She may not be on the Fortune 500 list — yet, but Angie Nwandu, in her early 30s, is nonetheless and without question on the superhighway to the upper reaches of the digital tycoon heap. She was called “the Oprah of our generation” by Refinery 29, and her superbly named and rapidly expanding Instagram-based media company, The Shade Room, was described in no less than The New York Times as “Instagram’s TMZ.” (For old-time celebrity tea hounds, TSR might also aptly be considered the Perez Hilton of mobile apps.)
The Shade Room whirred into existence on a shoestring budget almost seven years ago, focused primarily on serving up celebrity gossip and, as it grew, homespun commentary on pop culture and politics, primarily within the Black community. The once semi-secret guilty pleasure that is steeped in hot takes and barbed banter has since grown into a bona fide powerhouse with 22.6 million Instagram followers — or “roommates” in TSR parlance — and, according to their 2020 media kit, about four billion impressions per month. That’s right, kiddos, billion! The tea-tossing company’s Twitter and YouTube accounts don’t have nearly as many followers as their Insta account, but The Shade Room Teens, launched in 2019, already has an impressive and growing Instagram follower count of 3.1 million.
No wonder, then, the burgeoning company’s founder has parlayed her preternaturally prescient social media savvy into a substantial upgrade to her residential circumstances in L.A. with the slightly more than $3.4 million purchase of a contemporary villa along a pretty, tree-lined street in the proto-suburban San Fernando Valley community of Sherman Oaks.
-
Image Credit: Redfin Built from the ground up in 2017 on a flat, midblock parcel of not quite one-fifth of an acre, the bulky two-story home is softened behind a low wall and a high hedge that conceal a serene courtyard entry. Unexpectedly nipped behind the street-facing two-car garage, and alongside the front door, is a second courtyard that brings light, air and entirely private outdoor lounge space to the rooms at the center of the almost 5,000-square-foot home.
The listing for the five-bedoom and six-bath spread was held by Dennis Chernov of The Chernov Team at Keller Williams Studio City. Nwandu was represented in the deal by Steven Ejiofor, also of The Chernov Team at Keller Williams Studio City.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin Open-plan and flexible-use living spaces that flow easily into one another feature art-showcasing white walls, high-ceilings and blond wide-plank wood floors. A formal lounge looks out on to the entry courtyard, while a family room with double-sided fireplace is seamlessly united with the backyard thanks to an L-shaped bank of full-height glass panels that vanish into the walls.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin In the kitchen, described in marketing material as “Italian moda”, there are hardware free dark-wood cabinets with handy-dandy push-to-open functionality and a snazzy array of designer appliances. An informal dining area is in addition to the kitchen’s island snack bar.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin Just inside the front door, and opposite a formal dining space with a bespoke built-in buffet and full-height glass doors that peel open to the interior courtyard, the open-tread steel and wood floating staircase climbs up through a light-filled space to the second-floor family quarters.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin There’s a guest suite on the main floor, along with a bonus room, while three family bedrooms, each with a stylish private bath, sit in convenient proximity to a cozy second-floor lounge that does double duty as a study/home office with built-in desk space.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin An unadorned linear fireplace is easily overlooked in the main bedroom where a huge panes of glass slip into the walls to integrate the spacious room with a private, stone-paved terrace that hovers above the backyard.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin The main bedroom is further enhanced with a lavishly fitted walk-in closet, a separate dressing area with built-in vanity, and a luxuriously large and sleek bathroom that pampers the homeowner with a freestanding soaking tub and an oversized steam shower encased in grey tiles and clear glass.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin Incredibly tall hedging creates verdant seclusion in the backyard. A small deck for sunbathing, a built-in grilling area for alfresco dining and a skinny strip of grass surround a dark-bottom swimming pool and spa.
-
Image Credit: Redfin As TSR has grown and brought in increasing profits, Nwandu has upped her real estate game. In 2018 she plunked down about $1.18 million for a just-over-1,800-square-foot three-bedroom and four-bath townhouse-style condo in the heart of Hollywood that she sold at a loss earlier this year for $1.065 million, and in 2019 she ponied up nearly $1.9 million for what was than a brand-spanking-new architectural home of almost 2,500 square feet in the perennially fashionable Silver Lake neighborhood.