← Tyra Banks Decoded: From Supermodel to Mega Mogul

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By Anslem Samuel | Published March 22, 2012 | Full size is 620 × 480 pixels

CAMERA TIME As reality shows were just gaining momentum, Banks created, produced and hosted the first modeling competition, America’s Next Top Model (ANTM), in 2003. Run through Bankable Productions, a film and television production company, it was one of the CW’s (formerly UPN) highest-rated programs. MSNBC reports that Tyra grossed $30 million in a 12-month period, largely from her television credits. Now in its 18th cycle, the competition has launched the careers of Toccara Jones, Yaya DaCosta, Eva Pigford, Brittany "Bre" Scullark and many others. As the catalyst to a rising model’s career, ANTM is syndicated in more than 100 countries, and was recently clocked at making $61,315 per 30-second commercial slots during the 2011–2012 television season—the highest of any series on the CW. In 2005, she launched the daytime television show, The Tyra Banks Show. With both of her shows, Banks sustained a collective, weekly viewership of 13 million fans, and made an estimated annual income of $18 million from television and earned two daytime Emmy Awards.

CAMERA TIME

As reality shows were just gaining momentum, Banks created, produced and hosted the…

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