7.28.2023
PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC AND EMMY® AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION COMPANY
JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT TO PRODUCE
THE BLACK MUSIC ACTION COALITION’S THIRD ANNUAL GALA
The BMAC Gala will be held on Thursday, Sept. 21 at The Beverly Hilton
[NOTE]: Media Assets HERE | Media Credential Application HERE
The Announcement:
LOS ANGELES (July 26, 2023) – The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) announced that Primary Wave Music and Jesse Collins Entertainment will produce the 2023 BMAC Gala presented by Live Nation on Thursday, September 21 at The Beverly Hilton. Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon will serve as the gala’s executive producers with Brittany Brazil as co-executive producer, while Kristin Meyers will assume the role of showrunner. Additionally, Donna Grecco returns as producer for Primary Wave Music for the third consecutive year. The highly anticipated event will honor recording artists, executives, activists and companies who have utilized their platforms to drive social change throughout the past year. Award recipients, participants and event details will be announced in the coming weeks.
“With the BMAC Gala now in its third year, we are proud to partner with Primary Wave and Jesse Collins Entertainment, who have produced some of the biggest cultural moments in entertainment history. We look forward to delivering a powerful tribute to those who paved the way for true representation and justice within our industry. Our mission will always be to empower our community and ignite the passion for change,” said Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, co-founder/co-chair Black Music Action Coalition. “This year’s celebration will be a testament to the unshakeable spirit of Black artists, music professionals and activists, who are inspiring a new generation and creating a future of greater equity, unity, and everlasting impact.”
The 2023 BMAC Gala will celebrate the organization’s accomplishments over the last year and highlight upcoming initiatives. Attendees will enjoy an unforgettable night of musical performances, heartfelt tributes, and a shared vision of justice, encouragement and hope for the future. Attendees will enjoy an unforgettable night of musical performances, heartfelt tributes, and a shared vision of justice, encouragement, and hope for the future.
Since Black Music Action Coalition’s inception in 2020, the organization has been instrumental in addressing systemic racism within the music business and advocating on behalf of Black artists, songwriters, producers, managers, agents, executives, lawyers and other impassioned industry professionals.
Among recent collaborations, a notable partnership with the Academy of Country Music gave rise to the “OnRamp” program, a pioneering guaranteed income initiative supporting 20 young, Black music community members, including artists and industry professionals, in Nashville, TN. Moreover, the group joined forces with Audiomack to launch the groundbreaking “Black Music Executives Are The Future” internship and mentorship program, offering five Black undergraduates or recent graduates invaluable paid internships at Audiomack, coupled with mentorship from distinguished music industry executives. Additionally, BMAC unveiled the second edition of its Music Industry Action Report Card (MIARC), assessing numerous organizations across various categories – labels, publishers, streaming services, live entertainment, touring, and the Recording Academy – and their actions to uplift Black employees and contribute to racial justice initiatives. Remarkably, these and other initiatives have reached over 5,000 students, provided mentorship to 100 emerging music artists and industry professionals, and directly funded various communities with more than $700,000.
The Black Music Action Coalition Board includes Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, Caron Veazey, Ashaunna Ayars, Naima Cochrane, Jamil Davis, Shawn Holiday, Damien Smith, and Courtney Stewart. The Black Music Action Coalition Advisory Board includes music industry icons Clarence Avant, Irving Azoff, and Quincy Jones. The 2023 Black Music Action Coalition Gala is presented by Live Nation with support by media partner Variety.
For more information regarding Black Music Action Coalition and the BMAC Gala, please visit bmacoalition.org. For sponsorship opportunities/tables email info@bmacoalition.org.
Please contact Michelle, Annjie, or Destiny for more info.
The Background:
About Black Music Action Coalition
The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) endeavors to uphold and actualize the mission of Black Lives Matter in the music industry and reach racial justice not just across labels, publishers, agencies, distributors, and DSP’s but throughout society at large. BMAC works together with leaders from various business leaders to hold their companies accountable and implement a system of checks and balances to ensure change takes root. The group fosters and shepherds various educational, mental health, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, policing, social justice, and political causes that directly impact Black communities.
About Jesse Collins Entertainment
Founded in 2012, Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service Emmy® winning production company that has played an integral role in producing many of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. The company has a multi-year, non-exclusive overall deal with Paramount Global. JCE’s award-winning and critically acclaimed television includes programming from its three divisions. From the scripted division: scripted series—Real Husbands of Hollywood, American Soul and miniseries—The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story. From the unscripted division: unscripted series – Oh Hell No! With Marlon Wayans, Cardi Tries, My Killer Body with K. Michelle, DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic and Forward: The Future of Black Music, competition/game shows—Becoming A Popstar, Rhythm + Flow, Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares and Nashville Squares, talk shows – Yara Shahidi’s Day Off and Face to Face with Becky G, and children’s series—Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices (Daytime Emmy® Award winner). From the specials division: award shows—The Emmy Awards, The American Music Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF’s An Evening of Stars and ABFF Honors, specials—The Super Bowl Halftime Show (Primetime Emmy® Award winner), Lil Rel Howery: I said it. Y’all thinking it., CNN’s Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom, Martin: The Reunion, John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, A GRAMMY Salute to the Sounds of Change, Stand Up for Heroes, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales: I Be Knowin’, Def Comedy Jam 25, Leslie Jones: Time Machine, The All-Star Nickmas Spectacular and Rip the Runway. Emmy® winner Jesse Collins, Founder and CEO, is the executive producer of all programming. He is also an executive producer for the Grammy Awards and Golden Globes. Collins produced the 2021 Oscars.
About Primary Wave Music
The Home of Legends. Primary Wave Music is the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world. The company is home to some of the most iconic songwriters, artists, and record labels across the history of recorded music including Sun Records, Bob Marley, Prince, Stevie Nicks, James Brown, Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston, Burt Bacharach, Bing Crosby, Luther Vandross, Olivia Newton-John, Ray Charles, Steven Van Zandt, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, America, War, Gerry Goffin, Traveling Wilburys (Bob Dylan), Joey Ramone, Robbie Robertson, Bob Burns (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Teddy Pendergrass, Count Basie, Sly & The Family Stone, Boston, Alice Cooper, Paul Anka, Boy George and Culture Club, Allee Willis, Leon Russell, Paul Rodgers, Free, Toots & The Maytals, Steve Cropper, Sarah McLachlan, Martina McBride, Glenn Gould, Air Supply, Huey Lewis and the News, Jeff Porcaro (TOTO), Holly Knight, Jim Peterik, Alice In Chains, Godsmack, Disturbed, Devo, Donny Hathaway, George Merrill & Shannon Rubicam, Nicky Chinn, David Malloy, Even Stevens, Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Noel Hogan (Cranberries), Dan Wilson, Mike Scott (Waterboys), Chris Isaak, KT Tunstall, Patrick Leonard, Sturken & Rogers, Gin Blossoms, Tom Whitlock, Steve Kipner, Matt Redman, and many more. The songs represented by Primary Wave include over 800 Top 10 singles, and over 400 #1 hits. Throughout the company’s 16-year existence, Primary Wave Music has embraced an entrepreneurial spirit, offering, and executing proactive one-of-a-kind ideas, unique services, and marketing campaigns for our artists. Primary Wave has earned a stellar reputation for being forward thinking and re-introducing classic artists and their music into the modern marketplace as well as nurturing young talent to become legends themselves. This success is based upon our team of seasoned and creative executives collaboratively working together closely with our artists as partners. As a company, we strive for excellence in the pursuit of iconic artists and catalogs that not only reflect great artistry, but impact and influence culture.
CONTACT:
For more information on Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), please contact:
Michelle McDevitt | Audible Treats
Annjelica Houston | Audible Treats
Destiny Riley | Audible Treats
Khalila Douze | Biz 3
Kathryn Frazier | Biz3
Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis
Christina Canseco, Crevante Proctor, Justine Castillo
bmac@ssmandl.com