March 16th 2023.
Ebonie Ward is not simply taking a seat at the table, she is bringing the entire table as Chairwoman and CEO of 11th & Co. According to Billboard, Ward leads 11th & Co, the first executive company operated by Black women. The headquarters are based in Atlanta, and Ward plans to extend it to Los Angeles. Her executive staff of seven is composed of Black female leaders with a wide variety of backgrounds. Ward commented, “The thing I love about the women on my team is that they have all done a variety of different things: from working in politics, finance, entertainment law, and marketing to fashion, DJing, touring, and owning a restaurant.”
11th & Co's well-known celebrity clients include Future, Gunna, Flo Milli, and James Harden. Ward declared, “I want to do something that is very unusual, not one-dimensional. In addition to our music customers, we just added James Harden of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.”
When #MeToo and #TheShowMustBePaused began to gain traction while she was employed as a partner and manager at Emagen Entertainment Group, Ward took immediate action. Ward spoke to Billboard regarding what motivated her to start her company, “there have been all these signals of placing women of color into leadership positions.” She added, “I've noticed a lot of Black women, particularly in hip-hop and R&B, who are the supports at many companies. I have also seen a lot of women who are really running these companies, but they are still not the face.”
The 2023 Women in Music Honoree informed Billboard that Black women face difficulties such as being “acknowledged and respected.” Ward said, “Even working with my past partner [Emagen founder/CEO Anthony Saleh], I have gone into rooms and not been addressed, let alone been respected, for knowing this business inside and out.” The entrepreneur also holds Black women responsible for the little amount of Black women managers and executives in the music industry. She stated, “Aside from keeping other people accountable, we need to keep ourselves accountable. As soon as everything resumed after the show was paused, many of those efforts ceased. Going back into our offices, we must still have that same enthusiasm and the same fight to hold the industry accountable for what they said they were advocating.”
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