Celebrity and Entertainment P.R. Guru Angelo Ellerbee Tops What’s The 411TV’s list of 25 People to Watch in 2017

Click Photo Below for Visual Presentation of 25 People to Watch in 2017

Brooklyn, NY; January 9, 2016—What’s The 411TV, a Brooklyn-based media company, today, announced its list of 25 People to Watch in 2017; and 46-year veteran of celebrity and entertainment public relations, Angelo Ellerbee, president and CEO of Double XXPosure Media Relations and author of the new book Ask Angelo, tops the list.

A designer by training, Angelo Ellerbee started his business focused on entertainment 46 years ago, and his life is a clear example that relationships matter. Angelo got his start in entertainment publicity working on the film, Native Son, which starred Oprah Winfrey. The Native Son gig came about because of his association with James Mtume, a Grammy Award-winning R&B musician, songwriter, and radio personality, who created the music for the film. Angelo met James Mtume, because Mtume's wife, also a designer, often attended Angelo's shows. From film publicity to recording artist publicity, Angelo’s business took off. He became the “go to” publicity firm for record companies’ Black music divisions, particularly from the 1980s to the early 2000s.

"For the fifth consecutive year, What’s The 411TV has brought great stories to the public," said Ruth J. Morrison, CEO and Executive Producer, What's The 411TV. “I never get tired of listening to the backstories of how people and things evolve. It is incredibly inspiring and moving to listen to Angelo Ellerbee, Vera Moore, and Eustace Greaves, entrepreneurs with businesses that are more than 25-years-old, as well as the millennial entrepreneurs Lisette Ffolkes; Cylla Senii; Brandon Brathwaite; and Asha Boston who are on an entrepreneurial startup journey. Our list also includes founders of nonprofits, the phenomenal Marian Wright Edelman and Carl Clay, each seeking to solve problems within their communities. On the sport side, athletes Carmelo Anthony, Jimmy Butler, Sean Kilpatrick, Brook Lopez, and Jeremy Lin make the list, along with Dr. Riley J. Williams III, an Orthopedic Surgeon, Medical Director and Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon for the Brooklyn Nets (NBA) professional basketball team. And, it warms my heart to watch and listen to DJ Annie Red, an eight-year-old inspirational kid rapper, athlete, painter, and musician.”

As in years past, the eclectic list consists of people interviewed by What's The 411TV reporters primarily as exclusives.

Below is What's The 411TV's list of 25 People to Watch in 2017:

 1. Angelo Ellerbee; CEO, Double XXPosure Media Relations
 2. Marian Wright Edelman; an advocate for the rights of disadvantaged children
 3. Dr. Riley Williams; an Orthopedic Surgeon, Medical Director and Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon for the Brooklyn Nets (NBA)
 4. Carl Clay; writer, producer, filmmaker, visionary, and founder of the Black Spectrum Theatre
 5. LaTanya Richardson Jackson; actress, producer, and philanthropist
 6. Vera Moore; CEO, Vera Moore Cosmetics, owner a 37-year-old cosmetics company created for women with darker skin tones
 7. Carmelo Anthony; Forward, NY Knicks (NBA) professional basketball team
 8. Jimmy Butler; Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Chicago Bulls (NBA) professional basketball team
 9. Sean Kilpatrick; Guard, Brooklyn Nets (NBA) professional basketball team
10. Brook Lopez; Center, Brooklyn Nets (NBA) professional basketball team
11. Jeremy Lin; Guard, Brooklyn Nets (NBA) professional basketball team
12. June Ambrose; celebrity stylist and fashion designer dressing some of the biggest Hollywood stars in the business
13. Paulina Porizkova; a Czechoslovakian model, actress, author, and philanthropist
14. Eustace L. Greaves Jr.; LUTCF, the owner of Greaves Financial Services and The Bridge Insurance Agency
15. Paul D. Jones, financial wiz and author of several money management books including, I Quit Being Broke
16. Asha Boston; journalist and documentarian; widely recognized for the documentaries, The Dinner Table, and A Time Before Kale
17. Cylla Senii and Brandon Brathwaite; the producing team for the web series, Situationships
18. Lisette Ffolkes; millennial entrepreneur and President, Jam+Rico, a jewelry and apparel design firm
19. Blushhh Music; a harmonically blended hip-hop and R&B trio from the man and company that brought us Destiny’s Child
20. Terrell "T-Rex" Simon; singer, and artist management
21. Sean C. Turner and Douglas Wade; actors and principal actors in the Black Spectrum Theatre’s production of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running
22. DJ Annie Red; the seven-year-old dynamo athlete, painter, and musician
23. Roxanne Persaud, New York State Senator representing New York's 19th Senatorial District
24. Mercedes Narcisse; community activist, and former candidate for the New York state Senate
25. Natasha Leath; a Motivational Spiritualist, who has a gift to read people's past, present, and future

A special note:

Congratulations to Courtney Rashon!

Courtney Rashon is a celebrity makeup artist and beauty consultant; owner of Pretty Girl Gang Cosmetics; television host with the award-winning television show, What’s The 411; and now, Courtney is the author of the new book, Giving Face: The Art To Looking Flawless For Every Occasion.

Past Honorees:

Past personalities on What's The 411TV's list previously named 25 Most Interesting People include: Harry Belafonte; documentary photographer Steven Somerstein; the late Maya Angelou; Serena Williams; NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan; authors James Paterson and Ta-Nehisi Coates; breast cancer survivor and founder of Beating Cancer in Heels CEO, Marlena Ortiz; Motown Founder, Berry Gordy; Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov; New York Knicks great and Basketball Hall of Famer Willis Reed; Basketball Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Earvin "Magic" Johnson; NFL player Richard Sherman; former heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson; former WNBC-TV news anchor Sue Simmons; and more.

About What's The 411TV

Based in Brooklyn, New York, What's The 411TV connects sophisticated multi-cultural audiences with its content through its distribution platforms of television, online, and mobile.

What's The 411TV produces two weekly television shows, What's The 411, an award-winning entertainment and lifestyle television show and What's The 411Sports, a sports news and commentary television show. The company covers the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, New York Giants, US OPEN, and other sports events.

What's The 411TV's celebrity portfolio consists of interviews with Magic Johnson, Beyonce, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Hudson, and many, many more.

About Ruth J. Morrison

Ruth J. Morrison is the CEO and Founder of What's The 411 Networks, an integrated media, marketing, and events, company, which produces the award-winning weekly news and information television show, What's The 411; What's The 411Sports, and the soon-to-be, What's The 411Business.

A video streaming pioneer, Ms. Morrison developed and launched from conception the City of New York's multi-channel cable television network and served as a Communications Director and Legislative Advisor to a New York member of the U.S. Congress. She is the first African-American independent television producer to have a weekly television show on WNYC-TV and for three years, she worked in Brasil as an entertainment and television licensing consultant for an American company.

Ms. Morrison earned a master's degree in Interactive Telecommunications from the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and she was a Communications Fellow at the Annenberg Washington Program of Northwestern University. She taught courses in telecommunications at Fordham University and she completed her coursework towards a Ph.D. in Political Science at Columbia University.

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Cosmetics entrepreneur Vera Moore will speak at the Essence Festival; actor Jussie Smollet will return to Empire; Tamar Braxton fired from The Real; actress Blake Lively finds out she's Becky and a whole lot more

What's Poppin' Quick Takes

The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that the iconic pop artist, Prince, may have been dead for hours before he was found unresponsive in an elevator in his Paisley Park home.

Tamar Braxton has been fired from The Real.

The world of media has gained two new Black superstars. Elaine Welteroth has been named Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue; Aaliyah Williams is now the Vice President of Digital Content and Production of MACRO, a company started by African-American talent rep Charles King.

Actress Blake Lively stirred some controversy, when she posted a picture of herself on Instagram, posing at a recent gala in a gold gown with the caption "LA face with an Oakland booty."

Actor Jussie Smollett will return to Empire. Smollet posted on Instagram: "Listen 2 my words, I'll see ya'll season 3.

The television network, ABC, announced that Scandal will return for its sixth season in 2017, due to Kerry Washington's pregnancy.

What's Poppin'

Donald Trump is having difficulty raising money

Campaign contributions from some of the Republican Party's major benefactors may be hard to come by for the party's nominee, Donald Trump. Most notable is Stanley Druckenmiller, a New York-based investor who gave big bucks to John Kasich's campaign. Druckenmiller told Reuters that he won't donate saying, "Not sure why anyone would give money to Mr. Trump since he asserts that he is worth $10 billion."

The continuing saga that has become Bill Cosby's life

Bill Cosby's lawyers are again asking the state supreme court to have his criminal sexual-assault case thrown out. The issue is whether a current prosecutor has to live up to the promise made by a former prosecutor to not charge actor/comedian/philanthropist Bill Cosby for the alleged assault. Apparently Bill Cosby used that promise to provide certain testimony in another case and now his words are being used against him. We'll know shortly whether the case will be thrown out.

In-Studio Interview

Cosmetics entrepreneur Vera Moore will speak at Essence Music Festival

Vera Moore, President and CEO, Vera Moore Cosmetics; will be a panelist on the beauty panel at the upcoming Essence Music Festival in July. As we listen in on an impromptu conversation between Vera Moore and What's The 411TV CEO Ruth J. Morrison, we are pulled into Ms. Moore's journey from integrating the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, NY, in the early 1980s with a kiosk to selling her brand of cosmetics in 53 stores through Walgreens, the largest drug retailing chain in the United States. The Vera Moore Cosmetics brand can be found nationally at Walgreens in New York City, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Puerto Rico among others, as well as internationally in Shanghai independently.

Under the Radar

Black-ish Writer Damilare Sonoiki initiates a new comedy based on African immigrant experience

Black-ish writer, Damilare Sonoiki, is creating a brand new comedy, this one about the African experience. It's called African Booty-Scratcher!" Sonoiki, a Nigerian-American named it that after an insult he heard kids using to refer to African kids. I remember hearing it growing up too. He told the Grio:

"The biggest thing I've learned from 'Black-ish,' like the central premise...is that you're taught to give your kids more than you have but in giving them more, what do they lose? The immigrant story is that exact same situation."

New film, Loving is generating Oscar buzz at Cannes Film Festival

From the Cannes Film Festival comes word that Jeff Nichols' film Loving, generated tremendous Oscar buzz. The film is the real life story of the efforts of Richard Loving, a white man, and Mildred Loving, a black woman, to have their marriage deemed legal. In 1958, the couple was arrested in their bedroom for being married. At the time, Virginia law made interracial marriages illegal. The couple had to take their fight all the way to the Supreme Court which rendered a unanimous decision ruling the couple's arrest unlawful and all state prohibitions against interracial marriage.

Additionally, the hubbub is that actress Ruth Negga's performance as Mildred Loving makes her a favorite for Best Actress Oscar.

Upcoming Events

• Actress Niecy Nash is set to join the cast of the upcoming TNT's dramedy, Claws, a dark-comedy revolving around five diverse nail salon employees and organized crime. Claws is currently in production.

• Filmmaker Carl Franklin has signed on to do a film remake of the 1948 William Faulkner novel Intruder in the Dust. The original film was produced in 1949, and the new film is currently in production.

• If all the Fetty-Waps, Drakes, and Nicki Minaj's of the world have got you feening for some Mase, Puff Daddy, and Lil' Kim, your '90s prayers have been answered because The Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour is coming to a city near you! The Lox, 112, Total, Carl Thomas, Mario Winans, and French Montana will also perform on the tour. Brooklyn already got a taste recently when they performed at the Barclay's Center where our own Onika McClean got crunk! The official tour starts on August 25, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio.

• Comedian Wanda Sykes will join fellow comediennes Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn in a new Fox comedy special, Mother/Daughter. The comedy will air October 21st on FOX television.

In Memoriam

Journalist, Morley Safer, one of the original correspondents of the CBS News Magazine, 60 Minutes, has passed away at age 84. Safer had just retired from CBS a week prior. May he rest in peace.

What's The 411TV's List of 25 Most Interesting People of 2012 was developed from interviews conducted by What's The 411TV correspondents during 2012

BROOKLYN, NY; December 20, 2012 - What's The 411, an entertainment and lifestyle television show, released today its list of 25 Most Interesting People of 2012.

What's The 411's 25 Most Interesting People of 2012 was developed from interviews conducted by What's The 411 reporters from January 1, 2012 through November 30, 2012. The list consists of celebrated personalities to ordinary people doing extraordinary things to the American people rallying for justice in the case of Trayvon Martin. Many people are local to the New York City metro area, while others are global figures.

"Throughout the years, What's The 411 has interviewed so many interesting people," said Ruth J. Morrison, CEO and Founder, Whats The 411 Networks. "This year, we decided to create our list of 25 Most Interesting People. It wasn't easy, but the reporters and producers narrowed What's The 411's Most Interesting People of 2012 to a list of 25. Some are known to almost everyone and some will be names heard for the first time."

"After developing and releasing our list of 25 Most interesting People of 2012, we learned that the Brooklyn Nets fired head coach Avery Johnson. Coach Johnson's firing was shocking and What's The 411 still stands by its decision to include Coach Johnson on its list. In our interview, we saw excitement, conviction, a warrior's attitude, and a commitment to bringing a competitive basketball team to Brooklyn," Ms. Morrison added.

The people making up What's The 411's 25 Most Interesting People of 2012 fall into the categories of entrepreneurs; kids doing great things; sports; fashion and beauty; health; non-profits; media and public relations; and even a former mob wife. The list also includes the winners of What's The 411's Jay Z Concert Ticket Giveaway, a couple so engaging they should have their own reality TV show.

Below is a list of What's The 411's 25 Most Interesting People of 2012 with hotlinks to their respective video interviews:

1. Marlena Ortiz - a 28-year-old breast cancer survivor who created the non-profit Beating Cancer in Heels to help women keep their self-esteem while undergoing cancer treatment
2. Trayvon Martin Vigil in Union Square, New York City - representing Americans standing up against racism
3. Hal Jackson (Posthumously) - legendary radio pioneer who broke many color barriers in radio broadcasting. Hal Jackson died on May 23, 2012 at age 96.
4. Danny Jacobs - a boxer who survived cancer and is now back in the boxing ring with two wins in two months
5. Magic Johnson - because he's Magic
6. David Stern - NBA Commissioner who bucked the prevailing sentiment at the time and developed a salary system which created many young black millionaires, a rising tide floats all boats
7. Sue Simmons - An iconic newswoman; anchor of WNBC-TV News for 32 years
8. Avery Johnson - the goody two-shoes head coach of the Brooklyn Nets; who knew he had so much fight
9. Billie Jean King - an iconic tennis champion and advocate for gender equality
10. Helen Shelton - an African-American woman who rose to executive ranks within a global public relations agency by providing value to her clients
11. Allan Houston - Assistant General Manager, New York Knicks and a former NBA player now leading the way advocating and demonstrating the importance of fathers through hisFather Knows Best initiative
12. Beauty/Fashion Trifecta: Vera Moore, Sofia Davis and Thomas Lavone: - Vera Moore is a beauty entrepreneur of 34 years in the competitive cosmetic business and now making a huge breakthrough with national distribution through Walgreen's; Sofia Davis, Editor, Fashion Avenue News Magazine; and Thomas Lavonne, an award winning New Jersey based fashion designer and entrepreneur with a celebrity following; known for his exceptional talent in Ready To Wear gowns, suits and fine apparel
13. Leslie Allen - a retired professional tennis player and keeper of the legacy of tennis champion Arthur Ashe through the Arthur Ashe Foundation
14. Alia Jones-Harvey - a Broadway theatre producer putting a new spin on classic Broadway theatre productions, thus creating diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity on Broadway
15. Dr. Devra Davis - an environmental health scientist ringing the cell phone environmental alarm bell16. Cheryl Wills - author and 20 years of making a difference in TV news in New York City
17. Constance CR White - a multi-dimensional fashionista running a magazine for Black women (no disrespect to Susan Taylor)
18. Dionne Williams - a fashion entrepreneur providing a professional platform for emerging fashion designers during New York Fashion Week
19. Alfred Edmond Jr. and Windsor Neckwear - creators of the Alfred Edmond Jr. Bow Tie Collection and other men's accessories; helping men everywhere to stand out while fitting in
20. Terrie Williams - CEO and Founder, The Terrie Williams Agency; author; mental health advocate; and mentor; for her honesty about depression and for mentoring young men
21. Leslie Chang, Scholarship Winner of Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health's Health Science Academy and Winners of Arthur Ashe Kids Day Essay and Art Contest - these kids are definitely going places
22. Pamela Quinzi - a fabulously sensational shoe designer with savvy marketing skills
23. Saffiyah Rodgers and Valerie Morrison - owners of My Girlfriend's Closet - making a business out of a childhood passion
24. Kim Benson and Qadir Muhammad - winners of What's The 411's Jay-Z Concert Ticket Contest - a comedic, smart and sassy couple; they should have their own reality TV show
25. Toni Marie Ricci - survived being married to the mob and now an author and mentor to other women

About What's The 411TV

Based in Brooklyn, New York, What's The 411TV is a division of What's The 411 Networks, a media/news and information company connecting sophisticated multi-cultural audiences through its distribution platforms of television, online, mobile, and social media.

What's The 411TV's celebrity portfolio consists of interviews with Magic Johnson, Beyonce, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson and many, many more.

What's The 411 Networks has the largest video celebrity interview portfolio of any Brooklyn-based independent media company.

Watch Video: Sofia Davis, Vera Moore, & Thomas Lavone Team Up for Fashion Week Fall 2012

Sofia Davis, Editor, Fashion Avenue News Magazine, produced a fashion show featuring Thomas Lavone's Designs during New York Fashion Week Fall 2012.

"He's a fantastic designer. He's very strong with very nice and couture light gowns, long flowing pieces," said Ms. Davis. "He does great evening wear and he surprises people because he does men's wear too."

Ms. Davis has a degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) and has worked at the Apollo Theatre for nine years as director of models.
There is no doubt that fashion is in her blood.

"If I could not do fashion, I could not live because it's that serious with me," Ms. Davis stated emphatically.

Ms. Davis covers all of the Fashion Weeks: New York, Paris, Milano, London, etc.

Unlike some fashion publications, Fashion Avenue News Magazine puts emerging and established designers together in its publication. Designers could be working in their kitchen. There is no need to have a store and designers don't have to be famous to grace the pages of Fashion Avenue News Magazine.

Fashion Avenue News Magazine has many supporters, namely Vera Moore, President and CEO, Vera Moore Cosmetics, a 35 year-old family-owned cosmetics company with national distribution through Walgreen's.

Ms. Vera, a sponsor of Fashion Avenue News Magazine's runway fashion show, was on hand doing what she does better than anyone, being supportive of other entrepreneurs' efforts.

Thomas Lavone's runway show took us on a journey of his designs from evening gowns to cocktail dresses to suits and new things inspired by Olivia from Jerseylicious.

Mr. Lavone thanked Vera Moore for giving him an opportunity to do dress the models for a campaign ad she conducted.

"She is giving, she's caring, she is always trying to help young designers and people go up the ladder as she is climbing, and continues to climb" he stated.

"This is the type of leader we need to have in our community because she is always looking out for people who are coming up," Thomas Lavone added.

Watch Video: The Art of Legacy

Redemption, Inc., a nonprofit youth-education and community empowerment organization, celebrated the Art of Legacy at its annual fundraising gala on Thursday, November 10, 2011, at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY.

The theme, the Art of Legacy, honored people who have left a legacy for their children or for others to live by. Kizzy Cox, correspondent for What's The 411 TV, interviewed the honorees: Dr. Una Clarke, former NYC Councilmember, 40th District, Brooklyn, New York; Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, Member of Congress, NY-11th Congressional District; Charles Grannum, D.M.D, Cosmetic Dentist; Colvin Grannum, President and CEO, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Inc.; Jeffrey Grannum,Managing Agent for Flagstaff Clapham Group Real Estate Co. and Retired Director of Labor Relations, NYC Transit; Vera Moore, President and CEO, Vera Moore Cosmetics; and Consuela Helms, National Vice President, Product Development and Training, Vera Moore Cosmetics.

Also featured in the video are: Honorable Major R. Owens, former Member of U.S. Congress and Distinguished Professor, Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York (CUNY); NYC Councilmember Jumaane Williams; and Tiffany Tucker, President and Founder, Redemption, Inc.

Watch Video: Vera Moore, President, and CEO, Vera Moore Cosmetics, as she opens store number 24 at Duane Reade Look Boutique in the Trump Wall Street building

The cosmetics entrepreneur takes us on her journey from integrating Green Acres Mall 32 years ago to the Vera Moore Cosmetics distribution deal with Duane Reade/Walgreen's.