La La Anthony, New York Times best-selling author & businesswoman @forbes

La La Anthony speaks with Forbes on her career, family and more

Read excerpts below

     

You may have seen her on the silver screen in the hilarious rom-com Think Like a Man, and its sequel, Think Like a Man Too, or caught her on TV as Lakeisha Grant in Starz’ hit drama series, Power, but La La Anthony is as much a star off-screen as she is on set.

A powerhouse multi-hyphenate, Anthony has found success in front of the camera as an actress, behind the scenes as a producer with ITV America, in fashion with a fabulous size-inclusive line in collaboration with distinguished retailer, Lord & Taylor, and on the New York Times Bestsellers list as a two-time author. She’s also a committed philanthropist, giving back to inner city youth and supporting the ongoing hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico, where her family is from.

Anthony credits Oprah, one of her inspirations, for charting the path for women like her who want to do it all. “I love people like Oprah who paved the way and broke the stereotype [that you can only succeed at one thing] and allowed people like me to do so many different things and actually be good at them all.”
Wearing so many hats has kept Anthony busy, but she shows no signs of slowing down. She’s no stranger to the hard work it takes to sustain a full and growing career and brand. Anthony started in the entertainment industry as an intern with Atlanta’s Hot 97 while still in high school, and eventually worked her way up to her own show alongside rapper Ludacris. While she enrolled in college, like many of her peers, she opted to drop out of Howard University to continue learning in the classroom of real-world experience.

On whether she encourages other women to take such a bold leap, she explained, “There are some careers where hands-on experience means so much more than the book work of it. I would definitely tell people to follow your passion and path, whatever they may be. There is no rhyme or reason. It is just whatever works for you.“
Anthony’s choice certainly worked in her favour, and she became a well-known host to several of MTV’s biggest shows. But when she set her sights on acting, she found herself feeling hesitant. “A lot of times people want to put you in a box. So, people were like, ‘Oh, she is the girl from MTV. She can’t possibly act as well.’ I had to believe in myself first. I had to have the confidence in myself first to know I can do this before I was able to show and convince anyone else.”


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