The tech race for the top streaming platform just got interesting, thanks to our billionaire bestie Oprah's newest partnership with Apple. The $1 billion agreement will be the biggest in the tech company's history and will up the ante in the competition between platforms like HBO, Amazon, and Netflix who said that they would commit a total of $8 billion dollars to programming this year.
In May, Netflix announced their multi-year deal with Barack and Michelle Obama, proving that streaming is the wave of the future and everyone wants a piece of the action, even industry heavy-hitters like Shonda Rhimes and Steven Spielberg.
Apple said in a statement:
"Together, Winfrey and Apple will create original programs that embrace her incomparable ability to connect with audiences around the world."
Oprah's become one of the most prominent and visible businesswomen of our generation, and she acquired this title through a whole lot of hardwork and black girl magic. Here are four things we can learn from Oprah about business:
Build Your Resume So That One Day You Won't Need One
I can bet you $20 that Oprah didn't have to apply for this partnership. Apple, like the rest of the free world, was aware of her accolades and credentials before she even took a seat at the negotiation table. She didn't need a resume. Sometimes it's best to make moves in silence, but it's also important that your hustle is visible to people that matter.
Never Accept Less Than You Deserve
According to Google, Oprah's net worth is $3 billion dollars. Her recent partnership was equal to a third of her current net worth and is one of the biggest deals ever made by Apple. As black women, we are constantly devalued, especially in professional spaces. Oprah is proof that tenacity and some serious black girl sorcery will make even the biggest companies cut the check.
Balance Multiple Hustles
As a part of her agreement with Apple, she will remain Chief Executive of her own network. Under Oprah's current contract with OWN, she is only able to make limited appearances on other networks. Our girl O finessed the situation so that the few appearances she does make are wildly lucrative. Your 9-5 doesn't have to eliminate your opportunity to pursue other hustles. Oprah has a magazine, television network, book club, and has invested in a number of industries. She didn't become a millionaire by being a one-trick pony, and now she's a billion dollar stallion. Take notes.
Leverage Your Brand
Oprah has become wildly successful by building a business around being herself. The difference between Oprah and other women with the same career path is Oprah's ability to see herself as a product and do business accordingly. Your brand is more than a logo and a website, but your ability to connect with your target audience and fulfill a specific need. According to Apple, her ability to uncomparably connect with audiences around the world made her an ideal brand to partner with. What value does your brand add to the world?
Oprah had no immediate comment, and no details on the partnership have been released as of late, but we know that O will bring the heat and has definitely made me reconsider renewing my iTunes subscription in the future.
Featured image by Giphy
- Oprah Winfrey, Apple Sign Multi-Year Content Partnership – Variety ›
- Apple, Oprah commit to multi-year content partnership deal - CNET ›
- Apple signs up Oprah Winfrey in $1bn programming push ... ›
- Oprah Winfrey signs mega-deal with Apple for original programming ›
- Apple snags Oprah Winfrey in original content deal | Ars Technica ›
- Apple and Oprah are teaming up to make videos - The Verge ›
- Oprah Winfrey Inks Content Deal With Apple | Hollywood Reporter ›
- Apple Lands Oprah Winfrey for Video Service - WSJ ›
- Oprah signs with Apple as new Hollywood content wars heat up ›
- Apple announces multi-year partnership with Oprah Winfrey - Apple ›
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To help you better understand why this was such a mental awakening for me, I first need to give a bit of my backstory. I’m in my late thirties. I’m an attorneyand a journalist. I own a home and have traveled the world extensively. Essentially, I’ve done everything in life I set out to do. However, when it comes to dating, I struggle. Not because there is anything wrong with me per se, but because my career and “lifestyle” often create problems in my romantic relationships.
View from my hotel room
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I’ve been told everything from, ‘I can’t continue to date you because you seem to choose your career over wanting to settle down and have kids’ by a man after only the second date to ‘Maybe if you just sat down somewhere for a while, I’d actually wife you’ by someone who has honestly never proven themselves to be the settle down type. And these are only a handful of the things I’ve been told over the years.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least, and there have even been seasons where I purposely dimmed my light in hopes that my career wouldn’t push away potential suitors. I know what you’re thinking, “Girl, why would you even consider that? If they’re for you, it won’t matter what you do.” Hey, don’t judge me, but also, I one hundred percent agree.
My hotel bathroom
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That’s why this recent moment in Switzerland was right on time. When I first walked into the hotel to check in, I was blown away by the surrounding beauty. It was a five-star property with one of the world’s most famous thermal bathhouses. Yet, it was something about seeing that 90% of the hotel’s guests were couples, that forced me to sit back for a bit of introspection—while soaking in the thermal spa, of course.
As I went through the mental conversation, there was a battle of sorts. On one hand, I knew that being able to partake in experiences like the one I was having at that moment was important to me. I knew that, at times I actually love being able to dabble in the finer things—after all, I’ve worked hard to be able to afford them. On the other hand, and sadly, I knew that sometimes being a single Black woman that publicly showcases her “luxurious” habits can intimidate men and even scare them off from pursuing you under the guise of them feeling like they “can’t do anything for you, because you have everything.”
My hotel room
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So, what is a girl to do?
Do I minimize/hide the life and experiences that I have? Do I play down the hard work I’ve put in to get where I am professionally? Or, do I risk being single in exchange for being able to have said life, without backlash?
Luckily, the joy that I felt while being at this property won. There was something about taking a full day to simply pamper myself at the bathhouse and in my in-room steam shower and soaker tub, indulging in cuisine from a 2-star Michelin restaurant and doing all of this while surrounded by an amazing group of Black women that reminded me—this is certainly the life I was meant to live and that I deserve. Even if it means that right now, I’ll just have to provide it for myself until the right partner comes along. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
Restaurant at 7132 hotel
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