Media mogul, Mo Abudu, has become the first African to chair the International Emmy Awards Gala.
Abudu performed the role at the recently concluded 47th International Emmy Awards in New York City. In June, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences appointed her chair of the gala.
This followed her appointment as the first African director of the Academy in December 2018. Sharing the history-making moments on Instagram on Wednesday, Abudu said:
“Chairing the International Emmys Gala was such an incredible opportunity for me personally, for EBONYLIFE and for Nigerian TV Producers. Now we have our foot in the door which will gradually open wider. Let’s get going with our global stories.”
Speaking at the gala, she said:
“These partnerships are the first of their kind between Hollywood studios and a Nigerian television company.
“We are happy to be at the forefront of forging these new partnerships because it is truly about sharing our local stories with a global audience – stories that are historical, authentic and progressive.”
Watch below:
Abudu hosted and produced Moments with Mo, the first pan-African talk show, before she went on to found EbonyLife TV in 2012, which has grown into a media group.
In October 2018, she was included in The Powerlist’s top 100 most influential people of African and Caribbean heritage in the UK, alongside Meghan Markle, Anthony Joshua and Lewis Hamilton.
In April, Abudu became the first African to be honoured with the MIPTV Médailles d’Honneur in France.