Ty Stiklorius

Ty Stiklorius wants to help her company’s artists and impactors achieve not only their creative and business goals, but their social impact ones, too. Stiklorius is the Founder and CEO of Friends At Work, a management, entertainment and social impact company that partners with leading creators, influencers and brands to elevate important voices and help their vision thrive. Founded in 2015, LA-based Friends At Work supports the careers of artists including John Legend, Lindsey Stirling, and Raphael Saadiq among others. Friends At Work also partners with corporations and individuals on social impact strategy, business development, and creative storytelling and production. Stiklorius' philanthropic work did not begin during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has always been apart of her life. She was raised a Quaker and as a kid spent a lot of time in the community, helping those who needed it. She says: “I started my practice of altruism early, and I never really stopped.”

Stiklorius' work with John Legend began in 2006 with JL Ventures, where she created and developed artist-focused strategies for content innovation and social impact. Stiklorius is a principal alongside John Legend and Mike Jackson in the Get Lifted Film Co. production company. She served as Executive Producer on the Oscar-winning film La La Land, WGN’s hit series Underground, A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy and most recently won an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert on NBC.

Stiklorius and Legend have started multiple non-profit partnerships including the Show Me Campaign and #FREEAMERICA to influence the national conversation regarding mass incarceration and prosecutor integrity. Their work strives to tackle many issues within the criminal justice system, specifically advocating to end the practice of life without parole for children, amplifying the voices of those impacted by the criminal justice system, and breaking down stereotypes to end the era of mass incarceration in America. In 2017, Fast Company included Ty on their Most Creative People list and Billboard named her as one of the most powerful women in music.

Prior to JL Ventures, Stiklorius was a consultant in the Media and Entertainment practice at LEK Consulting in Los Angeles where her client work focused on content distribution, operational analysis and new media strategies. She has worked at Ascent Media in Los Angeles and RealNetworks in Seattle. She also worked at Atom Factory, where she co-managed John Legend, Lindsey Stirling, Meghan Trainor, and Kenna. She joined Atom Factory in 2012 after having been a partner at The Artists Organization, a Los Angeles-based management company.

Stiklorius earned an MBA from The Wharton School of Business as well as a BA from The University of Pennsylvania. She serves various non-profit and private company boards, including Penn Law's Advisory Board for the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice, and LIFT-Los Angeles. Stiklorius is also on the board of Americans For The Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America.