| Oprah Winfrey |
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Oprah Winfrey has already left an indelible mark on the
face of television. From her humble beginnings in rural Mississippi, Oprah's
legacy has established her as one of the most important figures in popular
culture. Her contributions can be felt beyond the world of television and
into areas such as publishing, music, film, philanthropy, education, health
and fitness as well as social awareness. As supervising producer and host of
The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah entertains, enlightens, and empowers
millions of viewers around the world. Oprah has been honored with the most prestigious awards in broadcasting, including the George Foster Peabody Individual Achievement Award (1996) and the IRTS Gold Medal Award (1996). In 1997, Oprah was named Newsweek's most important person in books and media and TV Guide's "Television Performer of the Year." The following year, Oprah received The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Lifetime Achievement Award. Also in 1998, she was named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th Century by Time magazine. In November 1999, Oprah received one of the publishing industry's top honors, the National Book Foundation's 50th Anniversary Gold Medal, for her influential contribution to reading and books. She has also received seven Emmy Awards® for Outstanding Talk Show Host and nine Emmy Awards® for Outstanding Talk Show. In September 2002, Oprah was honored with the first-ever Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 54th Annual Prime-Time Emmy Awards®. Oprah is the chairman of Harpo, Inc., Harpo Productions, Inc., Harpo Studios, Inc., Harpo Films, Inc., Harpo Print, LLC and Harpo Video, Inc. TALK SHOW HOST Oprah began her broadcasting career at WVOL radio in Nashville while still in high school. At the age of 19, she became the youngest person and the first African-American woman to anchor the news at Nashville's WTVF-TV. She then moved to Baltimore's WJZ-TV to co-anchor the six o'clock news and moved on to become co-host of their local talk show, People Are Talking. In 1984, Oprah moved to Chicago to host WLS-TV's morning talk show, A.M. Chicago, which became the number one talk show just one month after she began. In less than a year, the show expanded to one hour and was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. In 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show entered national syndication and has remained the number one talk show for 16 consecutive seasons**, receiving 35 Emmy Awards®. Oprah produces and hosts The Oprah Winfrey Show through Harpo Productions. It is seen by an estimated 21 million viewers a week in the United States*, broadcast in 109 countries and is the highest-rated talk show in television history. In September 1996, Oprah began Oprah's Book Club, an on-air reading club designed to get the country excited about reading. Each of the books selected for Oprah's Book Club has become an instant bestseller. In September 1997, Oprah launched Oprah's Angel Network, a campaign encouraging people to open their hearts a little wider and help those in need. To date, Oprah's Angel Network has raised over 12 million dollars—5.1 million dollars from viewer donations and an additional 7 million dollars from sponsors and celebrity contributions. It has granted scholarships to 150 young people, funded over 200 homes with Habitat for Humanity, and built 34 schools in 10 countries with Kids Can Free the Children. In April 2000, Oprah's Angel Network established the "Use Your Life Award" and has since awarded it to individuals who, through their charitable organizations, are making a difference in the lives of others. To date, 50 "Use Your Life Awards" have been presented, totaling 4.35 million dollars. The Use Your Life Award helps recipients to expand their programs and do even more for those in need. Oprah can also be seen by visiting Oprah.com. Oprah.com averages 35 million page views and 2 million users per month and receives 10,000 emails each week. Viewers can log on to watch highlights from Oprah's new series for Oxygen, Oprah After The Show. ACTRESS Oprah made her acting debut in 1985 as "Sofia" in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple and received both an Academy Award® nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for her efforts. In 1998, she starred as "Sethe" in the critically acclaimed Beloved, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Toni Morrison. Oprah has been lauded for her performances in the ABC made-for-television movies The Women of Brewster Place, There Are No Children Here and Before Women Had Wings. CREATOR/PRODUCER Through Harpo Films, Oprah has a long-term deal with the ABC Television Network to produce "Oprah Winfrey Presents" telefilms. Projects under the "Oprah Winfrey Presents" banner include: Amy and Isabelle, based on the best-selling novel by Elizabeth Strout and starring Academy AwardŇ-nominee Elisabeth Shue; the award-winning Tuesdays With Morrie, based on the best-selling novel by Mitch Albom and starring Academy Award®-winner Jack Lemmon and Emmy Award®-winner Hank Azaria; David and Lisa, an updated version of a 1962 film, re-written for television by Lloyd Kramer and Theodore Isaac Rubin and starring Academy Award®-winner Sidney Poitier; the mini-series The Wedding, based on Dorothy West's novel and starring Academy Award®-winner Halle Berry; and Before Women Had Wings, adapted from a novel by Connie May Fowler and starring Ellen Barkin, who received an Emmy Award® for her performance. In September 2000, Tuesdays With Morrie received four Emmy Awards®: Outstanding Made for Television Movie, Lead Actor (Jack Lemmon), Supporting Actor (Hank Azaria) and Single-Camera Picture Editing (Carol Littleton). The movie has also received awards from the Screen Actors Guild (Jack Lemmon, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie), Producers Guild of America (Oprah Winfrey and Kate Forte), Directors Guild of America (Mick Jackson) and the Broadcast Film Critic's Association (Best Picture Made for Television). In 1998, Oprah produced and starred in Touchstone Pictures' film Beloved. In 2001, Oprah and Harpo Productions announced the creation of the new, daily, syndicated series, The Dr. Phil Show, featuring life strategist Dr. Phil McGraw, Ph.D., who appeared as a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show from 1998 through 2002. The show, produced by Paramount Domestic Television and distributed in national syndication by King World Productions and globally by CBS Broadcast international, launched September 16, 2002. MAGAZINE FOUNDER AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR In April 2000, Oprah and Hearst Magazines introduced O, The Oprah Magazine, a monthly magazine that serves as a personal-growth guide for the new century. It is credited as being the most successful magazine launch in recent history. O, The Oprah Magazine is another medium through which Oprah connects with her audience and provides possibilities for transforming their lives. In April 2002, Oprah launched the first international edition of O, The Oprah Magazine in South Africa. OXYGEN MEDIA In November 1998, Oprah announced the formation of a company, Oxygen Media LLC, which includes Harpo Group LLC, GBL LLC—controlled by Geraldine Laybourne and CWM LLC—Carsey-Werner-Mandabach. Oxygen Media includes a women's cable network that launched on February 2, 2000 and is integrated with Oxygen.com. Oprah's first production for Oxygen was Oprah Goes Online, a 12-part "course" giving a step-by-step look at all things online. Use Your Life, her second series for Oxygen, highlighted real-life heroes who are using their lives to change the world one person at a time. In September 2002, Oprah debuted another original series exclusively for Oxygen with the launch of Oprah After The Show. The spontaneous, unscripted, daily half-hour show, taped after The Oprah Winfrey Show, airs weeknights during prime time on the Oxygen Network. EDUCATOR In September 1999, Oprah joined Stedman Graham as an adjunct professor at The J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University to co-teach "Dynamics of Leadership." The course curriculum, developed by professors Winfrey and Graham, shared insights into how students can cultivate their own leadership skills and develop an approach to management, leadership and organizational issues suited to their individual circumstances. "Dynamics of Leadership" was offered at Kellogg again in the Fall of 2000. PHILANTHROPIST The Oprah Winfrey Foundation was established to support the inspiration, empowerment and education of women, children and families around the world. Through this private charity, Oprah has awarded hundreds of grants to organizations that carry out this vision. She has contributed millions of dollars towards providing a better education for underserved students who have merit but no means. She serves as the national spokesperson for A Better Chance, an organization that provides academically talented high school students, predominantly from inner city school districts, the opportunity to attend many of the nation's finest college preparatory schools. She created The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program, which gives scholarships to students determined to use their education to give back to their communities, in the United States and abroad. Oprah is making a difference in the lives of children by partnering with the South African Ministry of Education to build public schools for girls, providing them with the opportunity for an education and a chance for a better future. The Oprah Winfrey Foundations continue to expand Oprah's global humanitarian efforts in developing countries. In December 2002, Oprah brought a day of joy to tens of thousands of children with ChristmasKindness South Africa 2002, an initiative that included visits to orphanages and rural schools in South Africa where children received gifts of food, clothing, athletic shoes, school supplies, books and toys. Sixty-three rural schools received libraries and teacher education, which will continue throughout 2003. In addition, Oprah announced a partnership with South Africa's Ministry of Education to build a model leadership school for girls. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls South Africa is scheduled to open in January of 2005. Oprah's commitments extend to her initiation of the National Child Protection Act in 1991; she testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to establish a national database of convicted child abusers and on December 20, 1993, President Clinton signed the national "Oprah Bill" into law.
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