Amanda Annan

Amanda Annan is a British-American actress, model, writer and entrepreneur known for starring in Rag Tag (2006) and Dolly Unachukwu's The Empire (2005), and producing the documentaries Jambo Jumbo (2010) and Equation of Change (2010) with Richard Branson.

Amanda Annan
Born	1982
Nationality	British-American
Other names	Amanda Van Annan
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
Occupation(s)	Actress, model, entrepreneur and writer
Relatives	Kofi Annan

Early life

Amanda Annan was born in 1982 to a Ghanaian father and a Martinican mother.^[1] She was adopted as a child and raised in London.^[2] Her uncle is former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan.^[3] Amanda Annan attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art when she was 16. Her decision to become a model came as a surprise to her family, many of whom were politicians and diplomats.^[4]

Career

While studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she was scouted for a modelling agency and did her first modelling shoot for a Vidal Sassoon campaign.^[5] She appeared in advertisements for Revlon, Ebel and Woolworths Group. She was featured on the cover of Elle, Vogue and Photo Magazine,^[6] and appeared in publications like Telegraph Magazine and the South African magazine Drum.^[7]

She studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles, and starred in the 2006 drama film Rag Tag and Dolly Unachukwu's The Empire (2005). She also had a role in Natale a Beverly Hills (titled "Christmas in Beverly Hills" in English) (2009).^[8] She later founded the production company Great Light Entertainment.

Amanda Annan was the producer and host of the 2010 documentary Jambo Jumbo (2010), about the Maasai Mara in Kenya. The film was narrated by Richard Branson,^[9] with whom she also produced the documentary Equation of Change (2010).^[10]

She wrote, directed and produced the 2013 television series Celebville360 and was executive producer of the 2014 reality webseries The Diary of a Nigerian Wife through Great Light Entertainment.^[11] In 2020 she appeared in Gregory Hatanaka's Body of Night and appeared in the comedy film Acrylic. Both films were co-directed by Nicole D'Angelo.^[12]

Writing

In 2021, Annan published Win the Runway. LAWeekly described the book as "a guidebook for young models".^[13] Evan Arryoro of Gotham called it a "concise book that talks about the good, the bad and the ugly of the modeling and fashion industry."^[14]

Other work

Amanda co-founded Evolution Extensions with Judi Shekoni.^[15] Annan also founded Elicina Europe and DNA Hair USA.^[16][17] In 2019, she became Senior Vice President of Miko Beauty.^[18]

Annan has hosted the podcast Beauty and the Beat since 2020.^[19]

Personal life

Annan co-founded Etcetera, a non-profit which supports women's education, with a fellow volunteer she met while filming in Kenya with Richard Branson.^[20] She is actively involved with CAMFED, a non-profit organization that promotes the education of girls in Africa.^[21] Annan was an ambassador for One Laptop per Child.^[6] According to Nigerian Tribune, she has also raised funds for the African Film Commission.^[22]

References

1. "Supermodel Amanda Annan's big heart unveiled". 2024-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
2. "GhanaWeb Blog: Amanda Annan, A Real Role Model". GhanaWeb.
3. "Amanda Van Annan tells us nine life lessons she learnt from her uncle Koffi Annan". in.style.yahoo.com. 19 August 2019.
4. "Amanda Van Annan And Her Impact On The Modelling Industry". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
5. "Amanda Van Annan's New Book, Win the Runway, Shares 20 Years of Wisdom as a Successful Model". www.femalefirst.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
6. Debrah, Ameyaw (2009-06-08). "Supermodel/Actress Amanda Annan: Beauty Inside Out". AmeyawDebrah.com. Ameyaw Debrah.
7. Drum. Drum Publications (East Africa). 2008. p. 44.
8. Redazione, La (4 June 2020). "Imprenditrice, attrice e celebrità Amanda Van Annan sul nuovo podcast". L'Indiscreto Il Quotidiano Delle Marche (in Italian).
9. "African supermodel and actress Amanda Annan". Nigerian Voice. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
10. "Amanda Alys Hosts and Produces Two Innovative New Documentaries Narrated by Sir Richard Branson". September 16, 2011.
11. "PANA TV To Launch: The Diary Of A Nigerian Wife-Houston". Modern Ghana. 6 February 2014.
12. "Gregory Hatanaka's BODY OF NIGHT: WATCH NOW ON AMAZON PRIME from CineRidge Entertainment, Sunrayz International Films & Cinema Epoch – BREAKING MOVIE NEWS". SCARED STIFF REVIEWS. 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
13. "Amanda Van Annan Releases a Guide Book for Models Called "Win The Runway"". LA Weekly. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
14. Arryoro, Evan (June 4, 2021). "Amanda Van Annan Reveals The Purpose Of Her New Book "Win The Runway"". www.gothammag.com.
15. Team, Tellychakkar. "Shubir Mukherjee signs Judi Shekoni for an upcoming film". TellyChakkar.
16. "Amanda Van Annan Discusses Serial Entrepreneurship". THE ANA TIMES. 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
17. . Highbeam. December 10, 2004. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
18. "Beauty News – September 2019 Woman This Month Woman This Month". WomanThisMonth. September 5, 2019.
19. "Imprenditrice, attrice e celebrità Amanda Van Annan sul nuovo podcast". it.geosnews.com (in Italian).
20. "MIMI Magazine || Amanda Annan: The Multi-Talented Maven". 2016-04-03. from the original on 2016-04-03.
21. "Who is Amanda?". AfroStyleMag.
22. ""Amanda Van Annan" Is A Top Fashion model, Who Achieves All the Goals of Life Through Various Fashion Styles and Attractive Beauty…". Tribune Online. 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.