Mo Abudu, the CEO of EbonyLife Media, has been named one of the ‘Most Powerful Women in International Television’ in 2024.
The Hollywood Reporter (THR) has released their yearly list.
Abudu is the only African on the 2024 list, which includes 30 other important women from throughout the world.
THR praised these women’s tenacity and endurance in the face of the industry’s economic slump.
Abudu expressed thanks and hope for increased recognition of African women’s contributions to global storytelling on her Instagram feed.
The director stressed the need to go beyond tokenism and showcase the great 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.”
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’.
