If Dionne Harmon never found an old script on New Edition’s biopic, the R&B group’s story might still be sitting on a shelf instead of becoming a highly-rated miniseries for BET.

The same can be said for other projects like “The Bobby Brown Story” and the Soul Train-inspired series “American Soul.” She might not be a household name, but she’s known in Hollywood for working on big projects and major events including the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes. Harmon has worked on multiple Super Bowl halftime shows, becoming the first Black woman to produce the show. Next up, she’ll be a producer at the BET Awards on Sunday.

The Emmy winner is one of the few Black women to hold a top position in the entertainment industry. She is president of Jesse Collins Entertainment, one of television’s most requested production companies. Harmon reports directly to CEO Jesse Collins, her fiancé.

“I’ve been grinding to build my toolbox just to be ready for these moments,” said Harmon, a Harvard University graduate.

Harmon’s big break came through the 2017 project “The New Edition Story.” After seeing the success of TLC’s biopic “CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story” in 2013, she realized there were more opportunities to explore.

Harmon found an old script about New Edition’s story written by Abdul Williams that had been sitting around for years and took it to Collins to pitch the idea. The series became a massive hit on the network, but she didn’t receive producer credits.

She did well enough to earn a promotion and more projects. She led the reworked format for “Hip Hop Squares” that evolved into three spin-off shows such as CMT’s “Nashville Squares,” BET’s “Celebrity Squares” and “Hollywood Squares” for CBS with Drew Barrymore. She also played a key role in the critically acclaimed competition show “Rhythm + Flow” on Netflix, which expanded to France, Italy and Brazil.

Harmon became one of the few Black women to co-produce the Oscars. After co-executive producing the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and others, she was promoted to president. She wants to keep building on her success by creating more scripted shows and feature films and someday, produce the Olympics.

Singer Friedman dies: Singer, songwriter, satirist and novelist Kinky Friedman — who led the alt- country band Texas Jewboys, toured with Bob Dylan, sang with Willie Nelson and dabbled in politics with campaigns for Texas governor and other state offices — has died.

Friedman, 79, died Thursday at his family’s Texas ranch, friend Kent Perkins said. Friedman had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for several years.

Sporting sideburns, a thick mustache and cowboy hat, Friedman earned a cult following and reputation as a provocateur across musical and literary genres.

June 29 birthdays: Actor Gary Busey is 80. Singer Don Dokken is 71. Actor Maria Conchita Alonso is 69. Actor Sharon Lawrence is 63. Actor Brian D’Arcy James is 56. Actor Christina Chang is 53. Actor Lance Barber is 51. Singer Nicole Scherzinger is 46. Comedian Colin Jost is 42. Actor Lily Rabe is 42. Actor Camila Mendes is 30.