| Tracey Edmonds | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tracey Elaine McQuarn Los Angeles, California |
| Alma mater | Stanford University |
Tracey Edmonds (née Tracey Elaine McQuarn born February 18, 1967; Los Angeles, California) is the CEO of Edmonds Entertainment Group Inc and COO of Our Stories Films.
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Edmonds graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Psychobiology in 1987.[1][2]
After graduating from Stanford University, she went into the real estate business with her mother. Edmonds made her formal entry into the entertainment industry in 1993, with the creation of Edmonds Entertainment Group. Edmonds Entertainment went on to make the film Soul Food, which earned five NAACP Image Awards. Additionally, the LaFace soundtrack for the movie, of which Edmonds served as Soundtrack Executive Producer, was a multi-platinum bestseller. Edmonds developed and produced Light It Up for Fox 2000 in 1999.
After that she formed e2 filmworks. Edmonds produced two independent films under this banner: Hav Plenty, which was released by Miramax in 1998 - on which she again served as Soundtrack Executive Producer; and PUNKS, which was released through Urbanworld Films in 2001.
In addition to film, Edmonds executive produced the reality show College Hill, the first African American reality program on BET. The show debuted in January 2004 and set a network record as ‘BET’s highest rated series premiere in the network’s 25-year history’. In addition, the spinoff series College Hill Interns, shot in Chicago in the Summer, debuted October 2007.
Edmonds also produced the series Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown, as well as DMX: Soul of a Man—both airing on BET in 2006 and setting new ratings benchmarks for the network. Also noteworthy was her 2007 TV One production David E. Talbert presents Stage Black, starring David E. Talbert and Blair Underwood. This eight-episode competition show was the recent recipient of a NAMIC nomination for Best Reality Series.
In the scripted arena, Edmonds produced the serialized version of the movie Soul Food, an hour-long dramedy for Showtime, which ran for five seasons and won multiple NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series three years in a row.
Edmonds has won numerous awards, including Turner Broadcasting System’s Tower of Power Award (2000), The Ebony Magazine Outstanding Women In Marketing & Communications Entrepreneur Award (2002), an award from Girls, Inc. Additionally, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Business from Southern University (2004), the National Organization for Women’s Excellence in Media Award (2005), and The Caucus for Television Producers, Writers and Directors Diversity Award (2006).
Edmonds serves on the Board of Governors for the Producers Guild of America (PGA). She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the American Film Institute (AFI), on the Executive Committee for NAACP, and on the Board of Directors for Children Uniting Nations (CUN).
Edmonds met Babyface in 1990 when she auditioned for the music video "Whip Appeal." The two married on September 5, 1992 and they have two sons, Brandon and Dylan. On January 7, 2005, she filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences .
Edmonds exchanged marriage vows with film star Eddie Murphy on January 1, 2008, in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora.[3] On January 16, the couple released a statement saying, "After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forego having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further," and called the Bora Bora wedding a "symbolic union". The two had planned on having a legal ceremony upon their return to the U.S. but did not, and their wedding was never official.[4]