Emy Stantcheva is the Executive Director of MusicOntario, the provincial Music Industry Association (MIA) dedicated to supporting the grassroots growth of Ontario’s music sector. Since joining the organization in 2013, Emy has overseen all aspects of its operations, communications, marketing, funding, policy, and programming, fulfilling the association’s mission to create opportunities for emerging artists and music entrepreneurs through professional development, advocacy, and access to resources.
With 15 years of experience in the music industry, Emy has worked extensively in publicity, copywriting, artist management and development, traditional and experiential marketing, event, festivals, and awards gala production, international export strategy, community building, funding and grantwriting, advocacy, and sector-specific policy.
The theme for IWD 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge. What does that mean to you in your personal or work life?
We’ve got to challenge the myth of scarcity, because it perpetuates that there “isn’t” enough to go ‘round’, whether that’s resources for basic needs or space for more people to succeed alongside one another. We’re in a creative industry, and the more that we create space for women and non-binary, gender fluid, and gender non-conforming peers, the more work and opportunity there will be for all of us to influence and build the industry we would have wanted to enter ourselves.
How important is it for women to lift each other up and what does that look like to you?
It is an absolute game changer to establish trust, friendship, resource-sharing, and support systems with female, non-binary, and gender non-conforming peers, regardless of which stages or chapters of your careers you may each be in. Everything ebbs and flows, and your long-term networks and toolkits as a professional are far better developed by supporting and respecting those who came before you, those who you came up with, and the newcomers to the biz – regardless of age. You don’t have to be best pals with everyone, but common ground is not that uncommon. 😉
What progress have you seen on gender equality in your life and work?
We are seeing more women taking executive roles, and younger folks being afforded space to share ideas, inform best practices, and lead charges, which is heartening. Board rooms are slowly beginning to reflect the workforce which fuels our industry. But there’s a lot of change that needs to occur internally in organizations, companies, and the creative spaces that artists work in (studios, venues, festivals, etc.) to ensure that those peers enjoy the same safety, titles, compensation, and workloads, and privileges, which is often not the case. And, of course, our levels of privilege vary based on a great many factors, including race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, parenthood, language, and socio-economic background. Burnout should be a real concern across the board knowing how many of our talented and skilled peers continue to have to work ten times as hard for a fraction of the benefits.