Professor

Professor
Taneshia Nash Laird is an award-winning strategist and educator who brings real-world experience in arts leadership, cultural entrepreneurship, and economic equity into the classroom and across campuses nationally.
As an Associate Professor in Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music, she teaches Entrepreneurship in Black Creative Expression. This interdisciplinary, project-based course explores how Black artists build movements and institutions at the intersection of culture, commerce, and ownership.
Grounded in case studies across music, theater, and dance—from the emergence of the gospel music industry to Motown to Hip Hop entrepreneurship—the course blends cultural history with core business strategy. Students engage with legal structures, IP strategy, branding, stakeholder mapping, pro forma budgeting, and more, culminating in a team-based venture pitch that prioritizes cultural relevance and community alignment.
Campus Talks & Residencies
Taneshia partners with colleges and universities for on-campus engagements ranging from single keynotes to multi-day residencies designed in close partnership with the hosting program. Residencies and campus visits may include public lectures, faculty or staff strategy sessions, half-day or full-day workshops, 1:1 coaching with venture-stage students, and class visits.
Recent and past engagements include the University of Michigan, Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, Rider University, and Keystone College.

Inquire About a Talk or Residency
Entrepreneurship in Black Creative Expression
Berklee Course: AFST-312
Course Description
Entrepreneurship in Black Creative Expression equips students with tools to launch, manage, and grow ventures in the Black performing arts. Through case studies and practical assignments, students explore how artists create institutions and movements that merge cultural integrity with business strategy. The course blends cultural history with fundamentals like business modeling, IP strategy, branding, stakeholder mapping, and pro forma budgeting.
Students examine real-world examples across music, theater, and dance, tracing paths from gospel circuits to Motown to Hip Hop entrepreneurship, while developing venture plans rooted in cultural and community relevance.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Critically analyze historical and contemporary Black cultural movements to understand their artistic, social, and entrepreneurial impact, and apply these insights to the development of culturally grounded ventures.
Identify appropriate business structures and intellectual property strategies for cultural enterprises.
Apply core concepts of branding, marketing, budgeting, and stakeholder engagement to culturally grounded ventures.
Design a venture in music, theater, or dance that reflects community relevance, sustainability, and cultural vision.
Collaborate with peers to articulate and pitch a final project demonstrating strategic planning and creative alignment.
Guest Speaker Invitation
Cultural leaders, artists, and entrepreneurs are invited to nominate themselves to speak with students in the Entrepreneurship in Black Creative Expression course. Guest speakers provide invaluable real-world insight and mentorship to emerging changemakers in the Black creative economy.
To nominate yourself as a guest speaker, email tlaird@berklee.edu with the subject line “Class Speaker Nomination – AFST-312”
Or click the button to fill out the nomination form.
Nominate

Recent and past engagements include the University of Michigan, Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, Rider University, and Keystone College.

Entrepreneurship in Black Creative Expression

Berklee Course: AFST-312

Course Description

Learning Outcomes

Guest Speaker Invitation