Nicole Avant
Nicole Avant: Author, Producer, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist and Public Servant
Ambassador Nicole Avant served as the 13th U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas after being nominated by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by The U.S. Senate, becoming the youngest as well as the first African American woman to hold the position. During her tenure, 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. Through her many successes and key partnerships, Ambassador Avant was able to further cement and celebrate the relationship between The U.S. and The Bahamas, which earned her a nomination for the Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service.
In 2019, Ambassador Avant produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary, “The Black Godfather” for Netflix. Directed by Reginald Hudlin, the film charts the exceptional and unlikely rise of her father 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. 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, their two Labradors, and is the proud stepmother of Tony and Sarah.
“Nicole Avant gives a raw and courageous look into how she found the light in her darkest moment. She reminds us that grief is different for everyone, and we have the power to move through it in our own unique way.” —Cleo Wade, New York Times Bestselling Author
"Magnanimous, inspiring, and relentlessly optimistic." —Kirkus Review
A spirit-lifting memoir on how to turn pain into purpose, how to live always in gratitude, and how to face down tragedy and turn it into love.
Nicole Avant—diplomat, philanthropist, filmmaker—grew up surrounded by some of the most extraordinary artists of our time: Bill Withers, Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Sidney Poitier. Her parents—entertainment mogul, Clarence Avant, and legendary philanthropist, Jacqueline Avant—turned their home into a place of refuge and inspiration for a generation of geniuses. Nicole drew on that magical upbringing to create a stellar career in the music business, become the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas, and produce critically acclaimed award-winning films and documentaries. Then, an unthinkable tragedy struck: her mother was fatally shot in December 2021.
In this searing and inspiring memoir, Nicole turns the pain of her family’s loss into the fuel that pushes her forward into an even more committed life of love and activism: “We can’t banish evil,” she writes. “We have to learn to swim through trauma and live for all of those who can’t.” Turning tragedy into inspiration, Think You’ll Be Happy—her mom’s last words to Nicole—provides a roadmap for anyone working to remain positive and anchored in hope. .
