(Source: Rich Polk/Getty Images North America)
*Actress and producer Nicole Avant may be married to the chief content officer of Netflix, but even she had to “pitch and pitch” her acclaimed “Black Godfather” documentary about her father, Clarence Avant, to the streaming service before her hubby gave it the green light.
Avant was part of a panel at Stephanie and Floyd Rance’s 17th annual Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival and shared with the audience that “at first [her husband Ted Sarandos] wasn’t feeling it for Netflix, but when she told him she had two presidents confirmed to appear in the doc, that’s when he said it’s a go.”
via Page Six:
Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are both in the film, which tells the story of Avant’s music executive father, Clarence Avant. Diddy, Irving Azoff, Clive Davis, Jamie Foxx, Lionel Richie and Motown legend Suzanne de Passe are also featured in the film. De Passe received a standing ovation after the screening. David Letterman sat behind her and Sarandos. “After the lights came on, fans noticed him and he had to take at least 100 selfies,” said a spy.
“His wife was trying her best to move him along, but he was into it and didn’t say no.”
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Nicole Avant—actress, music executive, U.S. ambassador, and half of a Hollywood power couple—turned her home into a trove of her career totems and prized possessions https://t.co/k05HxOEqTJ
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) May 17, 2019
In related news, Avant, a former United States Ambassador to the Bahamas (2009–2011), is also a key supporter of Mayor Pete Buttigieg as he continues to surge in the 2020 fundraising battle, per CNBC.
“She’s a key supporter who is bundling for us, and hosting an event for us this month,” a campaign spokesman told CNBC. The spokesman said tickets for the Avant gathering will go for up to $2,800.
Avant reportedly helped raise $800,000 for Obama before becoming the ambassador to the Bahamas, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
During the 2008 election cycle, her father backed Obama’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
“The Black Godfather” shows the influence Clarence Avant has had both in the music industry and also in politics.
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