Usher Partners With BET and Boys & Girls Clubs to Launch Year-Round Media Career Program

Usher's New Look, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit, and BET Next Gen have joined forces to create a year-round program, according to Crain's Detroit. The goal? Opening doors for young people who want to break into media, music, and entertainment.

The whole thing kicked off at the 2026 BET Awards. Four interns from Usher's New Look's Entertainment Industry Club: Live Touring Edition became part of the BET Next Gen cohort. Two interns are working on The R&B Tour, featuring Usher and Chris Brown. Also, during BET Awards Week, these young professionals shadowed experts in communications, PR, social media operations, marketing, production, and brand creative departments.

"Providing young professionals with access to programs like BET Next Gen is about creating opportunities that inspire them to see what's possible," said Usher in a statement.

Leaders plan to expand this into a full-year leadership and workforce development experience. Spark Lab Studios in Atlanta and Detroit will host the program. Industry professionals will guide them through executive mentorship sessions and ongoing training.

"At BET, our responsibility extends beyond telling stories. We have a responsibility to help develop the people who will tell the next generation of stories," Louis Carr, president of BET, added in the statement. "Our partnership with Usher's New Look and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit reflects a shared commitment to expand access, cultivate leadership and build a more inclusive pipeline of future industry leaders."

This collaboration grows out of the Entertainment Industry Club: Live Touring Edition. That workforce development program came from Usher's New Look working with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit. It places participants in real positions on a national concert tour: production, wardrobe, multimedia, and operations.

Several members from the first group still work on tour. Others have landed industry experience through programs like BET Next Gen.

"Creating a true entertainment industry talent pipeline takes intentionality and the right partners who believe in providing young professionals with the skills and access they need to be successful," Shawn H. Wilson, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit and Co-founder of Usher's New Look, added. "We're excited to partner with BET and continue knocking down barriers for the next generation."

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit serves more than 17,000 youth each year. "Through innovative programming and cross-sector partnerships," a statement on the organization says, "BGCGD equips youth with the various forms of capital required to achieve long-term success."