The ladies of ‘The Shade Room’ share their journey to journalism entrepreneurship at latest Lunch & Learn

by Taylor Marie Contarino

In 2014, 23-year-old Angelica Nwandu launched an Instagram account titled “The Shade Room.”

Since then, The Shade Room has blossomed into a full-fledged media ecosystem: becoming the third most followed platform on Instagram with its own website and a number of spin-off entertainment news outlets.

The sisters of The Shade Room address a packed room of USC students.

On March 26, Angelica and Judith Nwandu visited the USC Charlotta Bass Lab’s “Lunch and Learn” series to share their knowledge and expertise within the entertainment journalism space. The standing-room-only event attracted students from USC’s Annenberg School, as well as those from the Gould School of Law and Marshall School of Business. 

A dedicated lover of all things entertainment news and gossip, Angelica’s vision for The Shade Room emerged from her own personal passions and desires. Prior to starting The Shade Room, Angelica struggled to pay her rent and to realize these passions after leaving her job to start fresh. “That time was one of my most depressing times. I didn’t feel like I could do anything. I felt useless.” A former fellow of the Sundance Institute’s Director’s Lab, Angelica wound up using her knack for storytelling to curate a unique journalistic space.

Angelica Nwandu answers questions from the audience.

Angelica’s younger sister, Judith Nwandu (BA ‘18), told the audience that she attended USC Annenberg to pursue her passion for entertainment news. In high school, Judith was considering a medical career and even attended a medical camp at UCLA before realizing that her true passion was in journalism.

Judith reflected on the way black stories and perspectives are often considered too niche to be broadly appealing. As a witness to the evolution of The Shade Room, she became inspired by her sister’s actions and wanted to be a disruptor. Now she is a Senior Producer and News Reporter at The Shade Room.

Judith Nwandu answers questions from the audience.

On its first day, The Shade Room instantly earned 300 followers. After its decade of growth, 91 percent of Black adults on Instagram follow The Shade Room. “It’s like holidays at your aunt's house,” explained Angelica, referring to the raucous, familial feeling that the platform emits to its dedicated followers. Followers of The Shade Room are lovingly known as “Roomies” or “Roommates.” Every single DM from them receives a response.

Angelica and Judith truly look to their audience to guide the news that they share as they continue to grow their platform. “When Angelica first started The Shade Room in 2014, she kind of got a lot of backlash. A lot of people doubted her at first. But to hear from Judith about leading the politics desk - that kind of made The Shade Room more of a well rounded news source” said Zoe Trask, a fellow at the Bass Lab. “Super interesting and very enlightening.”

Angelica and Judith take a photo with Dr. Richardson and the Bass fellows.

During Q&A portion, the sisters advised students to move forward based on the work they want to see in the world, placing special emphasis on the benefits of putting ones work on display, regardless of the size of that display. Their story serves as a inspiration for present and future storytellers alike.