European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 3, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse The improbable career of by Pat colander new York times from talk show Host to Media Mogul Hehe is a typical Story fro the pages of he improbable career Al Oprah Winfrey. It s1934. The 30-year-old Hosl of Chicago morning talk Short is in Nodi Carolina on these of Steven set Ciberaj s dim the color purple trough she has no previous acting experience she has been cast in an important supporting io1e in a lavish production Fol Alice Walker s pulitzer prize wining novel. Beitt a 1,-ikes. Winfrey Reading tie. Women at Brcin saw pm Sec a novel by g Oria Naylor Hal describes the lives of. Beven Black women saving in a slum building in a place thai sounds much Tike Boston or Philadelphia but could be just about any Urban ghetto. Winfrey decides Sha she will try to " secure she lights 1o the properly. Now it 5 aprs19b8 on a Street Lacade. Back lot at Universal studios filming is being completed on a four hour iwo Parl Abc made-1or-tv movie not Only docs. Winfrey Star in the production she is executive co producer of it Harp Oprah spelled backwards productions the company of which she is chief executive officer and major stockholder is in charge of what has become Enterprise i had gone from a situation where 1 was totally intimidated on the Sel of the Catar purple and had no control to a situation where i had All of Winfrey said in an interview Irither office at Harp productions. In Chicago this kind of Lurn Aboul is not a Novelty to Winfrey her Rise irom supporting player to producer reflects her dramatic from television Peis Bonamy to Media Mogul. Tho women of Hreve Sojor place is but the first of a number of full scale Tea lure film productions Harp has planned Winfrey and Harp have acc qupied the1 rights to Tom Monson s beloved a Pusl civil was novel afoul a Young Black woman haunted by Lavry and to Kaffir boy of Mark. Malha Bano. A Slack Man grew up amid the poverty and degradation of apartheid South Alrica Harp producing three Lour Long Pumo time specials each year for the no a five years they is to made available to stations that carry Williey s talk show. The first. To one Dies alone which was. Broadcast ". The United Stales last Yea was a docudrama based on a poll sunday Magazine article about a family Shalit Jred when one of its members is murdered in addition to being of Cuativo producer Wilse ice Verj As Host of the special details of the upcoming specials have yet in be firmed up. In fact most Harp projects a e stalled Ai it to morn or 01 Winfrey s 40 employees he majority Are women in their 305 13 work for Rito Oprah wintry saw of and 21 work at Hampo productions most of them in Public Fel Lions at present the film it Duclion and Prin mime specials area has iwo Lull time employees the Small company will not be going ahead any Fca Luio we making until the renovation of an fool dim and television pm Duclion tac Iliin thai will be Harp s Stilios is completed Early next year Harp studios which will Iii an entire Square Block ust Weslo downtown Chicago will be Iho largest film and Telo Sion production House it me Middle Wesl it will also to the Perm anon biome of the Oprah Winfrey Siow which Wintrey was Able to gain ownership of Horn Cap cities Abc last november along with several movie and television production studios and Harp s Corporal e officer Winfrey whose net Worth is estimated at upwards of a million signs every Check and makes Allma a decisions about Harp projects both the size of Harp s business and Winfrey s approach to it were Relle cled in a Commil Tco Sel up pvt years ago by Jeffrey Jacobs Winfrey s attorney As Well As chief operating of Liberal Harp company. The. Commil ice. Which periodic inv element recommendations consists of. Iwo advisers from Goldman Sachs. Iwo irom the Trust department of Ifie Harris Bank one from the Bond department a 1he Exchange National Bank and an accountant who is a tax partner at Price waterhouse. 1 if you in no Laking responsibility lot. What you be earned you Ould lose it. Winfrey said adding with a would be easier to just go she finds the Power her talk show is seen by approximately 10 million people each weekday -7 and the Money humbling she said and the More successful she is the stronger she Leils. About her commitment to important work. You can never lose sight of Iho she said Winfrey sees her Mission As. Education and her medium As Iho Black. Experience i really want to bring Perpie themselves she said in a society i hat is so Media controlled. Doing Good film is one of the Best ways to raise consciousness. You present the Story and then you Tel people choose to change the Way things Are or nol i want to Mako a difference. I won that on my Tombstone Winfrey viewed the making of the women of Bressler place As a learning exp Nence or Hei and Lor Harp. There had l been this kind of an Assembly of Black actors Lor any to. Production since Woods the cast of the Ivy Man of brows Lor place includes Cicely. Tyson Olivia col Fot Airi Gunn Jackee Paula Kelly Lonetto Mckee Bambara Montgomery Phyllis. Yvonne Stickney Douglas Turner Ward. Lynn Whitfield and Paul we yield Winfrey was Dulc ruined to not abuse her authority something she is easy to do she was the first one on the set every morning you can work 18 hours a Day and still be Tea san she said. I made sure know everybody s name so Shore was no one thinking i wan miss win Foy s Mission May be Cleat but How she goes about achieving her goals in Lulu re end avos May by Surj oct to change for instance she has said she is interested in the Lead role in Bol wed however she has also said it she tested an actress who was boiler for the part her duly As executive producer would be to Casl the belter performer ironically it was Winfrey s movie work thai provided die impetus As Well As the Means for her to take control of he talk show i wanted an extra weak o1f," she said jokingly As a simple explanation of whal prompted her takeover of the program though Sha had a contract with Abc that she considered perfectly she needed some balance in her life she said. Monday april 3. 1989 the stars and stripes Paga 17
