GIRLS WRITE NOW HONOREE

Nicole Avant
Producer, Author & Activist

“We find ourselves through the shared experience of telling our stories. Having a safe place where the next generation of writers and creators can tell theirs means they have the agency to change the world. Because of Girls Write Now, these stories will create a domino effect for positive change, challenge the status quo, and harness the power of a community.” —Nicole Avant

Girls Write Now Honoree Nicole Avant served as the 13^th U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas after being nominated by President Barack Obama, becoming the youngest as well as the first African American woman to hold the position. In 2019, Ambassador Avant produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary, “The Black Godfather” for Netflix. Currently, she is a producer on Tyler Perry’s next film Six-Triple-Eight, the true story of the first all-black female battalion to serve in Europe during WWII. She is the author of Think You’ll Be Happy: Moving Through Grief With Grit, Grace, and Gratitude, which comes out on October 17 from HarperCollins and is available for pre-order here.

More About Nicole Avant

“The Black Godfather,” Directed by Reginald Hudlin, charts the exceptional and unlikely rise of Nicole’s father, the late Clarence Avant, the ultimate, uncensored mentor and behind-the-scenes dealmaker in music, film, TV, and politics. Ambassador Avant pursued the project after collecting stories about her father’s influence from dozens of the world’s most high profile entertainers, athletes and politicians including Bill Withers, Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, and Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, to name a few. The film was nominated for the prestigious Grierson Documentary Award, an Emmy Award, two NAACP Image Awards and was named one of the Top 5 Documentaries of 2019 by the National Board of Review. In 2021, Avant executive produced another critically acclaimed and award-winning film, “Trees of Peace” which garnered over 9.3 million hours of viewer time in the first few days of its release.
Currently, she is a producer on Tyler Perry’s next film Six-Triple-Eight, the true story of the first all-black female battalion to serve in Europe during WWII. 

Throughout her career, Ambassador Avant has also pursued an array of businesses focused on female and minority owned enterprises as well as philanthropic ventures that honor her mother, Jacqueline Avant’s legacy. She recently commemorated the unveiling of the Jacqueline Avant Children and Family Center, formerly the MLK Child and Family Center, for her mother’s lifelong commitment to the community.  Ambassador Avant has been an active board member for multinational companies and philanthropic organizations, including Best Buddies International, The Bogart Pediatric Research Center, Revlon, LACMA, Soho House, Universal Music Group, and A Sense of Home. She has also served as an Academic Counselor at the Neighborhood Academic Initiative – a daily mentorship program for high school students sponsored by the University of Southern California. 

Ambassador Avant has been recognized with several prestigious awards for her diplomatic and humanitarian work. During her tenure as Ambassador, Avant pursued five key initiatives: Economic & Small Business Development, Education, Women’s Empowerment, Alternative Energy, and raising awareness about the challenges facing people with disabilities. She was recognized at the 20th Annual Trumpet Awards for her dedication to Public Diplomacy and was also given the Humanitarian Award by BESLA in October 2011. A former board member of Girls Inc., she was honored with their Women of Achievement award in 2014 and recently was awarded the Spirit of Compassion Award by UNICEF in 2018.

Ambassador Avant lives in Los Angeles with her husband Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix, Labradors, and is the proud stepmother of Tony and Sarah.