Leslie Fram
Founder & CEO, FEMco
Music industry veteran Leslie Fram is the Founder & CEO of FEMco (Fram Entertainment & Music), a creative consulting collective specializing in Strategic Career Development for artists, Talent Booking Services, and Connection to Nashville’s entertainment community. Her proven instinct for artist growth, mentorship and cultural relevance, combined with over 30 years of experience in the music industry, uniquely position FEMco as a premier entertainment consulting entity in Nashville and beyond.
Known as a staunch advocate for female artists, Fram is one of the music industry’s most respected executives with a distinguished career in both television and radio. During her 13 years as Senior Vice President of Music & Talent at CMT/Paramount, she created new avenues to showcase rising acts and served as executive producer on the CMT Music Awards and booked talent for such storied franchises as CMT Crossroads, Storytellers and more. In 2013, she created the first female-powered initiative for the network, CMT’s “Next Women of Country” to give voice to emerging female artists by exponentially increasing their visibility and reach via nationwide touring, television exposure, brand partnerships, and more.
While at CMT, Fram also co-founded “Change the Conversation,” a grassroots organization created to address the gender gap in country music. Her advocacy for parity also extends towards all underrepresented voices in country music resulting in her partnership with mtheory’s “Equal Access,” a groundbreaking program that helps artists and management professionals outside of country music break into the industry.
Known throughout the industry as a tastemaker, mentor, and connector, Fram has held influential positions in rock and alternative radio, living up to her designation as the ‘First Lady of Modern Rock.’ She served as Program Director and On-Air talent at Atlanta’s 99X for almost two decades, and recently rejoined the station’s morning show, “The Morning X,” with her original co-host, Steve Barnes. She continued her career in radio at New York’s rock station WRXP as Program Director and Morning Co-Host with Matt Pinfield, before arriving in Nashville in 2011.
Fram has been honored with numerous awards throughout her career and is the first woman to receive the TJ Martell Award in recognition of outstanding performance in the music industry in 2000 and was presented with the NARAS-Atlanta Chapter Heroes Award for her outstanding contributions to music and the music community. In 2009, she was honored as a Lifetime Achievement Inductee in the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame and has been recognized with a CMA Media Achievement Award and honored in such publications as Billboard Magazine, Nashville Business Journal and more. She currently serves on the Board of The Recording Academy/ Nashville Chapter, Save The Music and Nashville Music Equality, and an alum of Leadership Music Class of 2014.
Leslie is a member of the Music Industry Advisory Board as well as a member of the Board of Directors.
The Music Industry Advisory Board aims to ensure that students have access to a diverse set of successful music professionals, so they are aware that there is more to the industry beyond being on the main stage. Our mission is to close the gap for the next generation of music industry professionals to create a more inclusive and diverse future.