Jenno Topping

Jenno Topping is an American film producer born in Sagaponack, New York, renowned for her work on commercially and critically acclaimed projects including Dr. Dolittle (1998), Charlie's Angels (2000), Hidden Figures (2016), and Ford v Ferrari (2019).^[1][2] Topping began her career in the mid-1990s as a co-producer on The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), followed by key roles in producing films like Can't Hardly Wait (1998) and 28 Days (2000) during her time at production companies such as Tall Trees and HBO Pictures, where she rose to vice president and oversaw Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning projects like Rasputin.^[3][4] In 2003, she established Fresh Paint Productions with a first-look deal at Columbia Pictures, expanding her portfolio to include comedies and family films. Her early background as an award-winning equestrian in Sagaponack, where she grew up as the daughter of Tinka and the late Bud Topping of the Topping Riding Club, reflects a disciplined foundation that informed her transition to Hollywood.^[3][5] Rising through executive ranks, Topping served as President of Film and Television at Chernin Entertainment, where she spearheaded Hidden Figures—earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture—and Ford v Ferrari, another Best Picture nominee that grossed over $225 million worldwide.^[2][5] In 2011, she joined Chernin Entertainment as EVP of Film, rising to President of Film and Television, collaborating closely with founder Peter Chernin on high-profile releases like St. Vincent (2014) and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016).^[6][2] In September 2025, amid a leadership transition, Topping signed a multi-year deal to continue leading alongside newly promoted President David Ready, solidifying her influence in shaping Chernin Entertainment's slate of prestige dramas and blockbusters.^[2] Beyond production, she has supported philanthropy through Dreamyard L.A. since 2000, aiding at-risk youth in Los Angeles.^[3]

Early life and career beginnings

Upbringing in New York

Jenno Topping was born in Sagaponack, New York, in the early 1970s.^[7] She is the daughter of Tinka Topping and the late Bud Topping, who operated the Topping Riding Club in Sagaponack after transitioning from potato farming on their family land.^[5] The Topping family's roots in the area trace back generations, with the riding club serving as a central part of their rural lifestyle in the East Hampton hamlet.^[8] Topping spent her childhood in Sagaponack, a small, agricultural community known for its potato fields and equestrian heritage, which shaped her early years amid the scenic landscapes of Long Island's South Fork.^[5] The rural environment, including family involvement in farming and horse-related activities, provided a grounded upbringing far from urban centers, though limited public details exist about her personal experiences during this period.^[8] As a young girl, Topping was an award-winning equestrian, reflecting the influence of her family's riding club on her formative interests.^[8] In October 2019, she returned to Sagaponack to introduce her film Ford v Ferrari at the Hamptons International Film Festival, highlighting her enduring connection to her hometown and pride in her roots.^[5]

Initial roles in the film industry

Jenno Topping's entry into the film industry began in the early 1990s after her graduation from Wesleyan University, where she initially moved to Los Angeles and took on an assistant role to a music manager and film producer, splitting her time between touring with rock bands and working on movie sets.^[8] This foundational experience provided hands-on exposure to production environments, helping her build practical knowledge of set operations. Following a brief stint as a reporter in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she realized her stronger interest in filmmaking, Topping transitioned back to the industry by joining Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) as an assistant and later script reader under executive Alan Ladd Jr. in the early 1990s.^[8] This move from New York roots to Hollywood fostered essential networking skills, as she collaborated closely with industry veterans, laying groundwork for budgeting basics and production oversight. In 1993, she followed Ladd to his new venture, contributing to The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) at Paramount Pictures, a studio production that marked her first co-producer credit and signified her shift toward more prominent roles.^[8] Her upbringing in Sagaponack, New York, instilled a resilience that aided these early career pivots across independent and studio settings during the decade's film expansion.^[8]

Professional career

Independent and studio productions

Topping's mid-career as a producer began with executive producing roles on high-profile comedies that bridged independent sensibilities with studio backing. For Dr. Dolittle (1998), directed by Betty Thomas, she partnered with Thomas to oversee development, adapting the classic story into a family-friendly vehicle for Eddie Murphy, which emphasized visual effects and humor centered on animal voices. The film grossed $144 million domestically and $294 million worldwide, marking a significant commercial success for 20th Century Fox and establishing Topping's reputation for delivering accessible entertainment.^[9] She followed this with Charlie's Angels (2000), where Columbia Pictures enlisted her and Thomas as executive producers to accelerate production amid script revisions, focusing on action-comedy elements and casting Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as the titular trio. Under director McG, the project highlighted Topping's involvement in talent assembly and script refinement to balance campy appeal with broad marketability, resulting in a $125 million domestic haul and $264 million globally.^[10][11][12] Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Topping diversified her portfolio across genres, producing intimate dramas and comedies that showcased her skill in nurturing character-driven narratives. On 28 Days (2000), a dramedy starring Sandra Bullock as a recovering addict, she executive produced a project that explored addiction and redemption with a mix of humor and pathos. Her work on Surviving Christmas (2004), a holiday comedy with Ben Affleck, emphasized ensemble dynamics in a tale of familial dysfunction. Later, Country Strong (2010) allowed her to delve into musical drama, producing Gwyneth Paltrow's portrayal of a troubled country singer amid themes of fame and personal turmoil. By St. Vincent (2014), a blend of comedy and drama featuring Bill Murray as an unlikely mentor, Topping facilitated a script that highlighted unconventional relationships and earned critical praise for its heartfelt tone. These selections reflect her emphasis on genre versatility, prioritizing stories with emotional depth over formulaic blockbusters. Topping's collaborations underscored her pivotal role in script selection and talent management, often partnering with directors to shape projects from inception. With Betty Thomas on Dr. Dolittle, she co-developed material that aligned with the director's comedic style, fostering a creative environment for innovative effects integration. Her work with McG on Charlie's Angels involved guiding script iterations to enhance action sequences while securing a star-driven cast, demonstrating her ability to manage high-stakes talent negotiations and production oversight. These partnerships highlighted her approach to identifying scripts with strong narrative potential and assembling teams to realize them effectively.^[13][14] In the early 2010s, Topping transitioned to leadership at major studios, joining Chernin Entertainment in 2011 as executive vice president of film before her 2013 promotion to president, where she oversaw productions in affiliation with 20th Century Fox. This shift enabled larger-scale projects, including executive producing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), a sequel that expanded the franchise's sci-fi action with advanced visual effects and grossed over $710 million worldwide. She also produced Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), adapting Ransom Riggs' novel into a fantasy adventure directed by Tim Burton, focusing on themes of protection and otherworldliness for a young adult audience. These studio efforts marked her evolution toward overseeing ambitious, effects-heavy films while maintaining narrative focus.^[15][16]

Leadership roles and collaborations

In 2013, Jenno Topping was promoted to President of Film at Chernin Entertainment, where she reported directly to company founder Peter Chernin and took charge of overseeing all feature film development and production.^[16][15] As part of this leadership transition, Topping helped revamp the film unit by hiring David Ready as Senior Vice President of Production, who had previously worked on projects like Red and Man on a Ledge.^[17] Under her guidance, Chernin Entertainment secured key first-look deals, including a multi-year agreement with Netflix in 2020 to develop and produce feature films, which expanded the company's output in the streaming era. Topping's oversight extended to high-profile projects that emphasized diverse narratives, such as greenlighting Hidden Figures (2016), which highlighted African American women in STEM, and The Greatest Showman (2017), a musical biopic celebrating showmanship and inclusion.^[2] She also spearheaded Ford v Ferrari (2019), an Oscar-nominated drama about automotive innovation, where her role involved managing budgets exceeding $97 million and ensuring practical filming techniques to capture authentic racing sequences.^[2][18] Throughout her tenure, Topping fostered strategic collaborations, notably with Peter Chernin on deal negotiations and creative decisions across multiple productions, as well as with director James Mangold on Ford v Ferrari, where she contributed to script refinements and production logistics alongside Chernin and Mangold as co-producers.^[19][20] These partnerships underscored her influence in blending executive oversight with hands-on creative input, helping Chernin Entertainment release an average of two films annually financed through deals like the longstanding partnership with 20th Century Fox.^[17] More recently, Topping executive produced the Fear Street trilogy (2021) for Netflix, adapting R.L. Stine's horror novels into a three-part slasher event series set across different eras, marking a pivotal shift toward streaming content under Chernin's first-look pact with the platform.^[21] This venture, produced in collaboration with Chernin and Ready, demonstrated her adaptability to digital distribution while maintaining a focus on genre-driven storytelling.^[22] In June 2025, Chernin Entertainment entered into a multi-year first-look feature film deal with Apple TV+, shifting focus from the prior Netflix partnership. Later that year, in September 2025, David Ready was promoted to President of Film, while Topping, as longtime President of Film and Television, signed a new multi-year deal to continue leading the division alongside Ready.^[23][2]

Filmography

Feature films

Jenno Topping's feature film credits, primarily in production roles, are listed chronologically below.^[24]

Television series

As president of television and film at Chernin Entertainment, Jenno Topping has overseen the development and production of multiple series for streaming platforms, marking her expansion into television following a career focused on feature films.^[2] Topping executive produced Truth Be Told (2019–2023) for Apple TV+, a legal drama series created by Nichelle Tramble Spellman, where she handled production oversight alongside Peter Chernin.^[35][36] She also served as executive producer on See (2019–2022), an Apple TV+ sci-fi series developed by Steven Knight and directed by Francis Lawrence, contributing to its multi-season run through Chernin Entertainment.^[37][38] In 2020, Topping took on executive producer duties for P-Valley, a Starz drama series created by Katori Hall, managing its production as part of Chernin Entertainment's output.^[39] Additionally, she executive produced Bombay Begums (2021) for Netflix, an Indian drama series, further demonstrating her involvement in international television projects.^[40] Topping continued her television oversight with Exploding Kittens (2024), an animated comedy series for Netflix based on the card game, executive produced alongside Peter Chernin.^[41] In 2024, she served as executive producer on the Netflix limited series The Madness, a conspiracy thriller starring Colman Domingo, developed by Stephen Belber.^[42] For Apple TV+, Topping executive produced the historical drama mini-series Chief of War (2025), starring Jason Momoa and focusing on Hawaiian history, which premiered on August 1, 2025.^[43]

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

Jenno Topping received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Picture as one of the producers of Hidden Figures (2016), a biographical drama depicting the contributions of African-American women mathematicians at NASA during the Space Race.^[44] The film, directed by Theodore Melfi, highlights the story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, whose calculations were instrumental in NASA's early missions, including John Glenn's orbital flight. Topping shared the nomination with producers Donna Gigliotti, Peter Chernin, Pharrell Williams, and Theodore Melfi at the 89th Academy Awards ceremony held on February 26, 2017. Although Hidden Figures did not win, the nomination underscored Topping's role in producing a film that celebrated underrepresented figures in STEM and earned widespread acclaim for its historical accuracy and inspirational narrative. Topping earned her second Best Picture nomination for Ford v Ferrari (2019), a sports drama chronicling the 1960s rivalry between Ford and Ferrari in international auto racing, particularly their efforts to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.^[45] Directed by James Mangold, the film follows automotive designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles as they develop a revolutionary race car to challenge Ferrari's dominance. Topping was nominated alongside producers Peter Chernin and James Mangold at the 92nd Academy Awards on February 9, 2020.^[45] Like her previous nomination, it did not result in a win, but it highlighted her excellence in overseeing high-stakes biographical projects that blend technical precision with dramatic tension.^[45] These nominations affirm Topping's impact in elevating stories of innovation and perseverance to the forefront of cinematic recognition.^[45]

Other recognitions

In addition to her Academy Award nominations, Jenno Topping received recognition from the Producers Guild of America for her work on Hidden Figures (2016) and Ford v Ferrari (2019). For Hidden Figures, she shared a nomination for the Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures award in 2017, alongside producers Donna Gigliotti, Peter Chernin, Pharrell Williams, and Theodore Melfi.^[46] Similarly, for Ford v Ferrari, Topping earned another nomination in the same category in 2020, shared with Peter Chernin and James Mangold. Topping also won Christopher Awards for Feature Films for her producing work on St. Vincent (2014) and Hidden Figures (2016). The Christopher Awards recognize works that affirm the highest values of the human spirit. For St. Vincent, she shared the 2015 award with producers including Theodore Melfi and Peter Chernin. For Hidden Figures, she shared the 2017 award with the same team as the Oscar nomination.^[47] Topping's contributions to empowering stories, particularly those highlighting underrepresented voices like the African American women mathematicians in Hidden Figures, align with her advocacy for diversity in film. Her role as president of film and television at Chernin Entertainment has positioned her as a key figure in promoting inclusive narratives.^[14] On a personal level, Topping was honored with Wesleyan University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019, recognizing her leadership in the entertainment industry as a 1989 graduate.^[48] She has also been named one of The Hollywood Reporter's 100 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment in 2021, acknowledging her prolific output and influence as a producer.^[49]