Alex Bowen is the youngest Senior Talent Buyer in Live Nation Entertainment’s Club & Theater Division. Alex and his team exclusively book the House of Blues New Orleans and the Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge while also producing concerts in various clubs & theaters throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. In 2018, his team on pace to produce over 300 concerts in the region. Bowen also is an Artist Manager at Silverback Music Management. A graduate of Mediatech Institute, Bowen’s past experience includes Talent Buying for HUKA Entertainment and Co-managing The Original Meters.
Alex Donaldson is a 2007 honors graduate from the Berklee College of Music. Alex’s bands have been signed to the universal music group and worldwide publishing deals. He has dozens of song placements such as Coors Light, Mazda, KitKat, rimmel London, as well as dozens of shows on MTV, ABC, CBS, And Spike TV.
He has done full Live Nation tours across North America and recorded with Grammy Winning producers at some of the best studios in the world. Alex was also a professor of guitar at the music industry college Groove U.
Alexis Cassy graduated from the nationally ranked public relations program at San Diego State University where she interned at House of Blues San Diego. Upon graduation, she moved to Los Angeles and accepted a position as a Marketing Apprentice at Live Nation’s Club and Theaters. After 6 months, she was promoted to Social Media Coordinator.
Alexis supports the National Social Marketing team in carrying out tasks such as developing paid advertising campaigns in support of artist tours and brand strategy, optimizing paid media targeting, community management, engagement optimization, and developing original social media content and copy.
Alison Oliverio is currently the Vice President of Sales Operations for Venue Sales, a business unit within the Venues division of US Concerts at Live Nation. A leader with a strong emphasis on driving results and a balanced approach to cross collaboration as well as independent work, Alison is responsible for back-of-house operations and administration for sales managers and coordinators servicing our venue programs across the United States. This responsibility ranges from overseeing the CRM and Ticketing systems all employees within the department must use to identifying and executing onsite best practices to deliver the best concert experience for our clients. Alison has been with Live Nation since its inception, holding various local, regional and national roles since 2005. Prior to entering the live music industry in Los Angeles, Alison held multiple ticket sales positions with professional sports teams in Chicago.
Chicago artist, AMI is a singer/songwriter and musician trained in several genres of music including gospel, rhythm & blues and classical. The combination of influence from these genres and her unique vocal styling presents a fresh sonic experience. AMI has opened up for several artists including Esperanza Spalding, Jon B, Al. B Sure and Bilal. AMI has accompanied rising star, Smino on keyboards as he opened up for SZA’s CTRL tour and she is also the keyboardist and musical director for Chicago artist, Jamila Woods.
A skilled rapper, DJ, and electronic musician, Aquil Charlton (AyQue) leverages his creative agility to reach a wide range of audiences. He has backed Open Mike Eagle on synthesizers and has opened for Lauryn Hill, Dilated Peoples, The Wailers, Mint Condition, Chingy, Kardinal Official, and others. Even offstage, Aquil maintains the respect of his peers for his continued dedication to teaching and community organizing work. He is currently Program Director at Notes For Notes, a music studio for youth housed inside the James Jordan Boys and Girls Club. Known to students as “Mr. Aquil,” he has taught DJ, music production, and songwriting through organizations like Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education, After School Matters, Urban Gateways, and Chicago Public Schools. Currently, he is preparing to release music projects at mraquil.com while raising a three-year-old genius.
Blake Owens is a hip hop artist from New Orleans. Only performing with his live band, his music gives you a 90’s feel with real content and a smooth laid back delivery. He’s collaborated with various artists from 3D Natee to lil Wayne. A headliner at venues like the house of blues, while also performing at various festivals like SXSW, Bikefest, Jerk Chicken Fest,etc.. As a concert promoter, his event “Next Up” was the biggest local rap showcase in new Orleans for 3 years straight. It took place at the house of blues where winners would get a chance to open for nationwide artist. His experience on the stage and behind the stage has given him a unique vantage point that’s helped him become a successful independent artist.
Brandra Ringo is the Senior Director of A&R at Warner/Chappell Music in Los Angeles, California. Just within a year at Warner/Chappell, her current signings consist of multi-platinum writers and producers such as Kirk Knight, who produced ASAP Ferg’s hit single, “Plain Jane” and “Devastated for Joey Bada$$, DJ Durel who produced “Narcos” and “Ice Tray” for Migos, Yo Pi’erre aka Pi’erre Bourne who has produced hits for Playboi Carti such as “Magnolia” & “WokeupLikeThis”, Travis Scott’s “Watch” feat. Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert, & most recently, Kanye West’s “Yikes.” Brandra is very excited about developing new artist/writer/producer, Beam, who is currently penning songs for A-List projects dropping this quarter including having penned recent placements on 21 Savage’s current solo album, I Am > I Was. Her most recent signings include DY Krazy of 808 Mafia & Cameron Forbes. DY Krazy produced Gucci Mane’s #1 Urban & Rhythmic single “Wake Up in the Sky” feat. Bruno Mars & Kodak Black and works closely with Future, Juice Wrld and many other artists. Cameron Forbes co-produced the smash hit single, “Taste” by Tyga feat. Offset and is currently working on his solo artist project. Born and raised in St. Louis, Mo., Brandra knew in middle school she wanted to work with songwriters. Brandra received her B.A. degree in Music Business from Columbia College – Chicago. While in school, she worked closely with Nelly’s manager, T-Luv, did street team work in Chicago at Ch’rewd Marketing & Promotions and interned at an entertainment public relations firm. Brandra started her professional music publishing career working with one of the most powerful women in music, Motown Records President, Ethiopia Habtemariam. As Ethiopia’s assistant, Brandra worked under her leadership in New York City and Los Angeles when she was the President of UMPG, Urban and running Motown Records. During this time, Brandra worked closely with Sebastian Kole who penned all of Alessia Cara’s first 3 hit singles such as “Here”, “Scars to Your Beautiful” and “Wild Things”. She is also worked closely with songwriters Goldiie (Chris Brown, Ty Dolla $, K. Michelle), & Cardo (Drake, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar). In addition to working with these amazing songwriters, she worked with superstars such as Quavo, Ne-Yo, & Erykah Badu. After this time is when she took on a more focused role at Universal Music Publishing. While at UMPG, Brandra successfully placed records for Drake, Fifth Harmony, Chris Brown, G-Eazy, and more. In addition, she was responsible for co-signing and renewing deals for artists like Metro Boomin, Lil Yachty & Happy Perez. While Brandra has accomplished a great deal in her career, this work has only laid the foundation of her legacy. Brandra takes pride in servicing her roster daily to create opportunities that enrich the artists and music community around the world for generations to come.
Carla is the creator and host of podcast, Support The Dope Radio. The podcast highlights local music artists from her hometown of Chicago and equips them with the power to tell their own story in their own words.
With her knowledge of marketing and branding, Carla also strives to support artists with effective marketing and public relations strategies catered to their specific audience and by educating them on how to brand themselves. She’s worked with artists such as hometown favorites The Jeff Gibbs Quartet and LaRoyce Hawkins of NBC’s Chicago P.D., as well as nationally recognized PJ Morton of Maroon 5.
From Los Angeles CA, Cesar Alan is a Latin American SESAC Pop Award Winning Gold & Platinum Hit Songwriter/Producer and Multi-instrumentalist. From stage to studio, Cesar has worked with the likes of Kanye West, KCamp, Emile Sande, Tyrese, 50 cent, Akon, Tahj Mowry, Shadmehr and other international acts. Pop culture has continued to birth new talent, producers, and instrumentalists, but Cesar continues to push the envelope in all of these categories.
As a marketing strategist, Chamille Weddington is founder of Out the Box Promotions, a consulting agency which specializes in promotion conceptualization, management, and execution. With over 20 years of experience in marketing for entertainment and consumer promotions, Chamille was previously an account and project manager for local and worldwide advertising agencies where she managed corporate accounts. Some clients included Discover Card, State Farm Insurance, McDonald’s, Oldsmobile, ShoreBank and Ralston Purina. She enjoys researching and sharing unique, cutting edge, break-through and gutsy products, as she is a curator of fresh business news on her website. Chamille’s career has also afforded her the opportunity to exercise her talents in integrated marketing, merchandising, event management, non-profit management, artist management and promotions, grant and proposal writing, contract negotiation and talent booking. As an educator, Chamille is an Assistant Professor of Instruction with Columbia College Chicago. In her years of service to the college, she has taught Intro to Marketing Arts, Experiential Marketing, Decision Making: Special Events, Writing for Managers, and Leadership. She currently teaches Entrepreneurship, Entertainment Marketing, and Digital Business Development in the college’s Business & Entrepreneurship Department, in on-ground and online formats. In her service to the institution she has served: as a Senator-at-Large of the Faculty Senate for the School for the Fine & Performing Arts, as a facilitator for Dempsey Travis scholars, on the Academic Affairs Committee, Student Care & Advising Committee, Department Curriculum Committee as coordinator, and the Online Taskforce, which worked to develop e-learning initiatives for students and training for faculty. She currently serves as coordinator of Entrepreneurship courses. In her commitment to teaching, Chamille has worked formerly as a substitute instructor with the Chicago Public Schools and has had the opportunity to teach hundreds of students across various educational levels and socioeconomic backgrounds, having taught general studies to children as well as business concepts to adult learners. Chamille’s forte is experiential instruction, as she uses the city as her classroom. Through her teaching, students are challenged to discover and understand differing philosophies and methodology via projects and trips that are in the field. Chamille fortifies her teaching practice via membership with the International E-Learning Association. As a social entrepreneur, Chamille was a co-founder of LifeVine Works, a non-profit organization that teaches teens the arts and sciences through dynamic job and service learning programs. Since its inception, LifeVine has employed many teens from the Chicagoland area and provided important skills development in interpersonal communication and leadership through its Camp DeeJay sound engineering program, and Djembe Percussion Corps program, an African dance and drumming program. As a member of the entrepreneurship community in retail, she is owner of Schweet, the Original Homemade Chicago cheesecake. In her spare time, she is a docent and driver of the mobile museum for the DuSable Museum of African American History, where she shares the rich history of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable with various communities.
Damon Turner is a passionate father, performance artist, speaker, and cultural architect! As cliche as it is, Damon believes in building the change he wants to see in the world, using music, tech, art, and culture.
For the last 5 years, Damon has been incubating the brand G.R.E.E.D.Y City (GC), a lifestyle, marketing, and entertainment platform. G.R.E.E.D.Y is an acronym which stands for: a Generation Righteously Enduring to Eradicate Dying Young.
Damon is committed to partnering with creatives that are moving the needle forward in the spaces of social impact, tech, NGOs, fashion, and entertainment.
Daniela Genie is currently working at TikTok, the world’s leading destination for short-form mobile videos. She was also part of the company when it was Musical.ly before it got acquired by Bytedance. Daniela has travel around Latin America and the world representing the company in many events. Places such as; Ciudad de México, Guadalajara, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo, Barcelona, Madrid and Seoul.
Derin Lindsey is a self-taught graphic designer, branding and marketing speaker, networking/social event curator and inspirational blogger.
Dionte L. Durham currently works as Senior Legal Counsel for global technology firm, Infosys Limited, where he practices corporate transactional and real estate law, having closed deals with other fortune 500 companies, bringing in over 500 million dollars of business to his company.
Dionte graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. He earned his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School in 2012 and L.L.M in Real Estate in 2016. While attending, Dionte served as Vice President of the Black Law Students Association and was a member of the Entertainment, Music and Sports Law Association.
Before joining Infosys Limited, Dionte worked as Corporate Counsel for Deloitte and Touche LLP, and as a commercial and corporate litigator with Wiedner and McAuliffe.
Dionte has a fervent passion for service. For the past 8 years Dionte has been involved with Just The Beginning – an organization to increase the pipeline of diversity in the legal community, where he served as Vice President of the Associate Board. Dionte is a member of his school’s Associate Board, Providence St. Mel and a very active member of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., where he serves as Vice President of his chapter. Dionte is also a member of Grammy-nominated singing group, New Direction, where they have been featured on the Fox hit series, “Empire”. He is also the co-founder of The House Chi, an intimate live music showcase which provides local and seasoned artists a unique platform to showcase their music and grow through live performance.
Justin “DJ Omega” Gaines is a LA based DJ/Producer, from Philadephia, who has worked with music and entertainment heavyweights such as Kanye West, Wale, Chance the Rapper, Taylor Gang, Lil Dicky, Amy Winehouse, Kevin Hart, and Jerry Seinfeld. Past professional sports clients range from the Philadelphia Eagles, 76ers, LA Rams and Washington Nationals. Musically, he recently came off of the American Utopia tour with Topaz Jones, performed sets internationally in the world’s top nightlife venues and appeared in Guest DJ spots on BET’s Backroom, NBC, and Revolt Live.
Dylan Dunlap is an internationally recognized singer/songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He found his love for music at a very young age and started performing on the streets of Los Angeles. Dylan then studied at Berklee College of Music, where he was discovered and left to be on NBC’s The Voice. Since then, Dylan turned his focus back to his solo career, where he is bridging the gap between pop and indie rock. His powerful live show has been taken on the road, with Dylan touring extensively in Europe and across America, including opening for OneRepublic. Music has been a meaningful outlet for Dylan, as he has gone through many struggles of his own and knows the importance of a helping hand when dealing with mental illness. This is why he has rededicated his efforts as a musician to breaking the stigma and raising awareness. His music and live concert experience address even the one person in the back of the room who might feel like they are alone. In this mission, Dylan has partnered with many organizations, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Global Citizen, Autism Rocks and many more. Dylan has upcoming performances around the country. His current single, “Face Value”, was released on all platforms on February 1st, 2019.
Erin Frankenheimer is a graduate of Tulane University with dual degrees in English and Communications. She worked for Entercom New Orleans after graduating and co-created and launched a late night show, “The Conduit,” focusing on new music discovery. She then spent a year as an A&R representative for Columbia Records, later returning to Entercom New Orleans, where she produced and hosted her own new music radio show on B97-FM, “Face the Music.” In addition to hosting/producing a radio show, and managing musicians, Erin also worked as the Director of Youth Programs for The Tipitina’s Foundation before returning to Los Angeles in 2010. There she assumed the role of VP of A&R at Amazing Radio, A UK based radio station that features new and emerging artists, until 2014 when she took a job with Live Nation in New Orleans as the Marketing Manager for Louisiana & Mississippi. Frankenheimer is now the Entertainment Relations Manager for Tunecore’s new, New Orleans office.
Gonzo is currently a manager at Cosmica Artists in Los Angeles, CA. He works closely with emerging band The Marías, Latin Grammy winner Gaby Moreno and a few other Grammy nominated and developing acts. From touring, recording and the strategic planning of releasing music. Gonzo is involved in all aspects of the careers of the artists he represents.
Prior to management, Gonzo spent 8 years working in radio. His career began in the Oxnard/ Ventura market and eventually moved his way up to KIIS FM in Los Angeles where he worked as a technical producer for Ryan Seacrest. After KIIS, he worked at Radio Disney for 5 years. Behind the scenes at the beginning supporting on-air talent to eventually hosting the national morning show.
Born a New Orleans native, Jack has returned home to take over as the new Show Marketing Manager at the House of Blues NOLA. After graduating from LSU, Jack worked as the Marketing Director for the Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge, LA from 2012-2019. He also briefly worked for Silverback NOLA as the marketing manager, working with artists such as George Porter, Jr. and Zigaboo Modeliste of the Meters, Flow Tribe, & More!
James Whitaker is from Nashville, TN and has 13 years of media sales experience helping businesses market themselves effectively. He’s had the pleasure of working with top Los Angeles radio stations like KIIS FM and The World Famous KROQ – where he focused on talent endorsements and creative campaigns. Now he is with Blavity, the largest media network of brands specifically serving multicultural millennials through video, original content, and unique experiences.
Jenna Fisher is extremely passionate about live music, marketing, and digital media. She marketed touring acts at two, 20,000-seat arenas in Columbus Ohio (Nationwide Arena and the Schottenstein Center). She also worked for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY and Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY as a Digital Media Coordinator. Fisher is now a Social Media Strategist at MGM Resorts Intl. on the Advertising and Content team. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University with a degree in Marketing and Communications.
Jermi Thomas began his career in the music industry more than a decade ago. It was an internship with Columbia Records, that led to a job assisting the Head of A&R. During his tenure at Columbia, he was involved in a slew of Pop/TV projects. Following his 5-year stint at Columbia Records, Jermi joined BMG Music Publishing as Director of Urban A&R. Some of his signings include Multi-Platinum-selling rapper, Juicy J, R&B newcomers Jessie Reyez, Bibi Bourelly and Victoria Monet. Collectively these writers have written global hits for Calvin Harris, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Rihanna etc…Jermi also managed 90s R&B Legend, Faith Evans and received a Grammy nomination in 2013 serving as A&R/Executive Producer of her R&B Divas album in honor of the late Whitney Houston. In 2017, Jermi joined Island Records as Senior Director A&R. He signed rising star Jessie Reyez, and working on new music from Skip Marley and developing artist Souly Had.
I have evolved in the Marketing & Promotions World providing client support to industries such as Entertainment, Sports, Education, Culinary, Nutrition, and Software.
My name Kareem, I’m a 27 year old R&B/Pop singer/songwriter from Louisiana and my joy and passion is music. When it comes to my musical style I would describe it just like gumbo- a little bit of every kind of music mix into one. My music influences include Usher, Tank, Boyz II Men, Fantasia, K.Michelle and Beyoncé . My goal with my music is to have my name everywhere and to inspire others with my gift.
Kemic Smothers has practiced Entertainment Law since 2002. Born and raised in New Orleans, working in the entertainment industry is merely a natural state of being. He earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice at Southern University at New Orleans and his Juris Doctorate at Southern University Law Center. He has done legal work with countless independent record labels and artists in film, television and music, and negotiated contracts with such industry heavyweights as BET, MTV Networks, TVT Records, Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment, and the Oxygen Network. Other entertainment industry endeavors include music festival productions and artist/band management, event promotions, artist development, and strategic marketing.
As the Chief Operations Officer of OAKSway Entertainment, Kemic is responsible for contract drafting, review, and negotiations. Kemic also handles the legal and business matters concerning artists, booking, tour coordinating, and promotions. OAKSway manages the business matters of our artists by maintaining strict focus on their overall brand.
Kemic Smothers is the Founder and Executive Director of the New Orleans Media Arts Institute, a partnership with the Southern University at New Orleans College of Business’ Small Business Development and Management Institute. Launched in 2015, NOMAI is an entertainment industry small business incubator designed to improve the business acumen of New Orleans area music industry small businesses and provide a platform for artists to express their talents.
Kristin was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. As a teen she performed in Europe and directed Eastern Illinois University Choir. She obtained a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois and is now a Music educator with Chicago Public Schools. Attaining her Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies from Mt. Carmel Theological Seminary was a lifetime goal.
Kristin was nominated for the Grammy Music Teacher Award. She’s shared the stage with many artist across the globe. As well as making regular appearances with “Travis Douglas and Friends” at The House of Blues for the “Kirk Franklin Brunch”. She also ministers at several Gospel Fests around the country. She’s shared the stage with many artist across the globe. She is a lover of gospel music and for several years hosted “Praisefest” on Chicago’s own WSSD 88.1 FM. Currently, she host “Revival of Praise” on Tabernacleradio.org with her husband Miguele Atkins. She is the niece of the late “Queen of The Blues” Dinah Washington and does musical and theatrical tributes in her honor.
As a creative Filipino-American, Lainney has lived and worked in Los Angeles and Manila. Lainney began her carer in digital marketing specializing in music, culture and lifestyle and has worked with entertainment brands including Duck Down Records, Complex Media and The FADER/Cornerstone Agency. Currently, Lainney works at Rostrum Records as the Director of Digital Media and Social, where she specializes in social marketing, content management and brand development for artists including Problem, Rockie Fresh, Taliwhoah, Innanet James and more.
Manuel Moran is a third-generation musician, was as a keyboard player and producer, he was part of a band that toured with Los Tigres Del Norte, Temerarios, Banda El Recodo and many more across USA and Mexico. He recorded six albums in the 1990s for Banda MR-7. In 2000, Moran began promoting concerts in the Bay Area, Fresno, Modesto, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz. He brought in rock en español bands, including Juanes, Julieta Venegas, La 5a Estacion, Enanitos Verdes, El Tri, Moenia, Maldita Vecindad, Molotov, Elefante, and El Gran Silencio. In 2003 obtained a job as the Image and Production Director for Univision Radio in San Francisco. He produced radio spots has an independent contractor for Live Nation’s national tours in 2005 and 2006, including, Juntos en Concierto, Sin Bandera, David Bisbal, and Rock en Español National Tours. In 2006 he joined iHeart Radio (formerly Clear Channel Radio, as a Production Director for La Preciosa’s national network and Program Director, for KCNL. In 2006 He won “Best Radio Producer of the Year” at the E.A.R. Awards in New York an annual event at Clear Channel Radio. In 2008 he joined Live Nation as a VP Latin Programming for the Touring team at House of Blues Entertainment, focusing in Latin content in clubs and theaters, across the country. Since he joined Live Nation, he has brought Latin International artists to tour in the United States such as Enanitos Verdes, Hombres G, Zoe, Enrique Bunbury, Panteon Rococo, Julieta Venegas, Andres Calamaro, Molotov, Ha*ash, Reik, among others adding 350+ shows, to the House of Blues entertainment division that includes The Fillmore chain, House of Blues and theatres around the country.
Mark has worked though out the music industry for 27 years at record companies, artist management firms, and live music marketing. He began marketing live music in 2000 with House of Blues New Orleans. Since 2000, Mark has marketed thousands of shows from small club shows to stadium concerts. Mark transitioned from House of Blues Entertainment to Live Nation New Orleans/North American Concerts in the Fall of 2016 bringing along years of experience, local market contacts & industry knowledge.
Originally from Chicago, Max Benson is an in demand bassist (electric, upright, and synth) now based in Los Angeles. Since moving there in 2012 Max has worked with Swedish pop artist LÉON (Columbia), acoustic brother/sister duo, Bay Ledges (S Curve), Maggie Lindemann (300), acclaimed jazz composer/pianist Rob Mullins, actors Sarah Carter (Falling Skies) and Elyes Gabel (Scorpion), indie recording artist Nick Waterhouse (Innovative Leisure), and many more. Other notable gigs include performing live on TV with Daniel Joyner and Jayna Brown on America’s Got Talent, a season in the top 40 band at Six Flags Mountain, and a 6 month residency in the house band at Club REME in Xiamen, China. He got his Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Performance from Chicago’s Roosevelt University in 2012.
Megan Ramhoff is a Show Marketer who works with Artist Management, touring shows, media partners and community partners to promote their upcoming concerts.
After 5 years of promotional and marketing work on the venue side of the music industry as well as 3 different markets, Megan believes strongly in in her marketing strategy of spending money where’s there’s proven conversion. In addition she also strongly believes adding on as much grass roots promotions and community partnerships as time allows to organically spread the word when dealing with a constricting budget.
Megan has improved ticket sales, community involvement and in turn venue awareness with each new market and venue she has joined. Her passion project is the internship programs she has built to not only help with work flow and community awareness but also to help coach and train young marketers looking to advance their career in the music industry. She has a strong belief in the power of building true relationships and making partnerships as cross promotion-ally beneficial as possible.
Megan holds a BA in Music Industry: Artist & Music Industry Management from The Ohio State University.
Born the son of a New Orleans R&B – saxophonist, Octarve Anderson Jr. was blessed with a gift to entertain. Octarve, has over twenty-two years of experience in the music business industry.
As a performer, Octarve was a member of the trio Front Page and was signed to MCA Records by Record Entertainment Executives Raoul Roach and Louis Andre Fisher where he worked and recorded with mega producer “Tricky” Christopher Stewart, Thaddeus “KuK” Harrell, and “Sep” Sean Hall. He also wrote and performed the bumper music and theme songs for HBO’s “News to Us” and the NBC show “Sunday’s Best” in 1991 with Front Page.
As a producer, his vision led to the creation of the independent label Yeah! Brother Records, LLC in 2000 based in Atlanta, Georgia, where he maintained a working relationship with producer and songwriters “Ro” Rochad Holiday, “Sauce” Curtis Wilson & Shaefer Smith (Ne-Yo). Yeah! Brother Records, now “Oaksway Entertainment LLC” has produced many artists, including B-Shipe, Tim Solomon and Dawn Angelique Richard aka Dawn Richard. Dawn Angelique Richard’s start with Yeah! Brother and artist development along with her natural-born talents led to her success on MTV’s “Making the Band 3” becoming a member of Danity Kane, Bad Boy Entertainment.
Through the creation of their independent entertainment company, OAKSway Entertainment LLC and New Orleans Media Arts Institute (NOMAI), Octarve along with his business partner, entertainment attorney, Kemic Alan Smothers JD, started a new vision and business model in hope that it will strengthen the performing arts, film and music industries in his beloved New Orleans.
Patrick “Toone” Adeleye is a rising creative and entrepreneur from Atlanta, Georgia. After a brief rap career, he began representing promising hip-hop and EDM acts out of Atlanta, including multi-platinum DJ’s and Grammy nominated producers. He produced and promoted some of the biggest EDM shows and tours in the southeast featuring acts such as RL Grime, Riot Ten, 2 Chainz, Dvbbs, and Rae Sremmurd, marketed sold out concerts and promoted some of the biggest EDM festivals in the world. He developed a knack for marketing and created a marketing agency that serves businesses and brands alike by growing their digital following while helping them reach their target markets. Toone later got back to his roots of DJing and producing and is working on major music, marketing, and tour opportunities for 2019.
New Las Vegas resident, Paul Insinna is an entertainment attorney concentrating in the music industry. He has been practicing entertainment law for over 30. He is also a personal manager of recording artists, included 90’s Rapper Craig Mack whom when he first met was homeless and within 2 years had a platinum selling record and many accolades including Grammy nominations. He is currently managing a new pop artist Angelina Alexon (also a Vegas resident) whose last few music videos have gone viral and her music has been released on Poptrend Music LLC a new vegas based record company formed by Mr. Insinna.
Mr Insinna has spoken at various industry events including, The Winter Music Conf in Miami, Springboard South Music Conf in Texas, The New Music Seminar in NY, Jersey shore Music Festival and The Mesa Music Festival in Arizona, as well as many others, including events sponsored by ASCAP Rap Coalition BMI, NY State Bar Association Entertainment Law Section, Women In Music , Global Entertainment Media Summit and NARAS. He served on and was a founding member of the NARAS Grammy Urban Music Advisory Committee and was a frequent guest lecturer at various Music Business programs in NY . He was also just asked to speak at the COnference Of Personal Managers event here in Vegas in May. He has written articles on various aspects of the music industry for publications such as Billboard Magazine, and served as a TV music business commentator for UPN Channel 9 News NY.
Over the years, Mr. Insinna has rendered his services to many well-known individuals and companies in a variety of music genres including RZO, Personal Managers/Business Managers/Tour Producers (David Bowie, Rolling Stones, U-2) Frank Dileo, Personal Manager (Michael Jackson, Prince, Taylor Dayne) Bob Cuturalla Producer /Manager/Publisher (Sting, Les Paul, Aurturo Sandoval, Cyndi Lauper, Alice Cooper) Elis Pacheco Manager/Producer (Fat Joe, Big Pun, Ice T, Stevie B, Brenda K Starr,),Tommy West, Producer /Publisher (Ann Murray, Dion, Jim Croce, Mary Travers) Hank Schocklee, Producer, Rec Exec. (LL Cool J, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Chuck D & Public Enemy) Rob Caggiano, Guitarist /Producer (Anthrax, Volbeat, Cradle of Filth, Boiler Room) Billy Terrell, Songwriter/Producer /Publisher (Larry Carlton, Frankie Avalon, Helen Reddy) Mike McConnell, Personal Manager (Foghat) Capt’n Kirk, Producer (Tank, Ginuwine, Heather Headley) Curtis Richardson, Producer/ Songwriter (Jennifer Lopez, Joss Stone, Rihanna) Bob Brockman Producer /Mixer(Christina Aguilera, Biggie Smalls, P Diddy, Babyface, The Fugees), Jerry Vines, Personal Manager/Producer (Ginuwine, Dru Hill), Platinum selling Recording Artists (Kevin Lyttle & Bow Wow Wow) Dave Appell, Songwriter, Publisher, Producer (Tony Orlando Melissa Manchester, Frankie Valli) Jene Novello, , Ray Chew, Musical Director American Idol, Showtime at The Apollo) Terrence Gibel, Manager (DMX),songwriter producer (Louie Prima, Connie Fransis .Vic Damone) Record Companies, Die Hard Records, Rude Boy Records, Lifesong Records, Street Song Records, High Harmony Records & Tarakon Recordsand more.
With a quarter century in the industry as a producer, brand marketer and lauded music supervisor, Paul Stewart personifies the qualities of a tech-savvy industry player relevant in the 21st century.
Paul originally tasted success in the late 1980s with the record label Delicious Vinyl, promoting hits like Tone-Loc’s “Wild Thing” and Young MC’s “Bust A Move”, the very first platinum hip-hop records ever from the West Coast. In 1990, the hit TV show The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air flooded into living rooms across America. For the first four seasons the studio audience was treated to a warm-up set of hip-hop hits played by a young DJ working the turntables…Paul Stewart.
In the 1990s, the L.A. native founded the street promotions company PMP, promoting acts like Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, and Cypress Hill, and building a client list including Sony, Warner Bros. and Universal. After Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons tapped Stewart to open Def Jam’s West Coast office, Stewart transformed PMP into a powerful urban music management company, and then an Island/Def Jam-affiliated record label. Through PMP, Stewart discovered and developed multi-platinum musical artists Coolio, The Pharcyde, Warren G, Montell Jordan and House of Pain.
Stewart continues to make waves with his partnership in 2010 with Lady GaGa’s worldwide manager Troy Carter to form Atom Factory Music Licensing. Stewart, who has music supervision credits in over forty films includes Academy Award-winning Hustle & Flow (Oscar for Best Original Song), Four Brothers, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Poetic Justice..”
Fundamental to signing Eminem, Dr. Dre etc to pioneering on-line music distributor ARTISTdirect, Stewart has long embraced the game-changing potential of digital media. Stewart’s penchant for finding the right song at the right moment and status as a key player in the rise of urban culture have made him a valued consultant and entertainment marketer for brands as varied as Puma, T-Mobile, and Dr. Pepper.
With Over The Edge Books Stewart is able to use over twenty years of connections and experience in the entertainment industry to shine a light on the next generation of amazing artists/musicians and writers to emerge from the underground culture into mainstream success
Rachel Guttmann has spent the past five years practicing law in New Orleans in the areas of general civil litigation, insurance coverage and defense, and entertainment and intellectual property law. Her clients include artists, record labels, artist managers, producers, recording studios, and other entertainment industry professionals.
Rachel graduated from Tulane Law School. Prior to attending law school, Rachel received a Bachelor of Science in Recording Industry from Middle Tennessee State University.
Rachel is a lecturer throughout Louisiana on topics involving the entertainment and music industry. In the spring of 2018, she taught Legal Issues One in the Department of Film and Music Industry Studies at Loyola University New Orleans.
In May 2018, Rachel began her next adventure of moving to Nashville to work full time as an entertainment attorney.
Lifelong Las Vegas resident Ray Outlaw got his first taste of promotions booking bands for House Parties as a teen. Eventually making a stop at audio engineering school in Chillicothe, OH before settling on Booking, Promotions and management as his preferred niche. Initially booking Comedians, he founded Outlaw Brothers Productions with his Brother. the company then moving on to booking local and regional bands for shows at local venues. His main focus now is managing bands and expanding their exposure.
Rebecca Sell has served as Marketing and Communications Manager for French Quarter Festivals, Inc. since 2013. She brings over a decade of journalism, tourism, marketing, non-profit, and management experience to the role. She has been published in several regional publications including New Orleans Magazine, Biz New Orleans, and Southern Woman and previously served as Communications Manager for a technology company with
Renee Ramirez graduated from the nationally ranked public relations program at San Diego State University. Renee has knowledge and passion for the entertainment industry and experience with connecting people to live events. Renee’s experience with event pitching and planning began with her execution of a live event held at House of Blues San Diego as a marketing intern. Renee continues to support the National Brand Marketing team to develop national campaigns for five lines of business, supports the local brand marketing managers for 10 of the House of Blues venues, and optimizes brand engagement with social and digital marketing strategies.
Following a very rewarding 50 year career as a music agent, I “retired” from the Agency business several years ago – and am now an independent consultant for artists as well as performing arts theaters.
My clients included TONY BENNETT, SMOKEY ROBINSON, NATALIE COLE, NEIL SEDAKA, PAUL ANKA, DONNA SUMMER, and many more high profile artists over several decades.
I’m excited to participate in this program mentoring and working with young students who have an interest in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.
Ronjanique Steele, New Orleans, La, is the Founder of Steele Your Heart Agency, LLC. Her passion for building brands working with entrepreneurs and music artist has catapulted her career into a lifestyle of music and entertainment pr. Working with over 100+ brands, businesses & entertainment/music artist, gave her the opportunity to execute multiple events services, produce music festivals, and Consult many as a Brand Manager to several artists and growing brands. Soon realizing her calling after working in leadership and management for 15 years. Her pursuit is to help others build their brands, businesses and music careers for longevity and success while gaining more traction and visibility in the media.
Sam Trump is a multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter from Houston, TX, and has been a student of music from first picking up the trumpet at age 7. Since moving to Chicago in 2009 to obtain his fine arts degree in music, he has become heavily involved in Chicago’s live music scene, and is widely known as a band leader, sideman, mentor, & curator. Wherever he is, Sam Trump is known for creating a vibe that is best described as sophisticated & soulful.
Chicago Music Awards nominee for “Best Male Vocalist 2016”. Deemed a “Renaissance Musician” by The Chicago Tribune (2016). Sam Trump is also a long standing member of Hip-Hop/Soul/Jazz band, Sidewalk Chalk.
Shayla Williams is an LA-native and social media expert with 7 years of experience creating strategies for e-commerce fashion brands. She has a natural eye for content and passion for developing “social-first” campaigns that evolve 360. In her experience, she has had the pleasure of working with top brands like ShoeDazzle – where she focused on content development and strategy, as well as emerging brand by Rihanna – where she was the key player in launching the social strategy across all platforms.
Her experience continues to evolve into influencer and brand partnerships, and editorial content production beyond just social. She is excited to share her experiences and hopes to encourage young people to seek a career in digital media as there are infinite possibilities in this ever-evolving industry.
Shazila Mohammed has almost 20 years of experience in the music public relations field and her works spans artists from rising musicians to arena bands. Recent clients include Raphael Saadiq, Thundercat, Nick Hakim, Charles Bradley and Chet Faker. Shazila has also worked on a variety of festivals from Outside Lands to Ultra Music Festival, and has worked closely with brands on their music initiatives including Red Bull, Pabst, the Okayplayer Network and more.
As Sr. Marketing Coordinator at Capitol Records/Motown Records, Sierra Lever develops and executes marketing plans for the artists across the genres of urban and pop. This involves collaboratively working with the Digital, International, Radio Promotions, Streaming, Video/Creative, Brand Partnerships, Touring and Publicity teams to build the most comprehensive plans for single, album/EP and video launches and overall artist branding. She has worked across major releases from Migos, Lil Baby, City Girls, NE-YO, Sam Smith, Zaytoven, Stefflon Don, Niall Horan, 5 Seconds of Summer. Prior to working at a label, she worked at the LA Philharmonic in marketing where the focus was on developing strategy that enticed patrons to attend concerts at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Hollywood Bowl. Originally from Portland, OR, she got her first start in music through an internship with The Recording Academy, and worked in multiple departments within the company. After graduating from Syracuse University with a master’s degree in Sport Venue & Event Management, she moved straight to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams and wants to inspire others to do the same in fulfilling their purpose!
SU Alumni, Tamika Smith, graduated in 2012 with a Communications degree with a concentration in Advertising and Marketing. Since completing her studies at JSU, Tamika has been active in the music, events, and marketing industries as a professional vocalist for major artists, event producer, and project manager. In 2016 she began a small business called SetLife Group where she produce large scale events such as expos/conventions/concerts, brand activations, and entertainment booking and management. In 2018 she began her career with Illumivation Studios in Chicago as an advertising executive where she specializing in creative design, fabrication, print and art installations for out of home media/advertising, retail merchandising, live events, experiential marketing and brand activations across the US. She has spearheaded projects working with clients such as The Black Women’s Expo Tour, B-Groomed Men’s Expo, Facebook, Walgreens, Statefarm, BET, iHeart Media, Make A Wish Foundation, Workday, Toyota Green Initiative, Cirque Du Soleil, Simon Property Group, Disney, Walmart, AT&T, Live Nation, Sofar Sounds, YMCA Metro Chicago, United Airlines, BP, and My Black is Beautiful, New York Fashion Week and many more. And as a background to the stars, Tamika has shared stages with international gospel stars such as Deitrick Haddon, Fred Hammond, James Fortune, Marvin Sapp, Erica Campbell, Fantasia, Tye Tribbett, Zacardi Cortez, Donald Lawrence, LeAndria Johnson, and also many more.
Vanessa Abron is a public relations professional with 14 years of experience in the industry who has worked with brands such as Classic Hip-Hop Lives, Ebony magazine, Jet magazine, Def Jam Recording, Jazz Institute of Chicago, Atlantic Records, Hidden Beach Recordings and Adidas to name a few. The company’s agents also have experience working with artists in the realm of hip-hop, R&B, jazz, pop, and rock. The company specializes in media relations, events, community engagement, and content development. Vanessa’s experience represents a broad range of public relations initiatives in a variety of industries, making her a valuable asset to any campaign. She accredits her success on her passion for continuously building positive relationships with a broad spectrum of individuals combined with her steadfast commitment to ensuring that the media, community and the client all receive mutually beneficial rewards from any project.
Zeke Locke is a singer, musician, writer, producer, arranger, radio personality, and host who works in the Gospel Music industry. Getting his start as a church musician, he has had the opportunity to play in venues both nationally and internationally working with Gospel music industry leaders such as Deitrick Haddon, Fred Hammond, Erica Campbell, and James Fortune to name a few. He is currently serving as the musical director for Deitrick Haddon’s LXW (Chicago) – a Gospel music organization based in Los Angeles and Chicago which seeks to help young people in their pursuit of music, dance, acting, and outreach while also offering alternative activities to help steer them away from negative lifestyles. Zeke’s goal with the 2-time Stellar winning choir is to merge the traditional sound of Gospel music with infusions of hip-hop, R&B, rock, and pop. His passion has always been to uplift people and help them realize they can accomplish whatever goals they’re willing to work toward. Mr. Locke can be followed on Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter at @ThatDudeZeke or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ZekeLocke.