BY
RON SEYMOUR
Oprah Winfrey - Successful Business Woman
Oprah Winfrey - TV Talk Show Hostess, Actress, Studio Chief, and Producer.
While her on-camera talk show has made her a household name, this 43
year old is quite a Business woman. Several years ago she started HarpoProductions to produce her talk show. Many people think the "Harpo" name
was taken from Harpo Marx. Not true! Oprah spelled backwards is
Harpo.
Once Harpo Productions got off the ground, she paid $20 million to buy
a rundown building in downtown Chicago and converted it to one of the
country's best production facilities, which also houses Oprah's empire
headquarters.
It's interesting to note that Oprah is only the third woman in this
country to own her own studio. Mary Pickford was first in the 20s &
30s, followed by Lucille Ball in the 50s & 60s. Oprah's Harpo
Productions produces films and TV programs, including her own talk show.
Because of her powerful influence, when her contract was up with King
World Productions (America's #1 distributor of TV & film programs),
Oprah was successful in negotiating one of the sweetest deals in TV
history which included healthy stock options in King World itself.
Many TV observers felt this would be the last season for the Oprah
Winfrey show and her retirement from in front of the camera was
imminent, but early in September she made the announcement on her TV
show that she would indeed be around for at least another year. Her
contract with ABC runs through the year 2000, but allows her to cancel
at any time without penalty.
Oprah's income for 1996 was nearly $100 million, speeding her on her
way to becoming America's first black woman Billionaire.
While many celebrities invest their money in ventures outside the
entertainment industry, Winfrey keeps hers within the entertainment
circle.
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/winOpro-1