Tracey Edmonds
As one of the most powerful Black female
executives in the entertainment industry, 32-year old Tracey
Edmonds is Hollywood's newest media mogul bringing us one
of the biggest African American box-office hits in recent
years (Soul Food),. With her unique business style and savvy,
she has the power and know how to Blacken Hollywood!
Tracey Edmonds skipped a grade and was admitted
to Stanford University at age 16. There she created her own
major, by combining courses in psychology and human biology.
It was Tracey's intent to become a psychiatrist. She graduated
in 1987 and went into business with her mother, Jacqueline
McQuarn, who had started a real estate agency.
Married to Kenneth "Babyface"
Edmonds, Tracey is not one to be labeled the stereotypical
celebrity spouse. Knowing exactly what she is capable of has
helped her tune out the skeptics who give Babyface the credit
for her success. Tracey does acknowledge that it was her relationship
with Babyface that sparked her interest in the entertainment
business. She met Babyface in 1990 when she and about 300
other women auditioned for the video for Babyface's hit song
"Whip Appeal." On September 5, 1994, Tracey and
Babyface were married in Los Angeles.
A year after the wedding, Tracey decided
it was time to change professions. Watching her husband write
numerous songs and having spent time reading up on the entertainment
industry, Tracey decided to find some talented young writers
and publish their material. Yab Yum Music, her publishing
company was born.
As President and CEO of Edmonds entertainment
Group, Inc. she has become a force in her own right, presiding
over six subsidiary companies that span music, television
and film. She runs a staff of about sixty and commands a budget
of more than $5 million.
Tracey stepped into the film arena in 1996
with a story about an extended family in Chicago, Soul Food.
In October 1997, Edmonds Entertainment released the $6.5 million
movie in association with Twentieth-Century Fox. The small
budget flick went on to gross $43.4 million at the box office
and win five NAACP Image Awards. Plus the soundtrack produced
by Babyface went multi platinum. Tracey has several other
films on her roster that are scheduled to be released, including
Light It Up, a drama starring Usher and Vanessa L. Williams.
Tracey feels no different from most women
who juggle a myriad of roles from sun up to sundown. According
to Tracey, "I think women have this inner strength where
they just keep going. We're able to raise children, be career
women and fulfill our dreams professionally and personally."
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