Mo Abudu is only African on Hollywood Reporter’s ‘most powerful women in international TV’ list

Mo Abudu, the CEO of EbonyLife Media, has been listed among the ‘Most Powerful Women in International Television’ in 2024.

The annual list was recently released by The Hollywood Reporter (THR).

Abudu is the only African on the 2024 list, alongside 30 other influential women from around the world.

THR applauded these women for their grit and perseverance despite the economic downturn’s impact on the industry.

Speaking of the feat via her Instagram page, Abudu expressed gratitude and hope for a future where more African women are celebrated for their contributions to global storytelling.

The filmmaker also emphasized the need to move beyond tokenism and showcase the rich diversity of African stories

“As I mentioned in my interview for this report, the sense of tokenism with global gatekeepers and commissioners needs to end. African stories are as diverse and varied as the continent itself, rich in culture, history, and creativity,” she wrote.

“We must be seen beyond a single narrative. The world deserves to experience the full spectrum of African storytelling, from the joyful and triumphant to the complex and profound.”

 

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Below is the full list of THR’s ‘Most Powerful Women in International Television’:

• Verónica Fernández – Director content originals series and films, Spain & Portugal, Netflix (Spain)
• Laura Fernández Espeso – CEO, The Mediapro Studio (Spain)
• Cécile Frot-Coutaz – CEO, Sky Studios /chief content officer, Sky (U.K.)
• Helen Gregory – Joint Managing Director, See-Saw Films (U.K.)
• Jay Hunt – (Industry Leader) Creative director of worldwide video, Europe, Apple (U.K.)
• Miky Lee – Vice-chair, CJ Group (South Korea)
• Mo Abudu – CEO, EbonyLife Media (Nigeria)
• Marie Leguizamo – Managing director, Banijay Mexico & U.S. Hispanic (Latin America)
• Anna Marsh – CEO, StudioCanal; Deputy CEO, Canal+ Group (France)
• Carolyn McCall – CEO, ITV (U.K.)
• Anne Mensah – VP U.K. content, Netflix (U.K.)
• Charlotte Moore – Chief Content Officer, BBC (U.K.)
• Cathy Payne – CEO, Banijay Rights (U.K.)
• Gabriela Rodríguez – Head of company, Esperanto Filmoj (U.K.)
• Julie Roy – CEO, Telefilm Canada (Canada)
• Emiko Iijima – VP anime production, Crunchyroll (Japan)
• Minyoung Kim – VP content for Asia Pacific (ex-India), Netflix (South Korea/Japan/Taiwan/Southeast Asia/Australia/New Zealand)
• Zeinab Abu Alsamh – GM, MBC Studios (Saudi Arabia)
• Maria Pia Ammirati – Director, Rai Fiction (Italy)
• Javiera Balmaceda – Head of Originals Latin America, Canada and Australia, Amazon Studios (Latin America)
• Rola Bauer – Head of Pan-English scripted SVOD TV, development and series, Amazon (Germany)
• Renata Brandão – CEO, Conspiração Filmes (Brazil)
• Carol Choi – Managing Director Japan, exec VP APAC int’l market/local original productions, Disney (Japan)
• Jane Featherstone – Co-founder/chief creative officer, Sister (U.K.)
• Monika Shergill – VP of content, Netflix India (India)
• Prerna Singh – CEO, Bhansali Productions (India)
• Julia Stuart – Director, Sky Original Film (U.K.)
• Karen Thorne-Stone – President/CEO, Ontario Creates (Canada)
• Jane Tranter – Co-founder/CEO, Bad Wolf (U.K.)
• Jane Turton – CEO, All3Media (U.K.)
• Yang Xiaopei – Founder/CEO, Xixi Pictures (China)

In May, Abudu, Funke Akindele and Jade Osiberu also made the list of the 40 ‘Most Powerful Women In International Film’.