Making it Happen and Living Your Dream
Tika's rise to stardom was no happy accident and success did not happen overnight. Her story of grit and resilience is inspirational and empowering, especially for women and young girls. One of five kids raised by their single mother in Queens and Long Island, TIKA SUMPTER learned from her mother by example that “you do what you gotta do,” which is where she got her hustler attitude from. She always knew she wanted to be an actress and when she was 17, Tika moved to NYC by herself to go to school while her mom and the rest of her family moved to North Carolina. After two years, she couldn’t afford college anymore, so she became a waitress and found a way to be an actress on her own. Since then she has continued to make it as an actress and continues to be involved in plenty of projects.
Tika discusses hope, taking your dream to the next level with hard work and determination, and creating the you that you want to be. She has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and believes, “nobody is just one thing,” meaning she can fill a ton of buckets, not just be an actress. She also believes anyone can say no, but there’s a yes somewhere else.
The Entrepreneurial Mindset
Actor, producer, entrepreneur, and podcaster TIKA SUMPTER is a Hollywood mogul and savvy entrepreneur. Sumpter co-created and co-founded Sugaberry, a lifestyle brand and audio-first media company for and by Black women, and is an in-demand speaker for her insights about values-led business and cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset.
In Conversation with Tika Sumpter
Actor, producer, entrepreneur, and podcaster TIKA SUMPTER is a Hollywood mogul and savvy entrepreneur. Known for numerous TV and film roles, including the beloved Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, Southside with You, and ABC’s Mixed-Ish, as well as her entrepreneurial ventures Sugaberry and the Gracie Award-winning podcast, The Suga, Sumpter shares her personal stories and insights about inclusion, creating a values-led business, and cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset in this impactful moderated conversation.
As an accomplished actor and producer, Tika Sumpter has established herself as one of Hollywood’s rising stars. Sumpter has spent the past few months setting up projects for her to star in and produce across the industry. Her current development slate includes projects with Michael B. Jordan and Liz Raposo’s Outlier Society, Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite, Participant Media, and Amazon Studios as well as award-winning writers such as Kay Oyegun, Niceole Levy, and MacArthur Genius Award Winner Jackie Woodson.
Previously, Sumpter delivered what Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called, “a spot-on performance” as “Michelle Obama” in Miramax’s feature film Southside With You, which she co-produced with John Legend. She most recently starred in Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog alongside Jim Carrey and James Marsden, and recently wrapped shooting its sequel. Her other feature credits include David Lowery’s The Old Man and the Gun opposite Robert Redford, Danny Glover, and Sissy Spacek, Tyler Perry’s Nobody's Fool opposite Tiffany Haddish, the independent feature An Acceptable Loss opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, Universal’s hit action comedy franchise Ride Along, opposite Kevin Hart and Ice Cube; HBO’s Emmy-winning film, Bessie, with Queen Latifah; and Universal's award-winning James Brown biopic Get on Up with Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Chadwick Boseman.
On television, Sumpter can currently be heard on the hit TBS animated show Final Space with Fred Armisen. For the past two years, she starred in Kenya Barris’ Black-ish spinoff, Mixed-ish, for ABC. Sumpter began her career on the Daytime Emmy-award winning soap opera, One Life to Live, which garnered her an NAACP Image Award nomination.
Sumpter, along with Thai Randolph, is also the co-founder of Sugaberry, a lifestyle brand created by, for, and about moms of color. Their podcast, The Suga, recently won a Gracie Award for co-host/ensemble podcast.
My Speaker List
