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In 2013, entrepreneur Mo Abudu, passionate about television, launched EbonyLife TV, Africa's first global black entertainment and lifestyle network. Her main aim was to foster a positive narrative about Africa. This led to acclaimed series such as The Governor, depicting Nigeria's first female state governor; Desperate Housewives Africa, adapted from Disney's original; Sons of the Caliphate, a drama about rival powerful families in northern Nigeria; and Castle & Castle, Africa's first premium legal drama, among others.
Seeking to reshape global views of Africa, Abudu ventured into filmmaking with EbonyLife Films in 2014. She executive produced Fifty, directed by Biyi Bandele and produced by Tope Oshin Ogun, starring Nse Ikpe-Etim, Ireti Doyle, Omoni Oboli, and Dakore Akande. Fifty became Nigeria’s highest-grossing drama and top film in 2015, was the sole Nigerian selection at the 59th BFI London Film Festival, and was acquired by Netflix that year.
In 2016, Abudu co-executive produced The Wedding Party, directed by Kemi Adetiba and featuring Adesua Etomi, Banky Wellington, Richard Mofe Damijo, Sola Sobowale, Iretiola Doyle, Alibaba Akporobome, Zainab Balogun, Beverly Naya, Somkele Iyamah, Enyinna Nwigwe, Daniella Down, and Stephen Damien. The film premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival and became the highest-grossing Nigerian box office title ever. Netflix acquired it in 2017.
The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai, co-executive produced by Abudu in 2017 and directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, reunited the original cast and surpassed the first film in domestic and international revenue, becoming Nollywood’s highest-grossing film to date.
Also in 2017, Abudu executive produced The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, directed by Ishaya Bako with a cast including Zainab Balogun, Kenneth Okolie, Deyemi Okanlawon, Joke Silva, Olu Jacobs, Jide Kosoko, Rachel Oniga, Kemi Lala Akindoju, and Ini Dima-Okojie. It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival as the only Nigerian and one of three African films in the Contemporary World Cinema category. The festival recognized it as a "Hidden Gem." Amazon Prime licensed the film for audiences outside Africa in 2018.
In 2018, Abudu executive produced Chief Daddy, directed by Niyi Akinmolayan and featuring a star-studded cast including Richard Mofe Damijo, Ajoke Silva, Dakore Akande, Funke Akindele, Kate Henshaw, Falz, Rachel Oniga, Nkem Owoh, and Patience Ozokwor. Chief Daddy was the official number one Nollywood film of 2018 and the third-highest grossing Nigerian film, later acquired by Netflix in 2019 after a successful cinema run.
Abudu also executive produced Oloture, a feature about a young female journalist who goes undercover to expose human trafficking in Nigeria, encountering a brutal underworld. Directed by Kenneth Gyang, the film stars Sharon Ooja, Omoni Oboli, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Omowunmi Dada, Kemi "Lala" Akindoju, Wofai Fada, Bukola Oladipupo, Pearl Okorie, Ikechukwu Onanaku, David Jones David, Sambasa Nzeribe, and Omawumi Megbele.
In 2018, Sony Pictures Television announced a three-year partnership with EbonyLife TV, including co-producing The Dahomey Warriors, a series about the legendary female warriors who fought French colonialists in 19th-century West Africa.
As CEO of EbonyLife Media, Abudu has made significant strides across the corporate landscape. Forbes named her "Africa's Most Successful Woman," while CNN hailed her as "Africa's Queen of Media who conquered the continent." She leads all five divisions of EbonyLife Media: EbonyLife TV, EbonyLife Films, EbonyLife ON, EbonyLife Studios, and EbonyLife Productions Limited (UK). In summer 2019, EbonyLife Place, a luxury entertainment resort featuring a boutique hotel, gourmet restaurant, and a luxury five-screen multiplex, opened in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Highly regarded for her expertise in African and global creative industries, Abudu has spoken at prestigious institutions such as the Wharton School of Business, Cambridge University Judge Business School, and Harvard University. She has earned numerous international honors, including being listed among Hollywood Reporter's 25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television (2013 and 2017). She received an Honorary Doctorate Degree (Honoris Causa) from Babcock University, Nigeria's premier private university, and in 2018, the University of Westminster awarded her an honorary Doctor of Arts for outstanding services to broadcasting and enterprise in Nigeria. That same year, she was appointed Director of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the International Emmy Awards. She was named on The Powerlist 2018, highlighting the UK's top 100 most influential people of African and Caribbean heritage, and was nominated to the Advisory Group on Technology and Creativity for Nigeria. In April 2019, Abudu was set to receive the Médailles d'Honneur at the Cannes Marche International des Programmes de Television (MIPTV), one of four recipients. She is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
Abudu began her career in the UK as a recruitment consultant in 1987 and later worked for Starform Group and ExxonMobil Nigeria as Head of Human Resources and Training. She left in 2000 to found Vic Lawrence & Associates Limited, a specialist human resources development firm, where she developed an executive training center at the Protea Hotel in Oakwood Park, Lagos.
She attended Ridgeway School, Mid Kent College, and West Kent College, earning an MA in Human Resources Development from the University of Westminster, London. Abudu has two children: Temidayo, a film and TV producer, and Adekoyejo, an emerging art consultant.
