Custom Resources represents the culmination of a life shaped by early responsibility, entrepreneurship, and a sustained commitment to strengthening communities through access, opportunity, and institution-building. Over more than forty years, Gorman has founded and led organizations including Diverse City of America Inc., Custom Resources NFP, Gorman House Publishing, and Bronzeville Podcast Studio, and he is a co-founder of the Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Museum. Each of these efforts connects back to the mission embodied by Custom Resources: creating tangible pathways for individuals to grow, stabilize, and contribute to their communities. His work spans cultural production, political organizing, publishing, youth engagement, media development, and workforce training, with each phase building on the lessons and experiences of the last and informing the structure and purpose of Custom Resources.

 

Gorman began working at a young age in Chicago. From 1982 to 1985, he worked as a child model, an experience that introduced him to professional expectations, time management, and the importance of preparation and consistency. By 1987, he was managing a paper route that included both delivery and collections, teaching him accountability and responsibility. That same year, he started a lawn care business, building service routes and maintaining client relationships. As he moved into high school, the business expanded to include car washing, property cleaning, apartment clean-outs, and painting. These early ventures shaped his understanding of work ethic, organization, and self-reliance—principles that would later become foundational to the philosophy behind Custom Resources and its emphasis on practical skills, responsibility, and economic independence.

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In 1993, Gorman organized his first independent event in a hotel suite. Its success led to additional requests to help plan and coordinate gatherings, marking the beginning of his involvement in event production. Around the same period, he worked as an administrative assistant and intern with the Chatham Business Association, gaining early exposure to nonprofit operations and community-based business development. These early experiences helped form his understanding of community needs and organizational structure, lessons that would later guide the creation of Custom Resources as a hands-on support system rooted in real-world solutions.

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Gorman enrolled at Illinois State University in 1994 as an International Business major. During his time there, he became involved in student activism. In 1996, alongside James Washington, he co-founded Black Rage, a student organization inspired by the ideology and organizing principles of the Black Panther Party. The group organized protests addressing issues affecting Black students and formed a coalition with a Latino student organization known as Flames of Resistance, fostering early Black and Brown collaboration around shared concerns. These experiences deepened his understanding of collective action and advocacy, perspectives that continue to influence the community engagement and empowerment model central to Custom Resources.

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In 1997, after taking an Intro to Music Business course taught by Dr. Frank Suggs, Gorman redirected his academic focus toward the music industry. He transferred to Columbia College Chicago to pursue a degree in Music Business Management, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts and a 3.75 GPA. That same year, he co-founded and incorporated his first company, The World’s Apex, with LeRoy Willis. While the venture itself did not become a long-term enterprise, it provided early experience in business formation, legal structure, and organizational planning—skills that would later inform the structure and sustainability of Custom Resources.

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During the mid-1990s, Gorman became deeply involved in Chicago’s underground music scene through Atom Entertainment and Atom Magazine. Beginning in 1995, he served as an event coordinator and associate publisher, working alongside Joseph Anderson, Ernest Temple, and James Potter III. Atom produced events at venues including the Elks Lodge, the Prop House, Riverwest Brewery, and the House of Blues. Atom Magazine documented the city’s emerging music culture and featured interviews with national artists appearing in Chicago, including Destiny’s Child. From 1999 to 2001, Gorman served as Publisher of Atom Magazine, helping guide its editorial direction and expand its role as a platform documenting Chicago’s underground and emerging music scene. During this period, the publication played an important role in capturing the energy of local artists and connecting Chicago’s independent cultural movement with broader audiences.

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From 1998 to 2000, he also served as executive director and student president of the Music and Entertainment Training Institute (METI), a student-run record label and training organization. During this time, he helped produce the METI Platinum Bound Conference and Showcase and worked on projects including the Sprite All-Star Mixtape and Hip-Hop Unity Fest, which promoted Chicago artists. Artists associated with METI went on to win the WGCI Radio Showcase in 2000 and 2001. These early training and mentorship experiences would later shape the workforce development and skill-building programs that became central to Custom Resources.

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In 2000, Gorman transitioned away from the Atom brand and founded Diverse City of America Inc., an organization designed to support event production, marketing, promotions, branding, and cultural programming. Diverse City became a central platform for a wide range of creative and community-centered initiatives and later supported music releases by artists including Teefa, SenSear 2, Team All City, and NVisible Man. The organizational experience gained through Diverse City directly informed the operational model that would later guide Custom Resources.

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Alongside his cultural work, Gorman held roles in housing and redevelopment. From 1999 to 2001, he served as sales and marketing director for Neighborhood Housing Services Redevelopment Corporation, placing more than 50 residential properties under contract. From 2002 to 2004, he continued in the housing sector as a sales and marketing manager for Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, gaining experience in community-based redevelopment and performance-driven program management. These roles strengthened his understanding of housing stability, economic mobility, and community infrastructure—issues that later became part of the broader support philosophy behind Custom Resources.

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Throughout the early 2000s, Gorman worked on major cultural events and national productions. From 2001 through 2009, he served as an assistant main stage producer for the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, helping coordinate sponsor activations, artist appearances, and production logistics on one of the country’s largest stages celebrating Black music and culture. He also worked with the Chicago Football Classic from 2001 to 2007. In 2001, he served as youth coordinator, facilitating participation for hundreds of young attendees. From 2003 through 2007, he led marketing, promotions, and design efforts, producing logos, print materials, and sponsorship assets for the event.

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His work also included public health and awareness campaigns. Between 2004 and 2008, he served as a consultant on World AIDS Day initiatives, developing marketing materials and outreach strategies. In 2005, he produced BASUAH on Campus, which combined performances and educational panels on HIV awareness. In 2006, he co-executive produced the BASUAH Songs of Hope mix CD, coordinating local artists and distributing thousands of copies throughout Chicago.

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From 2007 to 2010, Gorman worked in media leadership roles at The Standard Newspapers in Chicago and the South Suburbs, serving as managing editor, art director, and lifestyle editor. His work included editorial oversight, visual design direction, and content development across multiple editions, strengthening his experience in journalism, communications, and community storytelling.

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In 2009, he became chief operating officer of Soul Selector DJs, a Chicago-based DJ collective. In this role, he managed operations, coordinated bookings, developed venue partnerships, and supported technical production. Throughout the 2010s, he oversaw DJ residencies at venues including Chicago Bar, Big Easy, KnockOuts, Suavee, and the Velvet Lounge, and engineered sound for hundreds of events and festivals. In 2011, he developed the Soul Selector DJ Program curriculum in collaboration with DJ World, DJ INC, and DJ Eddie Mills. The program continues to be taught and has influenced other DJ training initiatives. From 2012 to 2016, he created and produced the Soul Selector DJ Picnic, an annual community-centered event.

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His advocacy also extended into education. From 2012 to 2015, he served as president of the Lenart Parent Group, where he worked with parents and administrators to advocate for fair treatment of students and increased accountability within Chicago Public Schools.

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In 2014, following the police shooting of Laquan McDonald, Gorman became deeply involved in grassroots activism. He helped organize protests, including actions that shut down the Magnificent Mile along Michigan Avenue. That same year, he founded the Chicago Community Activism Facebook group, which grew into a hub for volunteerism, partnerships, and community mobilization across the city. In 2015, he expanded his civic work by founding First Place Campaigns, an organization focused on supporting political campaigns through field operations, particularly petition signature acquisition and voter identification efforts. Through this work, Gorman and his teams supported campaigns in multiple regions, including projects that extended beyond Illinois. The experience deepened his understanding of civic engagement, voter outreach, and the operational side of the democratic process. This period also led to involvement with the Justice or Else local organizing committee, where he worked alongside members of the Nation of Islam, participated in political education efforts, and helped organize accountability initiatives. He also helped lead 10,000 Fearless, a volunteer-driven effort that mobilized community members to walk along 79th Street to help deter violence through visible presence and engagement.

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In 2017, he opened a community service space that became the foundation for Custom Resources NFP. Founded that same year, Custom Resources focuses on workforce training, employment preparation, mentorship, and job placement for low-income individuals, people experiencing homelessness, and veterans. The organization was created to address systemic barriers to employment and to connect individuals with real opportunities for stability. Custom Resources stands at the center of Gorman’s life work, reflecting the full arc of his experience across entrepreneurship, organizing, workforce development, and community engagement.

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In 2018, Gorman founded Gorman House Publishing, an independent Chicago-based publisher focused on community narratives, local history, and personal development. The company launched Chicago Community Activism Magazine in 2020 and published The Black Agenda in 2021. In 2021, he founded Bronzeville Podcast Studio, a media production space dedicated to amplifying community voices and stories. The studio has supported productions including ITZ Podcast, which has recorded more than 130 episodes, Hip Hop Unplugged, and the Chicago Community Activism Podcast.

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On July 3, 2021, Gorman co-founded the Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Museum, an institution focused on preserving and documenting the history of hip hop culture in Chicago through exhibits, tours, and educational programming. In 2024, he became President of the Board of Directors of the TRECC Community Development Foundation, where he helps guide initiatives focused on workforce development, career training, civic engagement, and community empowerment—work that closely aligns with and reinforces the mission of Custom Resources. That same year, he also became Vice President of Civics for FBRK Brands, developing civics curriculum and implementing educational programming in high schools that connects civic responsibility to lived experience.

Across his career, Brian Gorman’s work has consistently converged through Custom Resources, which serves as the central platform for his commitment to opportunity, access, and community stability. Through workforce development, mentorship, advocacy, and institution-building, Custom Resources reflects a lifetime dedicated to strengthening pathways for individuals and families. His continued leadership at TRECC and in other initiatives represents an extension of that core mission: constructing systems that support people, communities, and cultural legacy for generations to come.