BANZA June 2016 Issue | Page 88

rising star’s life. De’Leon continued making a name for herself with a host of subsequent movie and television series appearances including the blockbuster comedy, We’re the Millers, alongside Jennifer Aniston (F.R.I.E.N.D.S), Jason Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses), and Ed Helms (The Hangover.) De’Leon was also featured on the Award-nominated drama, Somebody’s Child, with Lynn Whitfield ( Josephine Baker Story) and Michael Jai White (Batman Returns). More recently, she joined the cast of the Investigation Discovery Channel series, Murder Chose Me, portraying the role of Ms. Demery. De’Leon’s biggest break came when she launched her very own record label, Dirrty Records. The label’s major success in its Los Angeles headquarters made it possible for a second branch to set up in South Carolina — a place the entrepreneur still recalls as home. With an eclectic roster of artists signed to her label including the Seattle-based punk band, The Slumps, and the British indie rock quartet, The Fades —whose music has already been featured on the NBC hits, Life and Friday Night Lights — De’Leon proved that she was an innovative force to be reckoned. People took notice. De’Leon’s emergence as “one of the most significant women in entertainment” was followed by induction into the Caribbean Hall of Fame alongside entertainment legends like Bob Marley and Sidney Poitier. Since then, De’Leon, proud recipient of her day in Los Angeles (February 7) as proclaimed by its former mayor, James K. Hahn, has been careful to avoid complacency with her laurels. De’Leon started her movie production company, Palmetto Film Studios in Marion, South Carolina, which distributes between five and seven films a year. Her legacy is furthered by her creation of The Lunden De’Leon Foundation in which young children are encouraged to follow their dreams in the same determined manner where her roots can be traced.