Byron Allen

Byron Allen started his career as a stand-up comedian, appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at 18. He pivoted to media ownership in 1993, founding Entertainment Studios — a company he built from scratch without outside investment into one of the largest Black-owned media businesses in the United States.

Entertainment Studios produces and distributes original content across more than 70 television networks and channels, including a suite of HD networks available to over 100 million households. In 2018, Allen acquired The Weather Channel's television network for roughly $300 million, making it one of the largest acquisitions of a media property by a Black entrepreneur in history.

Allen has also pursued aggressive civil rights litigation against major corporations and cable providers, arguing that systemic discrimination limits carriage deals and advertising spending with Black-owned media. His lawsuits against Comcast and McDonald's put questions of economic inclusion in media squarely into the legal arena. Forbes has estimated his net worth north of $500 million.