Whoopi Goldberg is investing in the culture.
Variety reports the EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards) has become an equity investor in Blkfam, a family-focused streaming platform that “entertains, educates and celebrates Black American family-friendly content.”
Larry Adams, founder of the streaming service, pushed forward with the venture after seeing “a ton of R-rated content” from popular streaming services when looking for Black programming for his family.
“Black culture and content is so often stereotyped, siloed or written off, so I wanted to create a platform where my kids and I can be entertained without having to face those same daily biases,” Adams told Variety. “By curating authentic content — proven through data and AI — primarily from Black storytellers, we’ve built a service reflecting true inclusion and diversity, where Black parents and children especially can feel holistically represented.”
In 2023, Adams reached out to Goldberg to gauge her interest in joining the company. She gladly hopped on board as she considered her great-granddaughter.
“I have a 10-year-old great-granddaughter — and there isn’t a lot of content out there created by people who look like her, for her,” Goldberg told Variety. “I feel like we’re not always represented in the best possible way.”
Goldberg now joins Tom Leonardis, president of Goldberg’s Whoop Inc., as an equity investor. What’s more, she will be involved in the creative development of the platform’s exclusive programming projects.
“No one has ever invited me to be part of the ground floor. And this is not even the ground floor, it’s the basement,” she said. “I like the idea of being part of something that will grow. As I get older, I say, ‘Wow, things will outlast me.’ This is one of the things I hope outlasts me — I could be the Black woman Walt Disney!”
Adams, who was previously SVP of digital strategy, product experience and head of design at WarnerMedia, commented, “The magic of working with Whoopi Goldberg is, she has a magic bag of ideas.”
Blkfam is set to launch on Feb. 26 and will be made available on iOS, Android, Amazon Prime Video Channels, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, and smart TVs from Samsung, Vizio and LG.
Content partners include PlayWatch Kids, Candle Media’s ATTN, and the Africa Channel.
“We are extremely excited to be partnering with Blkfam — we feel this is a historic moment for families across the globe,” Jimmy Jenkins, owner of Playwatch, said in a statement, per Variety. “Ultimately this platform will impact our children, and our children’s children.”
