UMAC

Will Strickland's career as a trailblazer is extensive and ever-expanding. Starting in 1986, this true hip hop culture enthusiast started his career as one of the youngest deejays and on-air personalities in the country while still in high school, parlaying this experience into his own college, community & commercial radio shows and a local video show once he matriculated to Rice University in 1988 on an academic and athletic scholarship. Will added to his collegiate laurels by launching UrbanArt Marketing and Promotions, a marketing, promotions and consulting firm, dealing with such corporate giants as Nike, HBO, Coca-Cola and more!

Moving from his company and into corporate, working directly for several of the record labels he once promoted, such as Uptown, Badboy, RCA and Epic/Sony Music, Will Strickland's passion for music is highlighted by the work he has done in aiding to guide the careers and efforts of artists such as Mary J. Blige, The Notorious B.I.G., Prince, R. Kelly, WuTang Clan, Sade, Jamiroquai, SWV, Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Tupac & more! While at Epic, Will conceptualized, implemented and executed the first ever online concert in black music history with Ghostface Killah, featuring Raekwon and Cappadonna, in 1997.

Continuing his growth as a renaissance man, Will created and taught the world's first university-accredited course on hip hop culture at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1998. Will has worked as the music editor for Rap Pages Magazine, had his immense talents requested by Queen Latifah in aiding the turnover of her Flavor Unit Management into a full-fledged record label by presiding as Senior National Director of Promotions at Flavor Unit before crossing the border into the Great White North.

Will is currently the creator, host & executive producer of several television properties in development for major North American networks such as ESPN2, BET, VH1, The Score & Much Music. He is also working as a freelance writer for several publications and a highly sought-after public speaker. Will Strickland, The "AmeriCanadian", is a true champion for the cause and preservation of Canadian urban music culture.

Dwayne "4TYFour" Dixon has known from an early age that music would be his calling. Willing to do anything and everything to get in the door, Dwayne saw an ad about a company called looking for volunteers for a music showcase. After making the call, he was quickly informed by Phem Phat founder, Ebonnie Rowe, that the ad was wrong and she wasn't looking for help. "I offered my services anyway not expecting much in return." Ebonnie took Dwayne up on his services and by doing so, opened the door for future volunteers. By the way, that fledgling artist showcase is now the legendary "Honey Jam".

After a multitude of joint & solo ventures into the entertainment realm, it was during this experience where Dwayne realized there were too few outlets for urban artists in Toronto and started an Apollo Theatre-styled Artist Showcase called FYI (Follow Your Instinct). When asked what he hopes to accomplish in music when it's all said and done, Dwayne replied "to see our talent be recognized on the global scale, as the worldwide talents that we are."

Derek's bio

Nader is a recent graduate at Humber College for business marketing and communications. For the past five years, Nader has been working at Groundworks Marketing on behalf of Sony Music Entertainment as the coordinator for Lifestyle Marketing, having worked many of today's hottest Canadian urban projects such as Keshia Chante, Classified, Shawn Desman, Jacksoul, Zaki Ibrahim, In Essence, Rascalz and more. In January 2009, Nader became the new face at UMAC, landing the title as Director of Marketing. His education in marketing, knowledge of the music industry and unconditional love for music makes Nader a key player at UMAC in today's business.

Joining UMAC was a natural choice for Stacey Marie Robinson, a piano teacher and writer who is passionate about supporting Canada's unique urban culture.

Stacey has studied Communications at the University of Windsor as well as Wayne State Unversity, and developed her musical knowledge through training with the Royal Conservatory of Music. She is proud of the educational component to UMAC's structure, and believes that through programming and support, UMAC members will be able to obtain the knowledge and resources needed to assist their career development and interests.

Stacey has written Canada's first and only collection of urban fiction novels, the Urban Toronto Tales, and is the founder of Kya Publishing, an independent press committed to the growth and acknowledgement of urban Canadian writers.

Excited about the power and possibility that the Canadian urban music community embodies, Stacey looks forward to encouraging the participation and support of UMAC in her position as the Membership Director, and continuing to support Canadian urban artists.

Hailing from Toronto, DJ MelBoogie is one of the country's best-known urban female DJs. For over 15 years, her roots have been deeply embedded in college radio, formerly at CHRY 105.5FM, where she and DJ Manifest set the prime time morning airwaves on fire for 6 years. She has also hosted several events in the GTA community, including the Toronto Annual Graffiti Expo, Canadian Music Week, North By North East Indie Showcase (presented by NOW Magazine), and has been a speaker/panelist at a variety of music industry conferences. She has also made several television appearances, including Much Music, New Music, MTV Canada, Toronto Life, and Fashion Television's spin-off, Ooh-La-La. She’s also opened for some of hip hop’s most respected artists, including Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip and M.O.P.

MelBoogie can be heard weekly on Droppin' Dimez, Canada's ONLY all-female hip hop show, alongside JJ Rock and Big G, every Monday night from 11PM to 2:00AM on CKLN 88.1FM . There, she provides the perfect combination of party, old school, conscious and underground music for the masses. The objective of the show is to promote and break Canadian artists, and some of the best up and coming talent can be heard on a weekly basis.

A freelance writer, Mel has had the opportunity to interview some of music's finest artists including Common, Lil' Kim, De la Soul, KRS-One, Goapele, Flo'etry and many more. Also a well-respected Publicist, Mel has produced events and done PR for a variety of artists and events, including Maestro (Fresh-Wes), Jully Black, Ron Artest, Theo3, TRIXX, The Real Frequency, Caribana, and several other DJs throughout the country.

Mel has been the resident DJ for Honey Jam, Canada's longest-running all female showcase (www.phemphat.com), since it launched in 1995, and is Canada's first female CORE DJ. In 2008, Mel won the Stylus Female DJ of the Year Award, naming her the top female DJ in Canada, and was the only DJ selected to participate in Luminato's Mille Femmes Exhibit, dedicated to Toronto's most inspiring women in the creative arts, presented by L'Oreal. Additionally, she is the only female DJ to be a repeated feature guest on Toronto’s FLOW 93.5FM.

Floyd Wilson is currently a Manager at MidCity Mortgage Corporation, where he provides lending and wealth management solutions to personal and business clients across the country. Floyd also helps young entrepreneurs to start, grow and maintain their businesses.

Floyd Wilson currently sits on the board of the following organizations: Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA); BBPA National Scholarship and Brandon Street Community Development Foundation. UMAC is the latest organization Floyd adds to his impressive laurels & The Association is honoured to have him on their team.

Entrepreneur Carol Allen co-launched Platinum Star Entertainment Productions, www.platinumstarentertainment.com, with a couple business partners under the motto of "Bringing Entertainment Back to Life". She has most recently hosted Night of the Groove, a weekly open mic showcase dedicated to developing and nurturing the talents of up and coming entertainers & to produce quality events for people who may not necessarily enjoy the party scene, but want to be entertained nonetheless.

Through her personal company, CarreBizness, Carol keeps thousands of people in the loop with a weekly events and entertainment listing, designed to keep Torontonians and those living abroad informed of the city's happenings. It is one of the most sought-after guides to the urban entertainment scene & she is now reaching a wider audience through her blog at http://carrebizness.blogspot.com.

With over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Carol Allen's infinite energy and drive are an incredible asset to UMAC.

A community driven individual, Peter Chiappetta’s passion for culture extends beyond music, film, photography, fashion and literature. As part of the UMAC experience, his main objective is to help enable aspiring young men and women across the nation achieve their goals in Canada’s urban music and entertainment landscape. By doing so, Peter hopes to follow in the footsteps of one of his professional mentors, Will Strickland.

Peter has been fortunate enough to gain a wide range of professional experiences and skill sets, all the while meeting great people along the way. After graduating from Ryerson University in 2007, he furthered his interests in music by earning an honours diploma in Entertainment Business Management. Peter's resume includes: Sanderson Entertainment Law, KOCH Entertainment, MTV Canada, E1 Films, in addition to various volunteer experiences at live shows and charity events. Also, he has contributed as a freelance writer to online entertainment sites, most notably allhiphop.com

After 17 years of classical training in piano, voice and violin, Keziah decided not to be an artist, but decided to fully embrace her musical upbringing, collaborate it with business and work in the music industry.

During her first year at Wilfrid Laurier University, Keziah was accepted into the INROADS internship program. Using the knowledge acquired from her INROADS internship experiences, Keziah started to plan events, promote school clubs, and work alongside rapper JD Era, getting her feet wet in the music business. Keziah continued to work hard and stay motivated and, before long, Keziah found herself working alongside Drake, Bishop Brigante, Ken Masters, and producers Boi 1da, Tone Mason and Spinz. While in university, Keziah, not only kept up with her academic studies, but also was a dance choreographer, a part of toastmasters and the president of the Association of Black Students. During the summers Keziah, through INROADS, worked for various businesses, honing, increasing and acquiring new skills which have become part of her ‘best practices”. The valuable lessons learnt through INROADS, along with the high caliber of students in the internship program, have helped Keziah to visualize and maintain her “Roadmap for Success”.

Upon the completion of a Communications (Business -Marketing)/Sociology degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, Keziah went to Burkina Faso, West Africa to volunteer. While in West Africa, Keziah integrated new programs and improved the logistics of other projects, along with teaching dance, vocal and piano lessons. 

Keziah now handles business relations for Kim Davis, Daniel Daley and Linda Luztono out of Toronto. Alongside working with these artists, Keziah works, full time, as project manager for The MuseBox, a full service music and entertainment marketing agency, where she focuses on marketing campaigns for music artists, along with writing press releases to increase the artists’ presence. Keziah also sits, as a board member, on the Urban Music Association of Canada as the Operations Coordinator, where she is able to increase the prescense of urban music in Canada. Throughout Keziah’s short career she has had to opportunity to work alongside Ne-Yo, Eric Roberson, Sean Paul, LL Cool J, Robin Thicke and Destra. Outside of her hectic music life, Keziah plays American football for four leagues, helps with youth initiatives across Toronto and loves to play piano, sing and have fun with close friends.