Instagram was where it all began before she spread across other platforms. How did the story change once Angelica Nwandu came aboard as co-writer? Watch her perform the poem, Behind Bullet Proof Glass, written about domestic violence and how it occurred between her father and late mother. The hustle is real for 27-year- old founder of “The Shade Room” (TSR). According to Zaid Gayle, Angie was embarrassed about The Shade Room when she started because she didn’t think it was writing to be proud of. Born in 1989, Nwandu suffered a traumatic childhood, due to the death of her mother, who was killed by her father, when she was just six years old. Later, she was placed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30. Nwandu’s childhood was difficult and checkered with tragedy. It was in this Buzzfeed interview that it was revealed that The Shade Room had “4 full-time staff; 20 interns who go to events and keep an ear to the ground in Atlanta, Miami, New York, and Los Angeles; and a fast growing army of readers they call “Roommates”- who also regularly submit news and gossip tips”. Today, Angelica Nwandu had built a community of ardent followers and The Shade Room is fast growing into a media company. Angie’s parents were in a violent relationship. Required fields are marked *. You must be the world’s greatest multitasker. “And so when I would go to class, people would say, ‘Oh, you’re Nigerian,’ so they would expect me to be smart. Like Linda Ikeji, Angelica was faced with a struggle but of a different variety. Angie’s interview with Buzzfeed has positioned her on the centre stage. Igbo women do love telling stories, but sentiment aside, Angelica Nwandu is worth a gazillion Naira. The story of this woman is a peculiar and inspirational one from which everyone can learn. According to Buzzfeed, Angie Nwandu’s parents emigrated from Nigeria to the United States in the late 1980s; they later gave birth to Angie in 1989. So that’s kind of my background. In PEOPLE’s exclusive sneak peek at Nash’s episode of UMC’s new docuseries, Behind Her Faith, the star reflects on the tragedy and how she and her mother overcame it by leaning into their faith. Via Angelica Nwandu Facebook According to Buzzfeed, Angie Nwandu’s parents emigrated from Nigeria to the United States in the late 1980s; they later gave birth to Angie in 1989. Angelica Nwandu’s media company described as Instagram’s TMZ has grown to a community of 15 million followers on Instagram within the last two years. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Understanding what being in the limelight entailed, she was uncomfortable with releasing information about her background. Introducing ... PEOPLE's Products Worth the Hype, Courtney B. Vance and Niecy Nash Bring Family Drama to Life in Netflix’s. Nash’s episode of Behind Her Faith premieres Thursday on UMC, the first streaming service for Black TV and film from AMC Networks. Your email address will not be published. Angelica Nwandu: Yeah. She is of Nigerian decent and entered foster care at early age due to a tragic event in which her mother was killed by her father. On December 22, 2015, Angelica was listed in Techcrunch’s 18 Female Founders Who Killed It In 2015. 22.2m Followers, 1,120 Following, 105.1k Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) Angelica Nwandu: Oh, you're talking about Instagram. Angelica Nwandu: Yeah, definitely. Angelica shared that she desired marriage so strongly, she placed it over her relationship with God. Angelica is a recent graduate from Loyola Marymount University. She is a 2014 June and May Sundance Screenwriter Fellow, as well as a 2014 Time Warner Fellow. and become a mom. #SendingNigerianfanloveacrosstheglobe, Your email address will not be published. Copyright © 2021 Info Digital Africa Limited. Jordana Spiro (co-writer/director) and Angelica Nwandu (co-writer) Angel is released from juvenile hall on her 18th birthday with a single focus: shoot the man who killed her mother. Angelica Nwandu is an alumna of Peace4Kids and the founder of Instagram-based media company The Shade Room. KOUGUELL: Tell me about your writing collaboration with Angelica Nwandu. Angelica Nwandu may look like an overnight success story, but her path to media stardom was not without its difficulty. After receiving a full scholarship, Angie graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2012 and went on to work as an accountant for a motorcycle company which stopped paying her after a while. She said Angelica Nwandu and her team focus on all the negative news on Offset and others close to her, pretend not to see all the good they have been doing. When Angel daydreams about her mother (Nastashia Fuller), the scenes between them are filled with tender regret that is too much for any child to bear. At six, she lost her mother at the hands of her father and entered foster care. Jordan Spiro is a television actress known mainly for a TBS comedy called My Boys to more infamous fair like The Mob Doctor. Angie claimed to have been abused verbally, mentally and sexually. The founder of the Shade Room, Angelica Nwandu and filmmaker and TV writer, Kay Oyegun discuss staying true to their points of view, and the power in being allowed to fail. In a new interview, Niecy Nash recalls how her mother was able to "keep a reasonable portion of her mind, and find joy again" after the shooting. When the actress was 15, she watched as her mother’s boyfriend shot her mom, Margaret Ensley, in the back. Sometimes we would just sit together and watch movies and discuss them. The series premiered last week with Essence Atkins; future episodes will feature Angelica Nwandu, the founder of The Shade Room, and Aisha Hinds. Sadly, Mr. Nwandu murdered his wife and was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison in 2002. Released from juvenile detention, a teen and her 10-year-old sister embark on a quest to avenge the death of their mother. “That is where I really leaned in and could see it, could see the power in that space.”, RELATED: Courtney B. Vance and Niecy Nash Bring Family Drama to Life in Netflix’s Uncorked — Watch Trailer. This traumatic experience never stopped Angelica from pursuing her dreams. From the onset of The Shade Room, Angie did well to avoid using her last name as she was worried what her father would think. With no immediate family left to live with, Angie and her four sisters were incorporated into the Los Angeles foster care system. Sadly, Mr. Nwandu murdered his wife and was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison in 2002. However, it will be based on an original concept by Angelica Nwandu, founder of Instagram-based info hub The Shade Room and a Sundance fellow, ... ‘Mom’ to End With Season 8 at CBS According to Buzzfeed, Angie believes that she was one of the 6% of foster kids to graduate from college because she is Nigerian. By March 2014, Angie was without a job and left with nothing to do, she began posting gossip on celebs with the user name The Shade Room, capturing which celeb followed who, which celeb liked what on Instagram, filling in dotted lines and giving exclusives while top gossip sites like TMZ and others were still speculating. “When I entered foster care I lost practically everything, but at Peace4Kids, I discovered my voice.” He was 17. SPIRO: Angelica and I did a lot of brainstorming at first, including developing what makes our characters tick. UMC/UMC.tv, Credit: “Nigerians are some of the most successful immigrants in America,” she said. This issue, News Editor Ali Swenson sits down with LMU alumna Angelica Nwandu to talk about foster care and her upcoming performance today at 7:15 p.m. in Malone 112. As her rebellious past and empty future confront her at every turn, her plans derail and Angel becomes what she wanted and feared. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Angelica Nwandu is the CEO and founder of The Shade Room (TSR), an Instagram-based media company. Sometimes we would attack a scene together, sometimes we would write solo and then build on each other’s writing. She wasn’t ready to tell her story until December 2015 when Buzzfeed culture writer, Doree Shafrir interviewed her. Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more. Niecy Nash learned the “power of prayer” early on in life. We wager that may be a bit conservative, but the young woman is making cheddar. Born in Los Angeles to Nigerian parents, Angelica faced tragedy as a child, losing her mother at the hands of her father through domestic violence at just six years old. Credit: While Linda had to navigate the treacherous terrain of a Nigerian start up society, Angelica’s struggle was her childhood tragedy. If I got a week off, The Shade Room would probably burn down,” says Angelica, whose publication covers trending stories, politics and … Co-written with Angelica Nwandu, Spiro's directorial debut features breakout performances from Dominique Fishback and Tatum Marilyn Hall. 2. Angelica Nwandu: Yeah, definitely, because Facebook was huge when it came to our website. When the actress was 15, she watched as her mother’s boyfriend shot her mom, Margaret Ensley, in the back. “I don’t take a vacation. Notwithstanding this popularity, its CEO, Angelica “Angie” Nwandu has remained behind-the-scenes. It was here she developed her talent in poetry. Ensley survived the incident, but just eight years later, Nash’s younger brother, Michael, was shot to death at his high school over a love triangle. Angelica Nwandu Board Member Emeritus. Meet Angelica Nwandu: She went from being an Accountant to the founder of “The Shade Room.” Instagram’s 3rd Most Engaged Profile. She didn’t let her upbringing determine her path to success. Angie’s parents were in a violent relationship. It wasn't our biggest community, our biggest community lives on Instagram but it was vital when it came to the figures. Angelica is the owner of one of the fastest growing Black Entertainment Websites, The Shade Room, for which she was named one of Forbes 30 under 30 in Media. At the same time, Nwandu created a … According to the executive director of Peace for Kids, Zaid Gayle, Angie was the best poet the program had ever worked with. Jamarlin Martin: When I mentioned Facebook, I'm really talking about Instagram. The New York Times called The Shade Room "Instagram's TMZ, and In 2016, Forbes named Angelica to its 30 Under 30 list, saying she "revolutionized celebrity gossip". ... (Hall) to avenge her mother’s death. Like Linda Ikeji, Angelica was faced with a struggle but of a different variety. If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: Niecy Nash on Learning the 'Power of Prayer' After Watching Her Mom Get Shot When She Was 15. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. News and CBS to host about 15million roommates (followers) on Instagram. One of the most prominent Instagram gossip accounts is The Shade Room (@theshaderoominc). Cardi B blast ‘The Shade Room’ founder, Angelica Nwandu after she accused them of deliberately targeting her baby-daddy, Offset in what she termed bias blogging. Okay. American singer Azealia Banks has condemned Angelica Nwandu, the Nigerian-American founder of The Shade Room, an Instagram-based media company, for not using her platform to highlight Nigerian issues. After losing her mom to domestic violence, Angelica became an orphan in … Yet somehow found the time to earn your M.F.A. The rising media mogul: Angelica Nwandu. At 13, she was enrolled in a program for foster children called Peace for Kids. Created by Paula Bryant-Ellis, each episode of Behind Her Faith focuses on a leading woman in the entertainment industry as she reflects on how she overcame difficult moments in life to achieve ultimate success. One would believe a girl having experienced such complication at an early age will grow up to become a delinquent but Angie stood out. Well, I’m first generation Nigerian, my parents were from Nigeria and they came here I think in the eighties to pursue the American dream, and it turned into the American nightmare honestly. Angel wants revenge for the murder of her mother and upon her release from juvenile detention, her focus on acquiring a gun is at the forefront of her mind. “I probably would say I learned the power of prayer when my mother was shot,” says Nash, 50. Angelica Nwandu | Equity Leader. Find out what your cat is trying to tell you with a new cat app, Princess Diana died when Harry was just 12 years old, Engineer Creates App To Translate Your Cat, The Sweetest Photos of Princes Harry with Diana, Sean Connery's Cause of Death Revealed Weeks After He Dies at Age 90. Maury Phillips/Getty. The Shade Room, founded by Angie Nwandu, has fundamentally changed how pop culture news is delivered, consumed, and interacted with. Somebody expected something from me.”, #Nigeriansarebrilliant! Spiro and co-writer Angelica Nwandu’s script embraces the darkest of moments and unyieldingly grounds the perspective of the black female gaze in a sense of grit and grace. ... Angelica faced tragedy in her early years, losing her mother at the hands of her father through domestic violence at just six years old. Acclaimed screenwriter Angelica Nwandu discovered her strength as a writer through her experience on the Peace4Kids Poetry Team. “When I saw her laying out in that backyard, shot down like a dog in the street by a man who said he loved her, and what that recovery process was going to have to look like in order for her to be able to come back from that — and then, doubles down, not only are you shot, but now, some years later, your son is shot.”, “Just to try and see how she’s been able to keep a reasonable portion of her mind and find joy again,” she continues. Niecy Nash learned the “power of prayer” early on in life. Some excerpts from her buzzfeed interview ” After her mother’s death, Nwandu and her four sisters went into the foster care system in Los Angeles. You'll get the latest updates on this topic in your browser notifications. According to website valuation software, TSR is worth $23 million. Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now? Angelica Nwandu is the African American woman who disrupted America’s media space, by surpassing big media companies such as E!