Angelica Nwandu is the founder and CEO of The Shade Room, one of the most popular and influential media platforms on Instagram. The Shade Room offers celebrity and trending news, exclusive interviews, videos, and more, predominantly within the African American community. The New York Times called it the “TMZ of Instagram”. But how much is Angelica Nwandu worth, and how did she build her empire from scratch?
From Accounting to Writing
Angelica Nwandu was born in 1989 in Los Angeles, California, to Nigerian parents. She had a tragic childhood, losing her mother to domestic violence at the age of six and spending most of her life in foster care. She developed a love for writing as a way of coping with her trauma and expressing her creativity. She joined Peace4Kids, a program for foster youth, where she participated in poetry events and workshops.
She attended Loyola Marymount University, where she studied accounting, following the advice of her relatives and foster parents who wanted her to have a stable career. However, she was not passionate about accounting and dreamed of becoming a writer. She was inspired by a fellow student who sold his script for millions of dollars and decided to pursue writing as her career.
She quit her job at an accounting firm and applied for various writing programs and fellowships. She became a Sundance fellow and Time Warner HBO fellow in 2014 and was selected for the January 2014 Screenwriters Lab. She co-wrote a film called Night Comes On, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and won the NEXT Innovator award.
The Birth of The Shade Room
While working on her film project, Angelica Nwandu also started The Shade Room in March 2014 as a hobby. She wanted to create a platform that would cater to the interests and culture of the Black community, especially on Instagram, where she felt there was a lack of representation and diversity. She also wanted to provide a space for her followers, whom she calls “roommates”, to interact and share their opinions on various topics.
She began by posting celebrity gossip, memes, and jokes on her Instagram account, using her own voice and humor. She soon gained a loyal fan base, who would send her tips and leads on celebrities and events. She also expanded her content to include politics, social issues, Black excellence, and entertainment news. She hired a team of writers, editors, and social media managers to help her run the platform.
The Shade Room quickly became one of the most popular and influential media platforms on Instagram, attracting millions of followers and views. The platform also caught the attention of celebrities, some of whom would engage with The Shade Room directly or indirectly. The Shade Room has been featured in various media outlets, such as The New York Times, Forbes, Cosmopolitan, and ELLE. The platform has also branched out to other platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and its own website.
Angelica Nwandu Net Worth
According to Forbes, Angelica Nwandu has a net worth of $10 million as of 2023. She makes most of her money from The Shade Room, which generates revenue from advertising, sponsorships, partnerships, and merchandise. She also makes money from her film career, as a writer and producer.
Angelica Nwandu is an example of a successful entrepreneur who turned her passion into a profitable business. She is also a role model for the Black community, especially for young women who aspire to pursue their dreams and create their own opportunities. She is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in. She is the Oprah of our generation, as Refinery29 dubbed her.