Her career began in 1967 when the owner of the Cheetah Disco music club noticed her financial acumen. Suzanne soon found herself working as the club’s talent coordinator.
She then worked briefly for a talent agency before being recruited to join Motown Records by its creator, Berry Gordy, who served as her mentor and helped her polish her business talents.
Her major break, both for herself and the company, came when she discovered the Jackson 5, a music act consisting of five brothers. She not only discovered them, but she also oversaw practically every element of their careers, guiding them to international success.
Suzanne also worked with The Commodores, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Lionel Richie, and Thelma Houston, in addition to the Jackson 5. Her net worth increased as a result of her actions.
In the early 1970s, she broadened her interests by co-writing “Lady Sings the Blues,” a screenplay that portrayed the life of Billie Holliday and starring Diana Ross, winning an Academy Award nomination for the script.
She also rose through the ranks at Motown, first as vice president of the West Coast division and subsequently as vice president of Motown Industries as a whole.
Since becoming president of Motown in 1981, she has devoted more time to scripting and producing films for the label. She won two Emmys for “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” in 1983 and “Motown Returns to the Apollo” in 1985.
Suzanne proved she could accomplish anything she set her mind to when she produced a Western mini-series based on Larry McMurtry’s novel “Lonesome Dove” in 1985, which was an instant success and won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Miniseries and Best Actor in a Miniseries.
Following her many successes at Motown, she decided to launch her production firm, De Passe Entertainment, in 1992. Among the sitcoms produced by the business were “Sister, Sister” (1995-1999) and “Smart Guy” (1996-1999).
De Passe has received numerous accolades for her outstanding contributions to show business and female entrepreneurship, including the Women in Film Crystal Award (1988), the Revlon Business Woman of the Year Award (1994), and the Madame C.J. Walker Award (2004).
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