BEULA JOHNSON: Queen of Talent, Global Ambassador of Black Representation

When Beula Johnson enters the room, you don’t just see her—you feel her. Regal in her quiet confidence, she sits for this interview dressed in a tailored pinstripe suit that says everything you need to know: She built an empire, and she did it her way.

At just 35, Johnson is the founder and CEO of BlackBerry Talent Agency, the largest Black-owned representation firm in the world. With offices in Los Angeles, London, Lagos, and Johannesburg, and a client roster that spans Oscar winners, bestselling authors, and global tech phenoms, Johnson has become the face of global Black representation.

Yet her origin story reads more like legend than strategy.

Beula Johnson, Founder and CEO of Blackberry Talent Agency seated in a tailored pinstripe suit, exuding quiet confidence and commanding presence.

“I was six the day my life started and ended,” she says flatly, brushing past the pain like a surface scratch. “Everything I am, came after that.”

Abandoned by her mother and raised by her father in rural Georgia, Beula learned early the value of loyalty and the danger of misplaced trust. Her father, a third-shift mill worker, taught her resilience, but it was ambition that she taught herself. By 18, she was managing unsigned musicians from her dorm room. By 25, she’d graduated from Harvard Law, interned at three major agencies, and walked away from them all to launch her own.

“Black talent doesn’t just need managers,” she says. “We need architects. Gatekeepers. Warriors. And we deserve to own the gates.”

CEO Beula Johnson, Ambassador of Global Black Talent

BlackBerry Talent Agency is that gate. Under Johnson’s leadership, it has redefined representation—not just booking roles, but building brands, equity, and legacy for its clients. Her team of 60 spans film, television, publishing, music, and digital platforms, with a business model that merges talent management with private equity-style development deals. It's no wonder the whispers of a merger with MPN Africa—the continent’s largest media and talent platform—have turned into headline speculation.

When asked about it, Johnson offers only this:

“Global vision requires global partnerships. But anything I do will honor who we are. I don’t move unless it multiplies.”

Beula Johnson introduces new talent, DREAM at a reception at her home in the Riverside neighborhood of Houston, TX

Not everything, however, is expanding. Johnson’s high-profile marriage to Ari Jones—former COO of BlackBerry and now founder of competitor with finance equity guru, Trenton Caldieux—has come to an end.

“Some things grow apart. That’s life,” she says, then pauses. “I don’t look back. And nothing, absolutely nothing, will tear down what I’ve built.”

Still, rumors swirl. That Ari poached talent. That she’s using proprietary data. That she’s cozying up to tech billionaires for a hostile takeover. Johnson doesn’t flinch.

Beula Johnson and her wife, Ari Jones, during happier times.

“I built this from ground zero. No amount of code or capital can duplicate vision. If you're busy trying to be me, you're already behind.”

She won’t discuss her mother. And when asked if she wants children, her response is measured:

“I want power passed down. Whether that’s through blood or blueprint, we’ll see.”

So what does a woman who’s already done what few thought possible want her legacy to be? 

She doesn’t hesitate.

“Doing the unthinkable.”