Rakiat “Layo” Gbadamosi is an Executive Director of Business Affairs at Disney, supporting ABC News Studios. In this role, she structures and negotiates deals for premium documentary, unscripted, and original content distributed across Disney platforms including ABC, Hulu, Disney+, and Freeform. Her team at ABC News Studios recently produced Iwaju: A Day Ahead, the behind-the-scenes companion to Disney’s groundbreaking animated series Iwaju, set in the vibrant city of Lagos, Nigeria. Last year, she attended the project’s Lagos premiere, underscoring her deep professional and personal ties to Nigeria and the continent’s growing creative ecosystem.

Before joining Disney, Layo served as Senior Counsel and Business Affairs Executive at Endeavor Content (now Fifth Season), part of the global entertainment powerhouse Endeavor and its agency sister company, WME. There, she brokered landmark partnerships across major platforms, most notably pitching and closing Netflix’s first Nigeria-based stand-up comedy special, Kenny Blaq: In My Room, a milestone for African comedy on the global stage.

A Nigerian-born lawyer, business executive, and creative, Layo is also the founder and creative director of Layo G., a luxury fashion brand that designs bold, tailored workwear for women who shatter glass ceilings. Through her work in both entertainment and fashion, she champions authentic African stories and talent that resonate worldwide.

Layo studied Fashion Design at Parsons, The New School for Design, while simultaneously earning her law degree from Fordham University School of Law. Over her career, she has overseen business affairs for programming across Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, Disney, Hulu, and more,a closing multi-million-dollar deals and collaborating with some of the biggest names in global entertainment. She continues to advocate for cross-continental collaborations and to elevate stories from Africa, particularly Nigeria, that showcase the continent’s artistry, innovation, and cultural influence.