Women To Watch 2025: Music & Entertainment

Ayisha Adams

A true trailblazer from the Bronx, NY, Ayisha has spent the last seven years as an Executive Business Partner at AfroFuture, shaping culture through Art, Music, Food, and Fashion. She’s helped produce over five festivals for up to 40,000 attendees and led brand activations with Martell, YouTube, TuneCore, and more. As the co-founder of The Mocktail Experience, she’s redefining social experiences with innovative, alcohol-free cocktails. Beyond events, she’s a powerhouse in Recruiting, having worked with industry giants like Meta, Spotify, TikTok, and Live Nation. With a track record of bringing visions to life at scale, she’s not just making waves—she’s setting the standard.

Ayisha Adams

Culture Management Group/AfroFuture

Executive Business Partner

Honor Williams, Esq.

Ms. Honor Williams, Esq. is the Senior Manager of Business and Legal Affairs at Blavity, Inc. In her current role as one of only two black female attorneys serving the brands, AfroTech, Shadow & Act, TravelNoire, 21Ninety, Blavity House Party, and Home & Texture, she is drafting agreements to showcase black influencers and performers. For the annual AfroTech conference, Honor has drafted hundreds of agreements for speakers, influencers, DJs, hosts, and other talent for the five- day conference.

Honor Williams, Esq.

Blavity, Inc.

Senior Manager, Business and Legal Affairs

ilham

ilham’s seductive new-age music and dreamy visuals are influenced by R&B legends and her Moroccan heritage, offering a refreshing take on the ever-evolving genre. Her latest single “roster” arrives just after making her runway debut at MEFeater Magazine’s Galentine's New York Fashion Week show this year. The empowering release sees the Queensbridge NYC native at her most confident, earning early media support from The FADER, NYLON Manila, Hypebeast Arabia and Khamsa among others. ilham’s discography has earned over 33 million streams across platforms and press attention from NPR, The New York Times, Marie Claire, Vogue Arabia, UPROXX, Essence, On The Radar, MILLE World, LA Weekly, Hypebae, L'OFFICIEL, Office Magazine, and Ones To Watch among others.

ilham

R&B Artist

Jacqueline Alston

Jacqueline Alston serves as Chief of Staff of Broccoli City - a social enterprise rooted in social impact and entertainment. She previously served as a Business Development & Operations Specialist in technology consulting while working on freelance creative projects with HOORAE/RAEDIO (Issa Rae), Wondaland Arts Society (Janelle Monáe), Disney, Meta, and more.

Jacqueline Alston

Broccoli City

Chief of Staff

Megha Karthikeyan

I currently live in New York City and work as a Senior Product Manager for Disney Streaming in the payments space! I started off working in finance and eventually found my way into tech. I enjoy seeing the tangible impacts of the features I build across over 150M subscribers!

Megha Karthikeyan

The Walt Disney Company

Senior Product Manager

Winta WoldeGeorgis

Winta Zesu is a comedian, digital creator, and storyteller known for her sharp satire and viral content. Blending humor, storytelling, and cultural commentary, she captivates audiences and sparks conversation across digital platforms. Her work blurs the line between reality and performance, making her one of the most intriguing voices in online entertainment today.

Winta WoldeGeorgis

Content Creator & Model

LeToya Bacon

LeToya Bacon is the Founder & Chief Communications Officer at LAB Public Relations, a powerhouse in the PR world known for her innovative strategies and unmatched expertise. With decades of experience in shaping compelling brand narratives, LeToya has become a trailblazer in strategic communications, particularly within the TV, Flim, Sports and Tech industries. Her career journey began in sports for a professional sports team in Dallas, before transitioning to New York City, where she held pivotal roles at media giants BBC America and Paramount. As Director of Communications at Paramount/BET Networks for over a decade, LeToya spearheaded high-profile live events, scripted and unscripted series, award shows, and brand partnerships, leaving an indelible mark on BET’s brand visibility and reputation. LeToya eventually made her way into tech leading the Global Business Marketing Communications team at TikTok, however she returned to Paramount rekindling her love for sports at CBS Sports as Senior Director of Communications. Leveraging her extensive experience and industry connections, LeToya stepped out on faith and launched her successful PR agency, LAB Public Relations, which creates news cycle dominating headlines for high-profile talent and driving bold brand strategies for television, film, on-air talent, and entertainment brands. Her exceptional ability to navigate and transform the media landscape has solidified her as one of the foremost innovative PR professionals in the industry.

LeToya Bacon

LAB Public Relations

Chief Communications Officer

Anshia Crooms

Anshia "Briclyn" Crooms, M.A., runs the point position as the Co-Founder of her Non-Profit Organization, Project Hygiene, Inc and as CEO of her multi-faceted business, Briclyn Entertainment Group, LLC which is a Boutique Booking and Events Agency specializing in Talent Booking, Talent Buying and Event Programming. When she is not booking clients or producing events you can find her volunteering her time with the DC GRAMMY Chapter of the Recording Academy where she serves as a Board Governor, Music Business Co-Chair and Board Member to Creative Nomad, LTD, and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority Inc.

Anshia Crooms

Briclyn Entertainment Group, LLC

CEO & Booking Agent

Aryn Bussey

Wondaland Arts Society

Chief of Staff

Carmen Carroll

Carmen J. Carroll is a strategic storyteller and digital architect, shaping how brands connect with culture and community. As the founder of Good Works, a boutique social media agency, she believes in the power of purpose-driven storytelling to create lasting impact. She has helped brands like Broccoli City, STRIPT, Gia Peppers, and UNCF craft narratives that resonate with diverse audiences. A former Fulbright Scholar, Carmen’s background in communications, marketing, and cultural research informs her approach to digital storytelling. Born and raised in Washington, DC, her impact extends beyond her hometown, earning her recognition as one of Baltimore’s Most Inspiring Stories by Baltimore Voyager. Her work has also been featured in Canvas Rebel. Grounded in faith and the belief that we are created for good works (Ephesians 2:10), she is committed to using digital innovation to inspire, uplift, and build community. With a deep understanding of digital trends and cultural shifts, Good Works is helping brands turn storytelling into strategy—and strategy into impact.

Carmen Carroll

Good Works

Digital Architect

Dzifa Yador

Dzifa Yador is a seasoned senior media and entertainment executive with extensive experience in developing and scaling content-driven businesses across multiple platforms. In her role as VP of Strategy & Operations at Issa Rae's company Raedio, Yador has been instrumental in shaping strategic direction, overseeing creative and production initiatives, and driving distribution and deal-making efforts. Known for her forward-thinking approach and ability to anticipate market shifts, she excels at building businesses that thrive in an ever-evolving landscape, positioning them to capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities.

Dzifa Yador

The Raedio

Vice President of Business Strategy

Gabrielle Jackson

Gabrielle Jackson is an entertainment professional specializing in event production, talent management, and partnerships. A Howard University graduate and proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she began her career in social media before moving into talent hospitality and event production at Broccoli City. She has worked in media and sponsorship at Live Nation and now oversees Booking and Partnerships at Eighty Five South Media while managing comedians under Family Business Management and independently managing R&B/neo-soul artist Helen Hailu. Passionate about culture and community, Gabrielle creates opportunities for Black creatives by bridging entertainment, business, and storytelling.

Gabrielle Jackson

Broccoli City & 85 South Media

Partnerships, Talent, and Event Management

Kelly Rowe Lurie

Simone Eccleston currently serves as the inaugural Director of Hip Hop Culture and Contemporary Music at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In her position, Ms. Eccleston is responsible for the creative leadership and artistic administration related to the Center-wide collective output of Hip Hop Culture Programming, in addition to introducing high-quality Contemporary Music and cross-genre programs.

Kelly Rowe Lurie

YouTube Music & Google

Strategic Partner Manager

Lauren Pate

Arena Stage Theater

Board Member

Lenoria Addison

KeyTV Network

Co-Founder

Alexis Chinery

Alexis Chinery started her career as a producer in world of film production and then found herself most comfortable composing shots directly behind the camera, falling into the role of Director of Photography. Within her 10 years as an independent filmmaker and photographer, she has lent her creative eye to many television platforms including Apple+, HBO, BET, & PBS. She continues to produce imagery that sparks change, inspiration and reveals truth and light for those in marginalized cultures.

Alexis Chinery

Six Point Pictures

Director of Photography

Phylicia Fant

Phylicia Fant is renowned throughout the entertainment industry as a trusted leader, esteemed executive, and public relations/marketing visionary. But even more importantly, she is a conduit of culture. Fant consistently and strategically connects artists to brands, media, film/television opportunities and philanthropic causes. In her role as Global Head of Music Industry and Culture Collaborations at Amazon Music, she transforms global synergy into commercial opportunities while prioritizing meaningful cultural moments. Since joining Amazon Music in February 2022, Fant has succeeded in connecting Amazon Music to Culture via culture collaborations, partnerships, and industry events. These successes included HBCU Homecoming sponsorships, Grammy Roundtables, Beyonce’s Club Renaissance Merch Popup, and talent collaboration with the likes of Lucky Daye, Usher, Jon Batiste, NBA Young Boy, Andra Day, Keke Palmer, and Omar Apollo. Fant was educated at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and in 2018 achieved an Executive Education Certificate, The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports, from the prestigious Harvard Business School.

Phylicia Fant

Amazon

Global Head of Music Industry & Culture Collaborations

Shannae Ingleton-Smith

Shannae Ingleton-Smith is a creator, strategist, and multi-hyphenate entrepreneur conquering the media space. With a background in sales managing a multimillion-dollar portfolio for one of Canada’s largest media conglomerates, she eventually set her sights on social media and launched Kensington Grey, an influencer management agency in 2019. To date, Ingleton Smith’s agency represents over 100+ of the most powerful voices from underrepresented communities in the industry, who execute numerous successful campaigns with notable clients in the luxury, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle spaces.

Shannae Ingleton-Smith

Kensington Grey Agency

Co-Founder, President & CEO

Sharon Ingram

Sharon Ingram has worked with innovative companies and executives in the creative, entertainment, technology and government space including Hidden Beach Recordings, Penguin Putnam Publishing, The Society of Singers, The Clio Awards, IR+Media and Ense. Currently Sharon is the Executive Director of the D.C. Chapter of the Recording Academy where she produces diverse programs to support and elevate the regions music community. Sharon truly enjoys developing a space where talent can thrive and create innovative work. She holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from Howard University and an advanced degree in management from Brandeis University.

Sharon Ingram

The Recording Academy - Membership & Industry Relations, Washington, D.C. Chapter

Executive Director

Bria Adams

A native of Douglasville, Georgia, Bria Adams is a creative, diligent, and forward-focused talent with a strong background in project management, planning, and coordinating. Upon graduating from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bria became a mentee of the inaugural cohort of She Is The Music's Connect TogetHER mentorship program. The experience led to her first role in entertainment in the TV Music department of ABC Signature, a division of Disney Television Studios. Bria now works at Raedio, Issa Rae's "audio everywhere" music company, and serves as the founder of Building Brilliance, an initiative to equip, prepare, and usher young women into emerging adulthood.

Bria Adams

Raedio

Executive Assistant

Simone Eccleston

Simone Eccleston

Director of Hip Hop Culture and Contemporary Music, Kennedy Center

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“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." -Angela Davis

- LeToya Bacon

Chief Communications Officer 
LAB Public Relations