Todd Patrick Whiting, a longtime NBCUniversal executive, died Jan. 4 of complications from pneumonia and COVID-19. He was 45.
Whiting was a New York-based distribution and acquisitions executive who helped negotiate some of the key content licensing deals that provided the foundation for NBCUniversal’s Peacock streamer, including blockbuster deals for rights to “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” He began his career at NBC in 2004 and quickly moved up the ranks.
From 2006 to 2020, he served as senior VP of NBCUniversal Television, Film and Digital Distribution. He also served as senior VP of Peacock from 2019 until last year. Whiting hung out his own shingle as a content licensing consultant in March 2021.
Whiting grew up in La Canada Flintridge, just north of Pasadena, Calif. He graduated from La Canada High School and attended Pepperdine University, graduating with a degree in public relations. He earned an MBA from the University of Virginia in 2004, according to a report by the La Canada Outlook Valley Sun.
Whiting’s sudden passing was a blow to his longtime industry colleagues A Go Fund Me campaign has been organized to assist Whiting’s husband of six years, Brandon Penn, and 18-month-old daughter, Charlie, with a scholarship fund.
“To know Todd is to know the family man that he was. Todd was a loving son and brother, a loyal and thoughtful friend, and a kind and supportive colleague. He gave of himself generously, wrapping his friends in love and support. Our lives were brighter in his presence,” Whiting’s supporters wrote on the Go Fund Me page.
Whiting’s survivors also include his mother and father, a brother and a sister. A memorial service is being planned for New York on Jan. 20, and another event will be held in the spring in La Canada Flintridge.
