Sticky Thing teaches Kingmakers of Oakland how to make beats

Sticky Thing Music recently teamed up with Kingmakers of Oakland, an organization transforming education for young Black men, to host a hands-on beatmaking workshop led by Mike Blankenship. As part of Kingmakers’ commitment to identity-affirming, culturally relevant programming, Mike introduced youth participants to the basics of music production — including rhythm, sampling, and DAW workflows — giving students the tools to begin creating original music from scratch.

This workshop reflects Sticky Thing’s deeper mission: to open doors for emerging artists of color and diversify the pipeline into the music and commercial scoring industry. Known for producing original music for ads, film, and branded content, Sticky Thing is just as invested in what comes next — and who gets to be in the room when music is made.

Mike’s session wasn’t just technical — it was rooted in empowerment. Students walked away with new skills, new beats, and a new sense of what’s possible.

“I see myself in these kids,” said Mike Blankenship of Sticky Thing. “When we teach beatmaking, we’re not just sharing production techniques — we’re showing young artists that there’s a place for their voice, their sound, their story in the music industry. This is how we build the future.”

We’re proud to partner with Kingmakers of Oakland and support the next generation of music makers, engineers, and storytellers. Because creating opportunity? That’s part of the Sticky Thing sound.