mentoring program

we.grow at ADE: Mentorship Program presented by shesaid.so and ADE Lab

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We are excited to renew our partnership with ADE this year with activities that include the we.grow mentoring program supporting music industry professionals as part of ADE Lab 2024 on October 17, 2024.

we.grow at ADE is a mentorship program presented by ADE Lab and shesaid.so, a global music community of women, gender nonconforming people and allies of all genders whose aim is to create an equitable music industry for all through education, events, mentorship,  networking and job opportunities.

In 2024, the program will focus on supporting music industry professionals, featuring a total of 5 mentors and 5 mentees selected from the shesaid.so community.

Previous shesaid.so mentors came from companies such as Coachella Music Festival, Warner Music, Armada Music, Universal Music Group, YouTube Music, Meta, WME, CAA, Atlantic Records, M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, Believe and more.

Mentee Sign-Up!

To sign up to the mentoring program as a mentee, click HERE.

Mentees can apply to take part until Sunday, September 29.

** Please note that to participate, you will need to be in Amsterdam during ADE Thursday (17th October).

** Application deadline is September 29 and mentees must have a Lab ticket in order to apply.

Open to all genders, with priority given to people from underrepresented communities and disadvantaged backgrounds.

we.grow at ADE - Mentors

  1. Connie Chow - Marketing Strategy Director - Dance/Electronic, FUGA

  2. Elisa Luengo - Music Programmer, Dekmantel

  3. Jessica Wilson - COO, Seven20 

  4. Phiona Okumu - Head of Sub-Saharan Music, Spotify 

  5. Sam Mobarek - Head of Major Recordings (Warner Records) & Founder of Mob Creative

Mentor/Mentee Commitment

  • Read through & apply the information from the mentoring guidelines we share with you prior to their engagement

  • Attend shesaid.so events if logistically possible

  • Spend at least 1h together throughout your ADE attendance and 1h after ADE (2h in total between October 17th and December 31st, 2024)

About we.grow @ ADE

shesaid.so has been working with ADE since 2017 with a focus on programming around diversity and inclusion in the music industry. 

In 2019 we took our partnership to the next level and introduced she.grows at ADE - a mini-mentoring program that paired 10 senior-level members from the shesaid.so community with mentees selected by ADE University. The scheme included an open call, mentor/mentee matching & training, workshops, networking and a DJ showcase

In 2022 we worked together with ADE to bring back the mentoring program, curate talks as part of ADE Pro, and introduce a shesaid.so space as part of the ADE Lab track powered by Zora and hosted at Lynk & Co’s flagship Amsterdam Club.

In 2023 the program focused on 4 areas of the music business, reflecting the tracks that attendees will be able to engage in as part of ADE Lab 2023:  Artists, Producers, Mixed Media and Music Professionals. The program featured a total of 20 mentors and 20 mentees, with 5 mentor-mentee pairs per each of the four Lab areas.


Our goal is to create an inclusive environment where our global community attending ADE can connect with one another and other industry professionals, in addition to learning.  

shesaid.so x PRS POWER UP 2024

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In 2024, shesaid.so once again join forces with PRS to run POWER UP, the long-term initiative supporting Black music creators, industry professionals, and executives, while also addressing anti-Black racism and racial disparities in the music sector.

To achieve our aim, POWER UP X shesaid.so are looking for acclaimed music professionals, both creators and executives, to mentor and coach future industry leaders.

  • Mentors are matched with mentees based on experience, aims, needs, background and requirements by a panel of mentoring experts.

  • The mentors must a deep understanding of the barriers faced by Black music professionals; extensive experience within your area or a specialist skill set. It is recommended by POWER UP X shesaid.so that mentor pairs dedicate 2 hours per month to the 4-month scheme.

We provide training, a guidance handbook, access to 2x mentorship managers and £175 as a nominal gesture of gratitude for the mentors’ time.

If you can commit to 2hrs per month, please register here by the 31st of January.

To check out the success of year 1, 2 and 3 you can click here.

shesaid.so South Africa Open Call: ALL ACCESS Programme

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shesaid.so South Africa presents ALL ACCESS, a training programme designed specifically for women and gender minorities in the music industry. The Chapter’s mission is to break down barriers and provide equal opportunities for all members to advance their careers in specialised roles. The initial iteration of ALL ACCESS focuses on event production in partnership with Rocking The Daisies - South Africa's biggest Music and Lifestyle experience.

Eight participants will be selected to attend a one-month training program in August 2023. At the end of the program, three participants will be selected for work placements with Steyn Entertainment, Untitled Basement, The Fam, and Other Village People.

Participants in the workshops will receive R800 to cover transportation costs during the training period. Work placement participants will receive R5,000 per month for three months. You will have the opportunity to work on real-world projects and learn from some of the best in the business.

Key dates

Application deadline: 17 July 2023

Participant Selection: 18 - 31 July 2023

Training Programme: 5, 12, 19, and 26 August 2023

Work placements: 4 September - 30 November 2023

Click HERE for more information and to apply.

Follow shesaid.so South Africa on Instagram for more updates.

shesaid.so x MPA: Coaching for Progress

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The MPA and shesaid.so have joined forces to present Coaching for Progress – a coaching/mentorship scheme targeting mid/senior level established music publishing executives on the verge of moving into senior leadership roles.

Coaching for Progress aims to elevate our mentees through coaching and, as a result, diversify boardrooms.

The programme has been designed to promote women into senior management positions because of historical discrimination that has led to male-dominated C-suites.

Please apply using this link by Wednesday 15th March.

You will be contacted if you have been selected to be part of our first cohort of Coaching for Progress by the MPA x shesaid.so.

5 successful applicants will commence with the 4-month programme from March 2023 until July 2023. The 5 successful applicants will be paired with a carefully chosen and well-suited mentor to coach them through the 4-month programme. Both mentee and coach will be provided with training and given handbooks to guide the relationship in order to get the most out of it. If you fit the criteria below, please respond to our questionnaire in the link. A minimum of 2 years experience in music publishing, including sync, A&R, copyright, sampling, and business affairs.

Protected characteristics: people representing age, disability, gender reassignment (being an individual who is 'proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process or part of a process to reassign their sex'), marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex (being a man or a woman), and sexual orientation (LGBTQIA+); Aim to step into a leadership role.

we.grow x Power Up Mentoring Program 

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We're joining forces with POWER UP - an ambitious, long-term initiative which supports Black music creators and industry professionals and executives, as well as addressing anti-Black racism and racial disparities in the music sector.

POWER UP are calling for an experienced and diverse cohort of mentors to volunteer and get involved in this mentorship scheme, focusing on mentoring outstanding Black music creators and professionals who are at a crucial career tipping point. The mentorship scheme will run in tandem with the POWER UP Participant Programme at the beginning of January 2023, and shesaid.so are the mentoring partner and mentorship managers.

To achieve our aim, POWER UP X shesaid.so are looking for acclaimed music professionals, both creators and executives, to mentor and coach future industry leaders.

If you have a deep understanding of the barriers faced by Black music professionals; extensive experience within your area or a specialist skill set, please apply through the link below. POWER UP X shesaid.so recommend mentor pairs dedicate 2 hours per month to the 4-month scheme.

Mentors will be matched with mentees based on experience, aims, needs, background and requirements by a panel of mentoring experts from shesaid.so. Training and support will be provided alongside regular check-ins with your shesaid.so mentorship manager.

To register and join our cohort of Mentors for shesaid.so and POWER UP to choose from, please complete the following Google Form by close of play Monday 28th November 2022:

POWER UP x shesaid.so | we.grow Mentor Form

we.grow at ADE Mentoring Program 2022

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In 2022 the shesaid.so x ADE mentoring program is back under a new, inclusive name, we.grow at ADE. This year five mentees from the electronic music sphere and five mentees with a more specific focus on the web3 space will be invited along. Mentors are curated from the global shesaid.so community and mentees are invited to apply via the ADE website.

Program Outline

  • 10 mentors & 10 mentees (5 electronic music + 5 web3)

  • 1 Mentor handbook

  • 1 Mentee handbook

  • 1 Mentor/Mentee training session

  • 3 private events

Mentors & Mentees

This year we are excited to invite 5 mentees from the wide electronic music space and 5 mentees with a more specific focus on the web3 space.

The web3 track of the scheme will take place in partnership with ZORA - The open protocol to buy, sell and curate NFTs on Ethereum. We feel particularly aligned with them as a partner, as reflected by their Manifesto.

Web3 is a growing technology area that is changing the music industry as we speak and it is our desire to educate our community about opportunities within it and offer them the chance to learn from the best leaders in this space.

For the regular electronic music track of the scheme, we teamed up with YouTube Music and Meta to host a kickoff and a closing brunch events for mentors and mentees. This is an opportunity for us to create connections for the we.grow participants to these powerful companies. 

Mentees! Apply for a chance to be selected in the program here!

Submission period has been extended to Thursday, Oct 13th

Please note that after sign up, the shesaid.so team will pick 10 lucky mentees to follow this years' we.grow mentorship. Mentees will be contacted on October 14th.