The president of documentary and family programming at HBO, Nevins is one of the most prominent figures in the world of documentary filmmaking.

Nevins grew up on the Lower East Side, went to college at Barnard, and studied directing at the Yale School of Drama. She spent several years after graduation working in the TV/film branch of the United States Information Agency, even appearing as a milkmaid in the agency's series of English-language instructional videos, Adventures in English. More serious production work came along when she teamed up with the documentary producer Alvin Perlmutter to create a series called The Great American Dream Machine for PBS-predecessor National Education Television, hiring doc kings the Maysles brothers to direct pieces of the show. She followed up with stints as a producer at ABC News and the CBS news magazine Who's Who, before finally joining new-kid-on-the-block HBO in 1979 as director of documentary programming. She's been with the channel ever since and has spent more than 30 years developing, acquiring, and producing documentaries for both HBO and sister network Cinemax.

Occasionally referred to as the "dominatrix of docs" or the "de Medici of television," Nevins is one of the most influential figures in the world of documentary filmmaking. She's the one responsible for selecting the docs that appear on the all-powerful cable network, one of most prestigious outlets for nonfiction fare. Over the years she's shepherded a slew of award-winning documentaries to the screen, many of which tackle weighty issues like race, poverty, and gender, including more than a dozen Oscar winners like Born Into Brothels, Chernobyl Heart, and Murder on a Sunday Morning. [Image via Getty]