As we come to an end in Women’s History Month, we have to show love to the women behind the music. Beyoncé said it best when she said “who runs the world? GIRLS.” It’s no secret that the music industry is typically a male dominated industry- but let’s not forget the women who work hard behind and in front of the scenes to keep things going.
Originally from Canarsie, Brooklyn, Julissa “Trophy” Bartholomew considers herself that “extra life line that artists can use to get to where they need to be.” Trophy earned degrees in Communication and Journalism from Kingsborough Community College and Brooklyn College. Early in her career, she started a website titled trophylife.net, which eventually landed her a role at 300 Entertainment working in A&R Research. After a year, she moved to Cinematic Music Group as an A&R. She currently works as the senior director of A&R Interscope Records. She also works as a manager for Brooklyn rapper, Jeezy Mula.
Trophy has years of experience is using it to her expertise to A&R what she likes to call “hip-hop’s brightest stars.” Whether she’s in the studio putting together records with top producers or in the streets finding the next big thing she is always applying pressure.
At just 26-years-old, Jocelyn Rivera is taking the music industry by storm. Jocelyn attended Binghamton University, and there is where she got the knack to began curating live music showcases to highlight indie hip hop artists in Brooklyn. The showcases quickly gained the attention of big name brand sponsors, media outlets, and record labels. From there, she leveraged the buzz she had generated and lessons learned into a business providing freelance marketing, A&R, and branding services. She eventually went on to start her own agency PressPlay Agency – through which Jocelyn ended up working with big-name clients like Gervonta Davis and Nailah Blackman, and playing a major role in the meteoric rise of popular NYC artists, Sheff G & Sleepy Hallow.
In 2018, Jocelyn joined Atlantic Records’ Highbridge the Label, where she managed the day-to-day operations for the Bronx’s favorite lyricist, Don Q. In 2019, she joined Empire Distribution as a project manager, managing a team of on-and-offsite employees to coordinate new music releases, digital promotion, and live activations.
It’s safe to say that Jocelyn is on of the key players to making the music industry move in the right direction. To celebrate Women’s History Month, Jocelyn will be bringing a group of powerful women together for a brunch and panel discussion.
Gloria Johnson works on the fashion side of the music industry. She currently works as a fashion stylist New York City. Her work has been featured in publications such as Italian Vogue, Elle, Esquire, L’Officiel, Nylon Hypebeast, Bazaar, Maxim and Flaunt. She’s styled hip-hop heavy hitters such as super producer HIT-BOY, Saint Jhn, Yung Bleu and more. She says, “being a black stylist has not been easy. The industry has made tremendous strides, but I must say they have a long way to go. There are only a few black professionals that hold essential and leadership titles in the fashion industry. I absolutely love what I do and part of my calling is Supreme love and light into the Industry.”
