Shawn Wilson has known Usher for more than 20 years and is now the president of Usher’s New Look. Usher and his mother started this organization, and they chose Wilson to lead it and help take it to the next level. Wilson attended the ribbon-cutting of the new content studio at Atlanta’s Boys & Girls Club and answered a few questions for rolling out.
Why did you all decide to build a studio?
“Yeah. So if you think about a content studio, which is what this is, you know, you have everything from podcasting to filmmaking to music production, but at the end of the day, this exposed kids to, you know, dozens of career opportunities. The thing is, a lot of times, you don’t know what you like until you experience it. And that’s what this opportunity really is all about, is letting kids get in here and, you know, see if this is something that they want and something that they want to pursue moving forward.”
What does it mean for a star as big as Usher to take time out to skate with kids, hang out with them, and to be so involved in this program?
“So I think just look at that wall where it says blessed to be a blessing. That’s something that for more than 20 years, as I’ve known Usher, he’s repeated over and over. And once again, I think it speaks to the core value of his character and who he is as an individual that he realizes that he’s not blessed for himself, he’s blessed so he can pass that on to the next generation. And I think he lives that.”
What do you want to see Usher’s New Look does over the next decade?
“So going deeper into workforce development, you know, that’s why I think announcing that youth who, you know, are looking to explore careers in entertainment, will also launch the Entertainment Industry Club, which will pay them $15 an hour to learn it. They experience 120 hours of training. And so over the next, you know, 25 years, I really want to go deeper into workforce development and entrepreneurship with the org.”
