Ebony Williams, 18 – Operational Business
I.T.A. Entertainment
Chicago, Illinois

"I have been into music since the age of five. Expressing myself through music is how I get over difficult situations."

Music has been Ebony Williams’ life since she was a small child. Her love of music and entertainment led her to found I.T.A. Entertainment, which stands for Image, Talent, and Attitude. “I feel those are the three things an artist needs to make it in the entertainment business,” she says. I.T.A. Entertainment is a talent agency that provides concerts and after parties for artists in Chicago, and also books special guests to perform at functions.

Ebony is a senior at Chicago Vocational Career Academy, where she participated in the NFTE program. She has been singing and rapping in a group since she was 13, and has performed many places in Chicago. Ebony had a number of personal difficulties to overcome, including the loss of her grandmother, but her music has been a constant passion. Now it is the focus of her business.

Ebony used her experience networking with local radio personalities and her business expertise to put together her first event, which was hosted by Stone Pony, a popular DJ at WGCI-FM. Her next concert will be held in May. Her NFTE instructor, Georgia Blackmon, says, “I have observed Ebony emerging from a student into an enterprising, practicing entrepreneur who exhibits a positive attitude and initiative.”

Ebony plans to attend Harold Washington College in Chicago.