Oprah Winfrey:a woman of purpose

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry, and yet maintain a sense of humility and compassion we all should strive to achieve. 

Broadcasting Pioneer: 

Born in a small town in Mississippi in 1954 and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Oprah began her career in broadcasting at age 17 at radio station WVOL. By 19, she was anchoring the news at WTFV-TV, both the the first African-American woman and the youngest person ever to do so. In 1976 she moved to Baltimore, where she co-anchored WJZ-TV's Six O'Clock News. She soon made the switch to doing talk shows, hosting the local People Are Talking. The Oprah Winfrey Show: In 1984, Oprah relocated to Chicago to host AM Chicago. Within just one month, it had surpassed Donahue as the #1 local talk show, and within a year it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. 

A year later, it entered national syndication and became the highest-rated talk show in TV history. It has remained the number one talk show for 18 seasons, has won dozens of Emmys, and is seen by an estimated 30 million viewers a week in the United States and is broadcast internationally in 111 countries. 

Entertainment Entrepreneur: 

Not content to work for somoeone else, in 1988, Oprah founded her own production facility, Harpo Studios (in case you hadn't noticed, that's "Oprah" spelled backwards, not a Marx Brothers reference). Since then, it has grown into Harpo, Inc., which employs around 250 full-time people in television and film production, magazine publishing, and online media. She is also co-founder of Oxygen Media, which operates the Oxygen Network, a cable network for women reaching more than 54 million viewers. 

Movies: 

In 1985 Oprah gave a breakout performance as "Sofia" in Stephen Spielberg's The Color Purple, garnering both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. She has also acted in several made-for-TV movies. In 1990, she founded Harpo Films to work on projects based on contemporary and classic literature, such as 1998's Beloved, based on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and co-starring Oprah and Danny Glover. Harpo has a long-term deal with ABC to produce the "Oprah Winfrey Presents" telefilms. 

O Magazine: 

In 2000, in partnership with Hearst Magazines, Oprah launched O, The Oprah Magazine, a monthly magazine that has become one of today's top women's lifestyle publications. It now has a circulation of more than two million monthly readers (more than Martha Stewart Living or Vogue) and Fortune called it "the most successful startup ever in the industry". In 2004, she launched O at Home, a seasonal home design magazine. 

Internet Innovator: 

With three million users per month generating 45 million page views, Oprah.com is one of the top women's lifestyle websites, covering a variety of topics, as well as providing in-depth resources about the show. It's also the home of Oprah's Book Club, now the largest book club in the world with more than half a million members. It's also the home of Live Your Best Life, an multimedia section featuring Oprah's personal life stories, life lessons, and an interactive workbook. 

Private Life: 

For a very public person, Oprah lives a remarkably private life. That's by design. Harpo employees are barred from talking or writing about her personal or business affairs and those of her company for the rest of their lives. Only once did a former employee, Elizabeth Coady, challenge it in court. Coady lost and Oprah's business and personal life remain remarkably private. Her companion, Stedman Graham, is a prominent management and marketing consultant with two best-selling books to his name. 

Philanthropy: 

In 1987 Oprah created The Oprah Winfrey Foundation "to support the education and empowerment of women, children and families in the United States and around the world." The charity has awarded millions of dollars to organizations throughout the world to improve education and health care. In 1997 she founded Oprah's Angel Network to inspire people to make a difference in the lives of others. So far the group has raised $27 million almost entirely from audience donations. 

The Accidental Businesswoman: 

Although she's a billionaire (the first black woman to achieve it) with a long list of business accomplishments and awards, Oprah told Fortune Magazine, "I don't think of myself as a businesswoman. The only time I think about being a businesswoman is now, while I'm talking to you. There's this part of me that's afraid of what will happen if I believe it all." She's turned down invitations to join the corporate boards of AT&T, Ralph Lauren, and Intel. But by most people's accounts, she's the most powerful woman in the entertainment industry.

Oprah's tremendous appeal comes from the fact that, although certain aspects of her life are very private, as Patricia Sellers put it, "Oprah's life is the essence of her brand, and her willingness to open up about it on daytime TV helped win the enduring trust of her audience." Oprah has maintained strict control of that brand, turning away countless requests for her to lend her name to a wide variety of products. Everything with her name on it is put out by her company under her direct supervision. Even the deals with ABC, Oxygen Network, and Hearst Magazines are basically distribution deals -- she retains full control. She owns 90% of Harpo's stock.

She does, however, have a top-notch behind-the-scenes partner managing the day-to-day running of the business. Jeff Jacobs, an entertainment lawyer who she originally approached to help with her AM Chicago contract, is the president and 10% shareholder of Harpo, Inc. He also acts as her agent and manager for her movie deals. 

In the end, though, it's not all about the money. From her philanthropic efforts to the inspirational and educational nature of her shows to her book club to her Live Your Best Life program, it's clear that Oprah is all about two things: living a great life for yourself and making a difference in the world. She seems to have mastered both.