Melody Forrester
With over 25 years of experience in the management and representation of recording artists, musicians, poets, screenwriters, actors, and professional athletes, Melody Forrester found her calling in getting to highlight the voices of those often overlooked. “Even as a kid, I was always drawn to the law and the idea of standing up and speaking for people,” she says. “I’ve been blessed to get to do a lot of the things I dreamed of, and there’s so much more for me to do — particularly in the areas of social justice advocacy and using the arts to help people heal from the trauma of trying to navigate through these challenging times.” A graduate of Columbia Law School, Forrester followed her passion by founding Artists First, Inc., a Philadelphia based artist management and media consulting company, as a way to reach the community and protect artists from exploitation by elevating their voices. In 2016, she furthered that vision by starting Artists First Records, an independent record label and affiliate of Ropeadope Record. Forrester is a long-time advisor to the Board of IDEA Performing Arts Center in Camden, NJ and currently sits on the Board of Directors of Jr. Music Executive, a program that provides training to young people interested in careers in the music industry. “I love working with artists and creatives; there’s an energy around them that’s transformative and contagious,” she says. “They keep me hopeful because I watch them literally save lives with their art.” —IL
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