Ebonie Ward is not just pulling up a seat to the table, she’s bringing the whole table as chairwoman and CEO of 11th & Co.
According to Billboard, Ward heads 11th & Co, the first management company led by Black women. The firm is based in Atlanta, and Ward plans to expand it to Los Angeles. Her executive team of seven consists of Black women leaders with a diverse set of experiences. Ward shared, “The one thing I love about the women on my team is that they’ve done a multitude of different things: from working in politics, finance, entertainment law, and marketing to fashion, DJing, touring, and restaurant ownership.”
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11th & Co’s notable celebrity clients include Future, Gunna, Flo Milli, and James Harden. Ward said, “I want to do something that is very unorthodox, not one-dimensional. In addition to our music clients, we’ve just added James Harden of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.”
Ward sprung into action after #MeToo and #TheShowMustBePaused picked up speed while she worked as a partner and manager at Emagen Entertainment Group. Ward spoke to Billboard about what drove her to start her firm, “There have been all these indications of putting women of color into leadership positions.” She added, “I’ve seen a lot of Black women, especially in hip-hop and R&B, who are the backbones at many companies. I’ve also seen a lot of women who are actually running these companies, but they’re still not the face.”
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The 2023 Women in Music Honoree told Billboard that Black women face challenges like being “received and respected.” Ward said, “Even working with my previous partner [Emagen founder/CEO Anthony Saleh], I’ve walked into rooms and not been addressed, let alone been respected, for knowing this business inside and out.” The businesswoman also holds Black women accountable for the small number of Black women managers and executives in the music industry. She shared, “Aside from holding other people accountable, we need to hold ourselves accountable. As soon as everything came back after the show was paused, a lot of those efforts stopped. Going back into our offices, we need to still have that same hunger and that same fight to hold the industry accountable for what they said they were championing.”