F.A.M.E. (Foundations & Acceleration for Management Excellence) is a FREE national incubator program designed to strengthen capacity, leadership and sustainability for Black Canadian music artist managers.

The F.A.M.E. Program is specifically tailored for music managers working with artists, rather than for artists managing themselves. It is designed for Black Canadian music artist managers seeking to build stronger careers, grow their management businesses, and support artists on a global scale.

Yes. F.A.M.E. is a national program delivered fully virtually via Zoom and is open to participants across Canada.

F.A.M.E. is FREE.

F.A.M.E. is a fully virtual 8-week online program combining live workshops, mentorship and networking.

The first iteration of F.A.M.E. runs over 10 weeks, with classes held twice per week, 2 hours per session. Sessions ran on Tuesdays and Thursdays . The program will expand in its next iteration. Stay tuned for details.

Program highlights include weekly free workshops with industry leaders in management, financial planning, legal essentials, marketing, touring, and publishing; one-on-one mentorship and networking opportunities with senior music executives; subject expert and guest speakers from Canadian and U.S. music markets; and pathways to export opportunities and industry funding resources.

Successful participants will also receive major perks and tools from peer and partner organizations which will be pivotal in their careers.

Participants will gain practical skills, networks and confidence needed to grow their management businesses and support artists on a global scale.

With a combination of practical knowledge, a critical educational component and a unique cultural lens, F.A.M.E. will foster innovative problem-solving skills to tackle future challenges the music industry has yet to identify, from disruptive technologies to new models of artist sustainability and equity. F.A.M.E. will also build the competence of participants to the level required for export missions.

Participants become a part of the F.A.M.E. network, building relationships with other participants, mentors and subject experts, program facilitators and BDRB founders that become part of their business and professional networks.

F.A.M.E. was created by Breaking Down Racial Barriers and developed from the ground up with a detailed curriculum specifically curated to the needs of Black music artist managers.

The curriculum is grounded in the distinct realities of Black music managers and combines practical training, mentorship, industry access, and a unique cultural lens.

Curriculum development, program ideation and oversight were led by industry veterans David “Click” Cox and Ian Andre Espinet, with facilitation and curriculum development support by veteran music manager Katrina Lopes.

F.A.M.E. is designed to equip Black music managers in Canada with the tools and resources to build stronger careers and foster more success stories. It is a professional development, mentorship and industry access program. F.A.M.E. IS NOT A JOB PLACEMENT PROGRAM. Check out our friends at

F.A.M.E. incubator program is designed to build the competence, knowledge and readiness of participants to the level required for export missions and broader international opportunities. It is part of a larger pathway of capacity-building and professional development through BDRB initiatives that support Black music managers in preparing for higher-level industry and export opportunities.

This pathway includes the F.A.M.E. Incubator, F.A.M.E. Accelerator, and BDRB Black Music Managers Export.

Breaking Down Racial Barriers (BDRB) is a Toronto-based, Black-led, Black-focused and Black-serving not-for-profit organization. Widely recognized as a major catalyst in the national conversation on anti-Black and systemic racism in the Canadian music and creative industries, BDRB delivers equity research and data innovation, programming, training, and consulting which produces actionable, measurable outcomes and drives lasting impact for future generations of music and creative industry professionals worldwide.