About Us
In 2018, Entertainment Leadership Academy, LLC (ELA), was established as an LLC in the State of Georgia. ELA is a research-based leadership training program the aims to educate and inspire Black, African American and African American Multi-cultural girls and women that are independent artists and aspiring entertainment professionals. The organization was created and founded by Indi Tyton, a multi-faceted artist and doctoral scholar, with projects in music and film. Indi recognized a need for independent artists to be trained on how to be leaders of their own businesses, because as artists, “we are business within ourselves”. ELA adopted the slogan “It’s Your Art. So, It’s Your Business!” with the goal of motivating independent artists to obtain the leadership training the need and deserve in order to create longevity in the entertainment industry.
Entertainment Leadership Academy is a program that focuses on assisting participants by introducing them to leadership in terms of thinking of themselves and their talents has a business. As the leaders of their own businesses, attaining success and sustaining it goes beyond formally starting a company and creating a business plan. Even for those artists that already have a manager and lawyer, they still need to realize the importance of taking charge of their careers and develop into the successful, full-time artist they always dreamed of becoming.
In this course students will be introduced to leadership, how it varies from management and how they can utilize leadership skills to cultivate longevity in the entertainment industry. The program starts out with a quick leadership questionnaire to assess their leadership styles. They will learn more about their leadership styles and encourage them to figure out the style that would work best for the type of entertainment related businesses they have formed or are planning to form. The prototypes and behaviors of successful CEOs are introduced and discussed as a group. Students will also review artist case studies from the music, film, and visual arts industries. The importance of building a solid team is discussed. The students will also have an open discussion about leveraging to provide opportunities. An introduction to business models and their importance will be discussed. Students will be broken up into groups to create business models, followed by a discussion of the results. The students will participate in group presentations and receive feedback from a panel of industry experts from different facets of the entertainment industry. Following the presentations and feedback, a meet and greet networking event will start. The course was originally formatted as a 4-week course but can be designed to fit different needs.
The impact of systemic racism on the Black/African American community, especially for Black women, includes lack of opportunities and advancement. [Serial forced Displacement, structural violence and exclusion from economic opportunities for advancement have left many Black/African American women in Georgia and California in a position where they are unable to support the health and well-being of their families.]
ELA is a [culture-specific, community-centered organization that co-designs and collaborates with artists, entertainment executives to ensure that we are creative innovative, culturally relevant and sustainable interventions and opportunities to help them thrive. We use a culturally-response continuous improvement approach to monitor our progress and to ensure that we are delivering the services and support that the community has identified.]
Our work is led and informed by Dr. India Gaston’s evidence-based and culturally specific research studies in the organizational leadership/psychology leadership space concerning the leadership self-efficacy of African American women corporate leaders and entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry. The tools we use have been validated by research and Dr. Gaston’s over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry.
We understand that the cultural axiology (value-system) of African and African Americans is essentially the same.
ELA is a culturally specific, organization in Georgia focused on supporting Black/African American women [age range] in their leadership development in preparing for sustaining careers in the entertainment industry. The majority of our clients will be independent artists, whose household income may be low to moderate levels and that can be a roadblock and/or deterrent to attaining the proper training into order to cultivate a sustainable career in the arts. A leadership mindset is where it starts, and business training is the cherry on top!
ELA takes a holistic approach to leadership development with the total person in mind. Through our unique and culturally specific approaches, we focus on [optimal health, cultural identity development, leadership education, and ensuring participants and their teams have the necessary resources to help their business succeed. It all starts with having the correct mindset for leadership in order to properly prepare for longevity as artists and as entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry.
Through our unique and cultural and gender specific approaches, we focus on leadership development and career preparation and ensuring that our clients and participants have the necessary resources to help themselves and their teams succeed.
Entertainment Leadership Academy is a program that focuses on assisting participants by introducing them to leadership in terms of thinking of themselves and their talents has a business. As the leaders of their own businesses, attaining success and sustaining it goes beyond formally starting a company and creating a business plan. Even for those artists that already have a manager and lawyer, they still need to realize the importance of taking charge of their careers and develop into the successful, full-time artist they always dreamed of becoming.
In this course students will be introduced to leadership, how it varies from management and how they can utilize leadership skills to cultivate longevity in the entertainment industry. The program starts out with a quick leadership questionnaire to assess their leadership styles. They will learn more about their leadership styles and encourage them to figure out the style that would work best for the type of entertainment related businesses they have formed or are planning to form. The prototypes and behaviors of successful CEOs are introduced and discussed as a group. Students will also review artist case studies from the music, film, and visual arts industries. The importance of building a solid team is discussed. The students will also have an open discussion about leveraging to provide opportunities. An introduction to business models and their importance will be discussed. Students will be broken up into groups to create business models, followed by a discussion of the results. The students will participate in group presentations and receive feedback from a panel of industry experts from different facets of the entertainment industry. Following the presentations and feedback, a meet and greet networking event will start. The course was originally formatted as a 4-week course but can be designed to fit different needs.
The impact of systemic racism on the Black/African American community, especially for Black women, includes lack of opportunities and advancement. [Serial forced Displacement, structural violence and exclusion from economic opportunities for advancement have left many Black/African American women in Georgia and California in a position where they are unable to support the health and well-being of their families.]
ELA is a [culture-specific, community-centered organization that co-designs and collaborates with artists, entertainment executives to ensure that we are creative innovative, culturally relevant and sustainable interventions and opportunities to help them thrive. We use a culturally-response continuous improvement approach to monitor our progress and to ensure that we are delivering the services and support that the community has identified.]
Our work is led and informed by Dr. India Gaston’s evidence-based and culturally specific research studies in the organizational leadership/psychology leadership space concerning the leadership self-efficacy of African American women corporate leaders and entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry. The tools we use have been validated by research and Dr. Gaston’s over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry.
We understand that the cultural axiology (value-system) of African and African Americans is essentially the same.
ELA is a culturally specific, organization in Georgia focused on supporting Black/African American women [age range] in their leadership development in preparing for sustaining careers in the entertainment industry. The majority of our clients will be independent artists, whose household income may be low to moderate levels and that can be a roadblock and/or deterrent to attaining the proper training into order to cultivate a sustainable career in the arts. A leadership mindset is where it starts, and business training is the cherry on top!
ELA takes a holistic approach to leadership development with the total person in mind. Through our unique and culturally specific approaches, we focus on [optimal health, cultural identity development, leadership education, and ensuring participants and their teams have the necessary resources to help their business succeed. It all starts with having the correct mindset for leadership in order to properly prepare for longevity as artists and as entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry.
Through our unique and cultural and gender specific approaches, we focus on leadership development and career preparation and ensuring that our clients and participants have the necessary resources to help themselves and their teams succeed.