The Show Must Be Paused, an initiative founded by Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas that’s aimed at fighting for music industry accountability, has announced a month-long career fair series in collaboration with Culture Fusion Agency and Music Forward.
The program is built on the goal of educating and exposing college students about the many facets of the music industry. As explained in a press release, the series’ target audience is Black and Brown students who are presently enrolled in college in the U.S.
Attendees can expect to hear from a number of industry leaders from a wide variety of labels and other music-focused companies, all while keeping safety in mind thanks to its presentation with Twitter through Zoom technologies.
“We’re really excited to launch our Books to the Boardroom career series!” Agyemang and Thomas said in a joint statement. “Since the inception of The Show Must Be Paused, we’ve emphasized that our mission was to hold the music industry at large accountable, that also includes holding ourselves accountable and reaching back to uplift the next generation of future executives and entrepreneurs. The goal we are setting out to achieve is to expose Black and Brown students around the country to the vast range of career opportunities within the music industry. Hoping we can give them a head start on a plan beyond the classroom and how to work their way all the way up to the boardroom. Those students are the future of the business and we are just showing them the possibilities and what better time to show them, then during Black History Month.”
To register, click here. And below, see a rundown of what to expect with each panel discussion.
When:
- 2/9 at 5pm EST
Moderator:
- Lisa Kasha – VP, Digital Marketing & Social Media, Epic
Featuring:
- Britney Davis – VP, Artist Relations, Marketing & Special Projects, Capitol Records
- Chanel Auguste – Associate Director, International Marketing, Sony Music
- Colin Hutt – Co-CEO, Plague Media
- Desmond Attmore – CEO / Co-Founder, Six Degrees
- Elle Houston – Founder, The Elle Empire
- Fadia Kader – Music Partnerships, Instagram
- Ramon Alvarez-Smikle – SVP, Digital, Interscope
When:
- 2/11 at 5pm EST
Moderator:
- Andrew Asare – Senior Director, Streaming & Revenue – Urban
Featuring:
- J1 – Head of Hip-Hop Programming, Pandora
- Robert Caiaffa – Interim Head of Music and VP of Major Label Relations, SoundCloud
- Rachel Jackson – Artist Relations Manager, Youtube Music
- Tuma Basa – Director, Black Music & Culture, Youtube
When:
- 2/11 at 6pm EST
Moderator:
- Peiré Wilson – Legal and Business Affairs, Associate, Downtown Music
Featuring:
- Carron Mitchell – Partner, Hertz Lichtenstein Young & Polk LLP
- Charles Hamilton – Head of Business and Legal Affairs, Saban
- David Dormon – Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs, Downtown Music
- Miriam Camara – Senior Director, Business and Legal Affairs, Warner
When:
- 2/16 at 5pm EST
Moderator:
- Chantz Brewer – Director, Publicity, IGA
Featuring:
- Ayanna Wilks – Senior Director, Public Relations, Epic
- Amaiya Davis – VP, Media, Republic Records
- Cheyenne Beam – Director, Publicity, Island Records
- Theola Borden – SVP, Publicity, RCA
When:
- 2/16 at 6pm EST
Moderator:
- Ari Gelaw – A&R Manager, Universal Music Publishing Group
Featuring:
- Danielle Middleton – Director, A&R, Sony/ ATV
- Donald McGill – Senior Business Development Analyst, Warner Chappell
- Tizita Makuria – Sr. Director, A&R, APG
When:
- 2/18 at 5pm EST
Moderator:
- Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins – Journalist/TV & Podcast Host
Featuring:
- Ant Blue – Multidisciplinary Artist
- Brian “Bwrightous” Wright – CEO / Co-Founder, Six Degrees
- Child – Director
- Joseph Boyd – Director, Video Production, Atlantic Records
When:
- 2/18 at 6pm EST
Moderator:
- Layla Mustafa – Manager, Brand Partnerships, RCA
Featuring:
- Cayla Cousins – Sr. Director, Brand Partnerships, Capitol Records
- Kristin Turner – Director, SB Projects
- NJ Ndure – Entertainment Marketing Manager, Nike
When:
- 2/23 at 5pm EST
Moderator:
- Chris Green – VP Promotion, Capitol Records
Featuring:
- Colby Colb – VP, Programming, Urban One Radio
- Thea Mitchem – OM, iHeart Media NYC
- TT Torrez – MD, Hot 97
- Keinon Johnson – SVP Urban Promotion, Interscope Records
- Ron Stew – VP Urban Promotion, Warner Records
- Samantha Selolwane – SVP Urban Promotion, RCA Records
- Tony Bracy – VP, Marketing & Promotion, Scooter Braun Projects
When:
- 2/23 at 6pm EST
Moderator:
- Ebro Darden – Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop & R&B, Apple
Featuring:
- Denise Williams Watts – Global Head of Editorial Video Content, Apple
- Sydney Alston Brown – Strategic Campaigns, Business Partnerships, Apple
When:
- 2/25 at 5pm EST
Moderator:
- Saint Harraway – SVP A&R, Republic Records
Featuring:
- Lindsey Lanier – VP A&R, Motown, Capitol Records
- Nikisha Bailey – VP Artist Relations, Atlantic
- Norva Denton – SVP A&R, Warner Records
- Sammye Scott – Director A&R, Atlantic
- Steve-O Carless – A&R, Republic
When:
- 2/25 at 6pm EST
Moderators:
- Tanece Moore – Coordinator, Marketing, Atlantic Records
- Su-Rmi Givens – Manager, Digital Operations & Process Innovation, UMG, IGA
Featuring:
- Gabriella Andrean – Coordinator, Digital, RCA Records
- Khlarissa Agee – Senior Coordinator, Marketing, Capitol Music Group
- Noelle Charles – Coordinator, Label Services, The Orchard
- Kianna Baptiste – Coordinator, Digital Marketing, Asylum Records
- DeMarco White – Institutional Partnerships Manager, Music Forward Foundation
- Tonian Ortega – Coordinator, Global Brand Licensing, WMAS
- Addie Adeniran – SVP, Global People Team at Warner Music Group
