Ebonie Ward and SIRA Reap the Benefits of Humility, One Conversation at a Time

Business of HYPE returns as a Limited Series with new host Awake NY founder Angelo Baque and Inaugural Guest MSCHF.

The latest episode spotlights the founder and CEO of management firm 11th & Co., Ebonie Ward, and multidisciplinary artist and current EFA Project Space resident SIRA (Marissa Lewis). Paired in a mentor and mentee dynamic during the Pioneer Project campaign, Ward and SIRA elaborate on how collaboration and mentorship have shaped their careers and personal development throughout the years.

Bulleit Frontier Whiskey’s Pioneer Project, a 100-hour commitment to uplifting creatives in food, sustainability, media and music. In partnership with the record label and music distribution platform UnitedMasters, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey’s Pioneer Project has provided over 100 hours of mentorship to rising creators, delineating resources that help artists refine and platform their art, navigating everything from branding, PR, music production, licensing and more. 

UnitedMasters artist SIRA dropped her first EP, The Stars Between My Teeth, in 2023, but her talents are multifaceted, pulling from a diverse background in filmmaking, fashion and cross-discipline mediums. For SIRA, music isn’t the end goal; instead, it provides another avenue to express herself, to parse through ideas, stories and motifs that spark interest and delight. Working closely with Ebonie Ward, she’s embraced the contemporary landscape of music, where smaller facets of creation, like a social media presence, are equally beneficial — if not vital — to brand building.

“I think for myself because I do a number of things that sometimes can be the biggest complication. It’s not the [easiest] digestible thing to say that I do music, video and fine art in that kind of context. Trying to balance these ranges of spaces [is] difficult.”

SIRA describes the importance of inclusion and safe spaces for creative professionals and the roles that leaders play within these realms to foster trust and collaborative kinship. The artist notes that she’s beginning to think of her art as its own business and the role branding plays in sustaining her community, online and offline. Asked if there’s a particular skillet she admires in Ward, she mentions: 

“I think [her] understanding and how to build and cultivate community in multiple lanes and spaces. I appreciate community so much IRL, but even in intro conversations, Ebonie already had a good understanding of how to build that even further through social — through aspects that aren’t just face-to-face. How can you showcase yourself, market yourself beyond that?”

Ebonie Ward entered the music industry through her Atlanta-based men’s boutique, FlyKix ATL, which served as a creative hub for emerging artists. Networking with contemporary hitmakers, she honed her skillsets in artist management, eventually launching her full-service firm, 11th & Co., steering the careers of Gunna and Flo Mili, among others, alongside her women-led team.

Seeing a need for impactful leadership in the industry, Ward harnessed humility — the ability to listen, safeguard and protect — as a strength throughout her career, empowering her clients to take agency over their businesses, no matter the gig or opportunity at hand. It’s a quality she’s imparted on SIRA for the road ahead in a male-dominated arena.

“I look at every mentorship very differently because everybody has different needs. I would say to the next generation, just be open-minded, be willing to learn and be willing to listen. I think as creators, we can live by an ‘I know, I know’ attitude because they know what they want. They have a vision for themselves. A lot of the younger generations don’t like to be challenged in that way. But my biggest advice [is] just be open to listen and to digest information, and to know that it’s coming from a genuine place. With age definitely comes experience.”

Later in the episode, Baque asks SIRA how she intends to pay these learnings forward in her work and beyond. Currently working at New York City’s Schomburg Center, SIRA naturally filters these inspirations into her work with students, who similarly look to her for guidance and support. Unpacking the give and take of collaboration in their work, both SIRA and Ward have found that success takes a village — and no community survives without a listening ear. 

As always, thank you for tuning into Business of HYPE. Dive into the full episode featuring MSCHF on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and read more about UnitedMasters’ artists spotlighted in Bulleit Frontier Whiskey’s Pioneer Project.