Podcast With ‘The Talk’ Co-Host Sheryl Underwood

Sheryl Underwood Podcast from Michael Roberts on Vimeo.

Sheryl Underwood is a multi-faceted entrepreneur, currently balancing the roles of in-demand Entertainer, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Pack Rat Productions and International President of her beloved Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.  Ms. Underwood will be performing at the Up Comedy Club on August 24 & 25, 2012.  For tickets and more information, please click here. 

As Owner and Chief Executive Office of Pack Rat Productions, Underwood is intimately involved in strategy development and orchestrates the team of professionals that assist in executing her vision for PRP.

Underwood, who has used her career as a template for structuring Pack Rat Productions, has a clear vision of how the company will assist talent in developing, driving and managing their career for personal and career longevity. According to Underwood, “it’s important that as we guide the career development of our clients, that we also advise them on the best ways to take care of themselves personally so that they have the excellent health and well-being needed for long, successful career.” She adds, “we are also very aware of the importance of creating a legacy, opportunities for the businesses to outlive their founders. Legacy organizations within the entertainment industry are rare. I’d like for that to change.”

Named one of today’s hardest working comediennes, Underwood has starred in such films as Bullworth, I Got the Hook Up, and Beauty Shop, starring Queen Latifah. In addition, Underwood was the host of Black Entertainment Television’s (BET’s) Comic View and Holla, a talk show she created and produced which was loosely based on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect. Underwood, a much sought after media personality, is described as one of the world’s brightest contemporary humorists. She is a weekly contributor on the Steve Harvey Morning Show, also serving as “guest host,” and appears on The Steve Harvey Project, the television version of the show airing on TV-ONE. Underwood also hosts The Sheryl Underwood Show on Jamie Foxx’s The Foxxhole, airing on Sirius 106/XM 149, where she provides a mix of political satire, comedy and music. Underwood, who is described as one of the world’s brightest contemporary humorists, is also hosted the fifth season of Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-Up and is a former contributor to the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Underwood was the host of Black Entertainment Television’s (BET’s) Comic View and Holla, a talk show she created and produced which was loosely based on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect. She has starred in such films as Bullworth, I Got the Hook Up, and Beauty Shop, starring Queen Latifah. Underwood has appeared on the Dr. Phil Show, FOX television network morning show Fox and Friends, the Joy Behar Show, WPIX in New York City and The View, created by ABC News Correspondent Barbara Walters.

Underwood is one of the most articulate, well-informed women of our time. She is one of modern culture’s brightest talents and her influence and insight cross boundaries and bring her into the company of national leaders and international icons. A savvy business-woman, striving not only to change the world through her sorority, Underwood takes her role as Owner and CEO of Pack Rat Productions, Inc. seriously and is committed to sharing the wisdom and insight she has gathered as the Chief Executive of her entertainment company with generations to come and other woman business owners.

Underwood’s life and career have been greatly influenced by her father “Mr. xxx.” According to Underwood, he was a major positive force in her life and development as an artist and an entrepreneur, always encouraging her to pursue her dreams. “He always told me that I could do anything that I wanted to do. He was the first man to tell me I was beautiful. He lifted me up in a way that every little girl wants, needs and desires.”

Underwood used her father’s words and inspiration to launch an undeniably successful career in the entertainment industry, reigning as an in-demand personality in a multimedia environment. Her approach has been a bit non-traditional and has emulated corporate success over individual success models.

According to Underwood, Pack Rat Productions Inc. is part of her professional evolution and is the latest edition to a brand trilogy which included her company “Geneva”, which was named for her father’s mother and honored both of her grandmothers and “Nubian Nights,” a company focused on “all things male,” including motivational and inspirational books and talent representation. With Nubian Nights, Underwood saw the need for tasteful, romantic and seductive entertainment for women, provided by some really good-looking men.

In 2009 Underwood, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from the University Illinois at Chicago and Masters Degrees in Media Management and Mass Communication from Governor State University, was included in the 100 Most Influential Organization Leaders published in the June issue of Ebony magazine.

By daring not only to think outside the box but to completely break the mold, Sheryl Underwood has become a source of inspiration and a supreme model of what it takes to lead in business, lead an international organization and lead in life.

A Passion for Service
Sheryl Underwood has a passion for community service and exercises her passion by serving as the 23rd International President of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a national Greek-letter organization boasting a membership of over 100,000 members world-wide. In this role, Underwood flexes her civic and philanthropic muscles to better the world in which we live. “Nothing that I do can match serving Zeta” says Underwood. As part of this organization I am afforded the opportunity to weld my influence and visibility in a way that has an immediate positive affect on issues that impact communities around the country and the world.

As International President of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Underwood represents thousands of women who comprise the scholarly institution committed to “finer womanhood.” In her rise to the post of International President, Underwood assumed several other respected and influential roles within the Sorority including Chair of the National Executive Board, Graduate Member-At-Large, Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign Committee, Director of Honorary Membership, Pacific Regional Secretary and Southern California Corresponding Secretary. Underwood, who is known to many for her sharp comedic wit displayed in venues in the United States and abroad and her television and movie appearances, was made a Zeta in the Great Lakes Region – Zeta Tau Zeta Chapter, Chicago, IL. Her commitment to advancing her sorority led her into several leadership positions on the local level in Southern California including serving as President, First Vice-President, Executive Board Chair, Historian, Graduate Advisor and Charter Member of Omicron Rho Zeta. She is currently a Golden Life Member of the sorority and a member of Alpha Psi Zeta Chapter in Los Angeles, CA.

USO Tours
Underwood is an entertainer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and woman with a big heart and a strong desire to share of her time and talents to positively impact her community…and her community is the “world” community. A former member of the U.S. Armed Forces, Underwood traveled by land, air and sea, to participate in the 2007 and 2009 Hope and Freedom USO Tours to bring entertainment to the troops in the Persian Gulf, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. The tours brought laughter and a break from day-to-day activities to thousands of soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors, guardsmen and reservists stationed throughout the regions.

Memberships
Underwood is a Life Member of the NAACP and a member of the National Council of Negro Women. She is Founder of the African American Female Comedienne Association and Co-Chair of SAG/AFTRA BET, the only committee to unionize a BET show. She has been presented keys to the cities of Hattiesburg, MS and Lumberton, NC and was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in October of 2007. Individuals inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame have achieved national and international acclaim in their chosen fields.

Also featuring:
Kyle Erby – Feature