Femme
It Forward, a female-led music and entertainment company, announced today the
launch of Next Gem Femme, a new mentorship program aiming to
accelerate career opportunity and trajectory of young women of color. Femme It
Forward developed Next Gem Femme to help the many people looking for
meaningful actions to improve equity in their industries and workplaces. The
program is designed to pair promising talent with women who are currently at
the forefront of their fields and has over 100 leading industry executives
signed on as mentors from an impressive list of companies including Amazon
Music, Apple Music, iHeart Media, Atlantic Records, CAA, Capitol Music Group, Maverick
Management, Columbia Records, Endeavor, ICM Partners, Interscope Geffen
A&M, Live Nation, Pandora, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok, Viacom Digital
Studios, Revolt Media, Essence, WME, YouTube, and more.
The
program is focused on long-term development, with each mentorship beginning
with a one-year partnership and the opportunity to build moving forward.
Throughout this time, mentorships will aim to balance exposure to real-time
projects and scenarios with ongoing professional coaching, résumé-building,
industry insights, networking opportunities and relationship building.
“Women
succeed when we support each other, and as a company dedicated to celebrating
the depth, power and talent of women in music and entertainment, we have a
special responsibility to cultivate the next generation of female leaders in
the workplace,” said Heather Lowery, founder and CEO, Femme It Forward. “We are
at a pivotal moment for progress, and if we can help more women pay it forward
there’s no telling how much we can accomplish together.”
The inaugural program will include 200
female mentees of color, pursuing undergraduate / graduate degrees or currently serving in entry-level
positions. Next Gem Femme is planning to award at least 100 of
the 200 mentee spots to students from historically Black colleges and
universities. Mentees will also be able to apply for scholarships, book
stipends, food stipends, and other financial aid.
Femme It Forward launched as a
female-led event series in 2019 before expanding to a joint venture with Live
Nation, spotlighting the industry’s most creative and accomplished female visionaries, both on-stage and behind
the scenes.
The
application process for mentees will begin in May, in time for the program’s August
2021 launch. For more information on how to apply please visit www.femmeitforward.com.
About Femme It Forward:
A joint venture with Live Nation Entertainment, Femme It Forward is a female-led music and entertainment company that centers its mission in celebrating, educating, and empowering the industry’s most creative and accomplished female visionaries through multi-format, multi-market consumer experiences. We produce music festivals, concerts, original content, comedy shows, philanthropic endeavors, panels, college engagements and more. For more information on Femme It Forward, visit FemmeItForward.com. For live updates and to join the conversation, follow #FemmeItForward on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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