Board of Directors
Brandy Skinner Co-Founder & Co-Chair
Brandy Skinner is a graduate of George Brown College with an advanced diploma and graduate certificate in Business Administration with a focus on Project Management. With over 10 years of service in the Project Management field she has served grassroots Initiatives, corporate entities and numerous NGOs across the province of Ontario. Her strong community ties and passion for people and service created opportunities for her to create pathways for current students to join projects to obtain real-world experience during their studies, which helped them to gain valuable insight and experience prior to graduation.
She is a board member and Project Administrator for the Destiny Leaders Community Education Development Services working alongside Dr. Marlyn Morris to remove barriers and promote capacity building for racialized communities and was selected as a grant reviewer for the Foundations For Black Communities for the 2024 grant stream. She continues to contribute to the community by linking unsheltered and at risk of eviction by completing applications for rent bank/housing stabilization to prevent eviction and attending Tribunal Ontario to make payment arrangements on behalf of vulnerable members of the community.
Brandy is a true entrepreneur and serial networker that has led to the creation of many grass-roots organizations that further advance the mission of equality and visibility from a minority perspective. Her skills and abilities as a business planner and grant writer has allowed her to inspire and empower her fellow entrepreneurs that led to the creation of The Black Awareness Movement Group, to assist BIPOC entrepreneurs in participation, collaboration, and economic advancement. Brandy is an award recipient of the Ontario Remembrance Scholarship and the Unsung Hero award and truly believes in advancing community initiatives through financial literacy, education and entrepreneurship.She has built a framework of support successfully submitting grants, trademarks, and charitable designation status for startups, self-employed and entrepreneurs across Canada.
Brandy facilitated the Business Plan workshop series on behalf of MMF Canada, City of Toronto’s Music Office which led to the creation of business plans from creative backgrounds such as artist managers, artists and creative entrepreneurs and will continue to organize and develop community initiatives that serve underrepresented groups across Canada.
Nominated as 100 Black Women to Watch
James Foss Ricci Endowment Awards of Excellence
Jean Augustine Scholarship
Student Association Award
Apex Public Relations Scholarship
Black Student Divisional Scholarship
Scotiabank BIPOC Award
Donald William Moore Scholarship
Gabrielle Rubaine Co-Founder & Co-Chair
Gabrielle is an agent of change. As a performing artist who opened for acts like Mos Def & Snoop Dog, she still found support lacking for Black female hip hop artists, like herself. This became the catalyst for embarking on a career path on the business side of the industry. She’s since managed Remix Project alumnae, Honee Haye, acted as Marketing Director of #BigTicket - a curated monthly live music event for the hip hop community showcasing artists like Junior-T, Haviah Mighty and Maestro Fresh Wes.
Her company Rubaine Consulting Co. is a strategic marketing and branding powerhouse that has helped usher in systematic change within the Canadian music industry. She curated the online hip hop radio show, "Queens of the Game" (2014-2017), supporting artists who identified as women or/and as LGBTQIA+. In 2017 she founded the event INT’L Women's Day Music Summit for creators in the rnb, soul, reggae, cultural and indigenous music genres. The event first of it's kind in Toronto aimed at providing a safe space, educational programming and showcasing opportunities for marginalized communities In 2018 she received the "Women in Media" International Women's Achiever Award.
Gabrielle worked at FACTOR in a variety of roles all focusing on outreach and diversity - implementing initiatives that continue to this day. She sits on the MusicOntario Advisory Committee was previously Chair of Membership for ADVANCE Music Canada 2022-2023 and currently holds the role of Outreach Director for MMF Canada
Amanda Godda Board of Director, Secretary
Amanda Godda, disabled, 2spirit, Metis, Artistic Director at Urban Mecca Media, has been in and around the business side of music and entertainment for over a decade; Graduating from Trebas Institute's Entertainment Business Management program in 2016.
Amanda's experience spans across a host of areas including but not limited to; Artist Management/Development, Contracts, documentation curation, Social Media, Marketing, Sales & Distribution, Networking, in addition to Event and Tour Management to name a few. Most recently, Amanda's focus has been in the private funding/Grant writing/adjudication, Sync licensing, Mentorship & consulting and nonprofit support sectors.
In 2018 Amanda embarked on her own entrepreneurial journey and created Urban Mecca Media. Urban Mecca Medias' philosophy is to breathe creative life into the careers of emerging to intermediate level artists/organizations in need of direction, resources and support. A social media aficionado, Amanda has grown from a "by any means necessary" street team promoter at Rammit Records to Operations manager at an Ottawa based independent label, an Artist and Affiliate Relations Manager with a private Canadian entertainment funding corporation, "Social Media Queen" at Being Ya Eh Game, Event Curator for TIFF Boombaux, Hospitality Team lead with Pride Toronto, cohost of ChuucH Live Show, Social Media/Web Developer at Alexandra Park Community Center - and Artistic Director at Urban Mecca Media.
Urban Mecca Media is aiming to be the much needed change the industry desperately needs.Promoting positive movements, primarily focusing on Indigenous, Women, 2SLGBTQIAA+, New Comer, Youth, PoC and marginalized group endeavors; nurturing constructive, progressively oriented alliances that will showcase diversity, storytelling and conscious messaging.