ACADEMY SUPPORTS THE NEXT GENERATION OF BLACK MUSIC LEADERS

The Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective (BMC) and Amazon Music select 5 HBCU students to receive an immersive rotation program opportunity and $10,000 in scholarships. We spoke with Ryan Butler (The Recording Academy’s VP of DEI) and students Zsana Hoskins (Senior, Howard University), Jasmine Gordon (Junior, Spelman University), and Jayden Potts (Sophomore, Jackson State University) about the “Your Future Is Now” scholarship and The Recording Academy’s efforts to support the next generation of black music leaders. Please take a look at our conversation below.

Q. How did you all learn about the “Your Future Is Now” scholarship?

Jasmine: I was actually researching information about GRAMMY U, and I reached out to the rep from the D.C. chapter. He went to Howard University. I pretty much was just like, “Hey, please tell me a little bit about GRAMMY U.” He was really receptive and told me all about it. Then, he told me there was going to be a scholarship

By Jada Alexis

coming out soon. So, the scholarship came out, and I immediately applied.

Jayden: I found out about the “Your Future Is Now” scholarship through my mother and a few friends that sent me the link. Once I saw it, I knew I was the perfect fit per the description of the scholarship.

Zsana: For me, it was Instagram. I saw an ad on Instagram, and I was like, “Ok, I fit the description for the requirements.”

Q. I know there are a lot of kids that would feel like the requirements to apply for the scholarship is a lot. Can you explain what are the requirements for the scholarship?

Ryan: It was an essay, a creative video, a transcript, and a letter of rec. So, typical scholarship deliverables. Nothing outrageous, but I will say the tradeoff is worth it. I feel like the time they spent making the video and time spent trying to collect those letters of recommendation, and writing the essay; I think the value of the program was worth the tradeoff of the time that it took you to do the application. I mean, not only do you get the scholarship, but you get to have a one-week immersive experience.

Q. Is there a specific career path that you all are on, or are you still figuring it out?

Ryan: I’m going to let them answer, but this is the beauty of it and why all of them were selected because they each have a different career goal in mind, but this program is still beneficial to whatever that trajectory is. And even if it changes, I see the passion for the music industry and the passion for being in this space thrives in each of them right now. we go and take the Academy to campus, and we give a full red-carpet experience with a showcase with talent and professionals from the industry who come and give feedback directly to the creators about their performances,

Zsana: I’m majoring in journalism, so I’ve always wanted to tell the stories of not just other artists but music in general. I have a musical background, so I always wanted to pursue music – and that’s my minor. I always wanted to cover music from the perspective of somebody who understands it and also has a background in performing. But my main goal is to have a huge media conglomerate and own my own record label, but like Ryan said, there are so many different routes in the industry. So, I think I’m going to stick to reporting, but it could change. I may want to do something a little more behind the scenes, but that’s definitely always been my main goal, to be a storyteller.

Jasmine: I want to go full-time in the music industry doing brand marketing and creative design. My ultimate goal is to eventually work my way up to be the president of a record label. I also would hope to be the head of marketing.

Jayden: My major is music technology, so that consists of production and sound engineering. So, I want to be a producer or engineer, but then I also want to dabble in an A&R role a little bit.

[and Roc Nation] offices. We worked out of the Amazon Music offices over in Williamsburg. They also went to our Recording Academy office in New York. So, they had a real industry experience. They got to feel like industry execs.

Q. What did the one-week immersive experience entail?

Ryan: We took these students to New York. They attended the Lil Nas X concert at Radio City Music Hall. They went to see Nicki Minaj at Rolling Loud. We went to the Republic Records

They were hanging with me and my team, so, they were getting in the same cars we were getting into, going to the same dinners we were going to. That was in September. Then we also did YOLA. YOLA was in town getting ready to do a show. We went to her soundcheck, and she stopped and she spoke with all the students. There’s so much that happened during that week. Then to top it all off, the culmination was we flew them all out to Los Angeles, and they got to experience VIP treatment during GRAMMY Week. From RA Honors, where we honored Missy Elliott, Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne, and Sylvia Rhone, to GRAMMY House, to the GRAMMY Awards.

Q. What was the decision process like when selecting recipients?

Ryan: We had a working group that worked on the initial review of the application. There are some people who don’t meet all the requirements, so they’re out. So, we do an initial review to get it down to our top applications. Then, we bring in members of Black Music Collective to kind of rank and say, based on your top 20, here’s where we would pick our top five. So, we synthesize all of that and decide based on our initial fit plus the recommendation of our members in the leadership council from Black Music Collective.

Q. Outside of this scholarship, what else does the Recording Academy do to support the next generation of Black professionals?

Ryan: We have our HBCU Love Tour, where about their songwriting [if they are performing an original song], and about their production. We’re really investing in both professionals and creators of the future.

And then overall, what we’re doing as the DEI department with Black Music Collective. When I first started at the Academy, our Black representation and voting membership was low. That voting membership was around 9%. When the Black Music Collective started in October 2020, it had gone up to about 11%. Now we are over 22%, and we have an aggressive goal of 33%. We feel that 33% more aligns with the impact of Black creators in music. With the market shares, the amount of music that is sold, and the amount of money that is being made by record labels who have Black artists on their rosters. And so, for us, 33% felt more like the number that we needed to hit versus the census data that would’ve kept us around 14%.

So, I think most importantly, what we’re doing is being a thought leader in this space and using our brand as the Recording Academy, that’s known for putting on the biggest night in music, the GRAMMYs, to influence the rest of the industry on what they can do, because if we can do this as a nonprofit and put on a show, imagine what a label could do. Imagine what an agency could do. Imagine what those companies with much higher revenue than us could do if they really invested in the community. So, I look at it less as diversity, equity, and inclusion and more as community investment. I’m just investing in a community that historically has not had access.

Rob Hardy

Director, Producer & Writer

Rob Hardy is an established director, producer, and writer who has worked on numerous hit shows and movies such as Power, How to Get Away With Murder, Grey’s Anatomy, All American, and many more. While working on projects, he noticed a need for crew diversity on various sets. That led him and his wife, Shaun, to address the issue by forming a 501(c)(3) organization, The Amazing Stories Foundation, to strengthen and diversify the production workforce in Georgia. Looking at how diverse Atlanta is, they thought it’d be a great idea to take advantage of it and build a pipeline of highly qualified talent.

According to The Georgia Film Office, productions spent $4.4 billion during the 2022 fiscal year. The state became attractive through economic incentives offered to production companies. Rainforest Films, now known as Rainforest Entertainment, led by Director/ Producer Rob Hardy and his then partner Will Packer (Producer/Executive), was one of the first companies to benefit from the Georgia Film Tax Credit with its film, “The Gospel” in 2006.

“In addition to providing production jobs that range across a variety of skills, accounting to carpentry to engineering and graphic design, productions are using local vendors, eating at Georgia restaurants, and staying in our hotels,” said Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in an announcement by his office and the Georgia Film Office in 2022. The work being done with The Amazing Stories Film/TV Apprenticeship Program aims to connect Atlanta’s diverse residents with the opportunities that the film and television industry has to offer.

Although the film industry has low employment barriers, individuals, especially those of color, face cultural and relational barriers to entry. A Production Assistant, the entry-level position in the film/tv industry, does not require licensure or education. However, individuals need to be trained with the necessary skills and have relationships to access these jobs. In film/tv, there is no time for workers to learn, as every paid worker is a crucial part of the project’s success. Vetting, training, grooming, and mentoring are necessary to maintain the industry’s culture.

The Apprenticeship Program offered by Amazing Stories for Film/TV is a remarkable opportunity for those interested in the film and television industry. With a focus on trust, experience, and industry connections, the program provides pre-approved access to sets for apprentices. Production companies have the chance to support these apprentices. They are further aided by partnerships with WorkSource Atlanta and Fulton County.

During the two-week training period, ten trainees receive 80 hours of top-notch instruction led by industry leader Linda Burns and guest professionals from the Georgia film industry. Each trainee receives a $1000 stipend, incentivizing their participation. Following this intensive classroom training, the trainees are placed on their first production set with mentors from within the industry. Their esteemed partners, including the City of East Point, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney General Entertainment, AT&T, and ASF Mentors, provide personalized guidance and support to their trainees, helping them secure post-program and day-playing opportunities throughout the program and beyond.

After six months of rigorous training, mentorship, and placement, the apprentices, mentors, and partners come together for a celebration that honors their hard work and dedication. This event marks the end of the program for each cohort and acknowledges the creation of exceptional film professionals. Each trainee receives a certificate of completion and a program gift as a lasting reminder of their transformative journey.

The Film/TV Apprenticeship Program by the Amazing Stories Foundation has been doing amazing work since 2019. So far, they have trained 42 apprentices and an impressive 95% of them have gone on to secure paid Production Assistant jobs. As a result of the program, their alumni are now members of several unions, including IATSE Local 479, Local 600, and Teamsters Local 728.