2 OF THE TOP 40 KENYAN WOMEN UNDER 40: LUPITA NYONG'O & DOROTHY GHETTUBA

BRIEF BIOS OF LUPITA & DOROTHY
I wrote two of the 40 women's bios for the Business Daily pull out of June 20, 2014:
one on our Academy Award winning acress LUPITA NYONGO, 
one on the media film producer/scriptwriter/media mogul DOROTHY GHETTUTA. 

LUPITA NYONG’O: Film and Fashion Queen

By Margaretta Wa Gacheru

Oscar-award winning actress and fashion sensation Lupita Nyong’o, 31, got the break of a lifetime when she got picked out of a thousand young women auditioning for the part of Patsy in Steve McQueen’s powerful film based on the book by Solomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave.

McQueen’s choice of the Mexican-born Kenyan actress to play the role of Patsy transformed Lupita’s life forever; but it’s also changed the stereotypic view held by most Kenyans of the ever-impoverished actor who will always remain a penurious artist, the type no parent would want their child to become.

Today Lupita is not only one of the wealthiest women in Hollywood, raking in millions for her film roles and fashion modeling contracts. She is also the most acclaimed Kenyan actress who has literally taken the Western film and fashion world by storm for her powerful performance in 12 Years a Slave, winning top awards from Hollywood to New York, London and Toyko.

Her latest conquest was getting picked for a major role in one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, the George Lucas blockbuster, Star Wars: Episode VII. The value of the franchise was set in 2012 when the mega-media firm Walt Disney Co. bought Lucasfilm including all rights to Star Wars for US$4.05 billion.

The clearest proof that Lupita’s wealth far exceeds anyone’s expectations is her recent acquisition of the film rights to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ‘s hugely popular award-winning novel, Africanah.

Yet where Lupita is raking in the biggest bucks is not just from her films as from the brand contracts that she’s signed. For instance, recently becoming the brand ambassador for the internationally acclaimed cosmetics firm Lancome is bound to mint her money . So is the comparable title role that she cinched modeling for Miu Miu, the youthful fashion house born from its parent company Prada.

If these are not enough to confirm that Lupita’s fortune runs in the millions , she has had to attend more than 40 awards ceremonies across the US and UK in 2014. And at every one, she has had her pick of designer fashions, most of which pay her $100s of $1,000s just to wear their gowns, shoes, jewellery and make-up.

Indeed, Lupita has become such a hot commodity that she was not only awarded the best dressed actress by the prestigious Vogue magazine. She was also just crowned ‘Most Beautiful Woman in the World’ by the popular American magazine People.    

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DOROTHY GHETTUBA: KENYA MEDIA MOGUL

By Margaretta wa Gacheru

Kalasha-award winning television and film producer Dorothy Ghettube, 35, came back from Canada four years ago with pennies in her pocket.

But today, her Spielworks Media Ltd. has made her millions since she’s not only scripted and produced almost a dozen TV drama series, nine talk shows, and several documentaries, some of which are screened in South Africa, others aired in Nigeria.

Dorothy also holds the film rights to all her productions, making her one of the leading media women not just in Kenya but across Africa.

In 2011 she won a place among the Top 40 under 40 women in film in Africa. The same year she also made it to BD’s Top 40 women under 40 in Kenya.

Admitting she’s a risk taker, as evidenced by her setting up Spielworks while still in Canada (working for a venture capital firm) and when she knew nothing about the media production business, Dorothy firmly believes in following your dreams until they bear fruit.

Hers clearly have as she has not only employed hundreds of Kenyan youth and produced popular TV series like Lies that Bind, Saints, Higher Learning and Sumu la Penzi.

She also got into the media business at the most opportune moment, when the Kenya Government mandated broadcasters to air no less than 40 percent locally-made content.

With her mind filled with compelling story ideas, she initially sought to sell some of them to local stations. But finally she decided to take the advice of American TV filmmaker J.J. Abrams who said, “If you want to make it in life, be in charge.”

Taking charge has been a challenge but today she says the key to running a successful business is keeping your finances in order.

With her documentary films and TV series been watched by audiences all over Africa, Dorothy’s profits run into the millions.

But she is not sitting on her laurels or her money. She continues to come up with the story ideas which she translates into new series to market and distribute not only in the region but all over the world.

Slightly surprised by the speed of her company’s success, Dorothy says her challenge currently is to meet market demands, both locally and internationally where there’s what she calls heightened ‘curiosity’ about Africa.

But it’s a challenge she relishes as she knows, “Nothing’s impossible. Just dream it; then achieve it.”