk shows at CNBC and CNN. But when the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal unfolded in 1998, she found herself rethinking her direction, a moment that would ultimately reshape her professional path.

“I quickly realized that news was turning into entertainment,” she recalls. “It became clear to me that if I was going to be in the entertainment industry, I might as well fully embrace it.”

With that, Segal packed her bags and moved to Los Angeles. She joined MTV’s production management development and series department, which allowed her to merge her news experience with her desire for storytelling in a creative environment.

“I was able to use my news background and skills to work on pilots and new series,” she says, helping to create the blueprint for what reality TV would become.

Segal’s path took another turn when she relocated to New York and joined Nickelodeon, where she helped launch its digital channel Nicktoons. Here she was ahead of the curve, recognizing the early seeds of what would eventually become the streaming revolution. But the demands of the job were difficult to reconcile with her growing family life.

“The TV industry and the way it was working wasn’t really conducive to how I wanted to raise my family,” Segal admits.

After a few years as a stay-at-home mom, Segal felt drawn back to the entertainment industry, this time with a focus on theater. She founded her production company, Segal NYC, and embarked on her first major theater project: reimagining the 1958 movie “Gigi”—the story of a young Parisian girl groomed to become a courtesan—into a Broadway play that would resonate with modern audiences.

As the lead producer of the show, Segal was deeply involved in every aspect of the production, from raising funds to sitting in on casting calls.

“Broadway is really about doing everything,” she notes. “In television and film, there are distinct departments, and producers often concentrate on just one facet of the production. However, in theater, being a lead producer involves overseeing every single detail.”

“Gigi” took seven years to come to fruition, debuting  at The Kennedy Center in 2015 before later finding a home on Broadway. However, despite Segal’s immense investment of time, energy and passion, the show did not yield the financial returns she had hoped for.

“I put my blood, sweat and tears into it ... and financially, it just didn’t return the investment,” she shares. The experience taught her a valuable lesson about the nature of responsibility and resilience in a high-stakes industry. “You can’t be responsible forever for something that didn’t work out. Sometimes shows just don’t work out. It’s a risky business.”

The situation also underscored a gender disparity in the world of theater. Segal noticed that while she beat herself up over the financial loss, her male peers, who faced similar setbacks, quickly moved on to their next projects without facing the same level of self-reproach.

This realization led her to a critical decision: If she was going to invest in or produce a show, it needed to serve a greater purpose. For Segal, that purpose was clear—to ensure that more women were represented in the creative teams on Broadway.

“I needed my risky investments to still be accomplishing something if they don’t pan out financially,” she explains.

Segal’s pledge to amplify women’s voices resulted in the creation of the Heidi Thomas Initiative at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, named after the acclaimed writer of the long-running British television series “Call the Midwife.” This initiative was specifically designed to increase the representation of female playwrights and directors in theater, and it has had a significant impact.

“We actually have statistics showing how it changed [Signature Theatre],” Segal explains, noting that the initiative resulted in a 60% increase in the number of shows produced by women.

Her dedication to elevating women in the industry has continued to shape her work, most recently through the Broadway production “Suffs,” a Tony Award-winning musical that powerfully recounts the story of the women’s suffrage movement.

“This is what I do,” Segal says of her decision to serve as a co-producer of the project, which not only features women prominently in its narrative but also behind the scenes.

For her, “Suffs” is not just a play—it’s a reminder of the often overlooked struggles and triumphs of women throughout history.

“The most important thing I want people to take away [from ‘Suffs’] is how much we don’t know about our own history,” she says. “People in this country have struggled so hard to get us to the places that we’re at, so it’s important to keep reminding ourselves of the history of the United States and how it was built so that we don’t repeat the mistakes that have already been fought for and go backwards.”

Segal’s impact extends beyond the performing arts; as a founding investor in Angel City—a women’s soccer team in Los Angeles whose other investors include actress Jennifer Garner and tennis superstar Serena Williams—she has been instrumental in advancing women’s sports and establishing the team as a leader in the field.

“It’s elevated a women’s sport to a new level,” she proudly notes, highlighting Angel City’s status as the highest-valued women’s sports team.

Despite her numerous achievements—Segal’s productions have received 17 Tony nominations and 12 Drama Desk nominations—the multi-hyphenate remains driven by a desire to continually push the limits of what’s possible in the entertainment business. She rejects the notion of “balance” between her various roles, instead focusing on the importance of hard work, resilience and authenticity.

“I put my blood, sweat and tears into it ... and financially, it just didn’t return the investment. You can’t be responsible forever for something that didn’t work out. Sometimes shows just don’t work out. It’s a risky business.”

“If you want to achieve something, you gotta work for it,” she says. Success is not about finding a perfect equilibrium, Segal stresses, but about making strategic choices, setting personal boundaries and staying true to your values.

Looking to the future, Segal is committed to continuing her work in theater, film and beyond, always with an eye toward elevating women’s voices and stories. Her passion for her work remains as strong as ever, fueled by a love for learning and a relentless drive to innovate.

“The minute I start to look at something that I’m not that interested in, I know that it’s time to shift and move to a different avenue,” she says.  

  Photography: Courtsey of Jenna Segal, Ruthie Fierberg