ABOUT PRIMARY WAVE
Primary Wave is one of the largest independent music publishing, marketing and talent management companies in the United States founded in 2006 by Larry Mestel. It is a global music company that markets its unique publishing repertoire, which includes an interest in the Beatles songs written by John Lennon, the catalogs of Kurt Cobain/Nirvana, Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Daryl Hall & John Oates, Chicago, Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire), Def Leppard, Steve Earle, Daniel Johnston, Mac Davis, Marvin Hamlisch, The Matrix, Lamont Dozier and Steven Curtis Chapman, as well as artists such as Anberlin, Airborne Toxic Event, Albert Hammond Jr., John Forte, The Boxer Rebellion, New Boyz, writers such as Gregg Alexander, Ryan & Smitty, L.P, RoccStar, among others; as well as marketing and administration agreements with Gregg Allman, Jimmy Webb, Katrina and The Waves, Graham Parker, Evolution Entertainment/Twisted Pictures, Hammer Films, Matt Serletic and Emblem Music Group, and many others. Additionally, Primary Wave Talent Management manages artists such as CeeLo Green, Flyleaf, Eric Benet, Ginuwine, Trevor Jackson, Juliet Simms, as well as writers/producers such as The Underdogs, Shy Carter, Barrett Yeretsian, Matty Trump, Troy “Radio” Johnson and Ali Tamposi. Primary Wave also has an in-house branding company Brand Synergy Group, digital marketing company BrightShop, and a Television & Film production / development team, which all support the management and publishing artist roster as well as retaining third party clients. Primary Wave is based in New York with offices in Los Angeles, CA and London.
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Thomas Callaway PKA CeeLo Green, Chief Creative Officer
As an entertainer and businessman with many layers, CeeLo Green cannot be summed up in just one title. He is a five-time Grammy Award Winning singer-songwriter-producer, television personality, actor, entrepreneur, pop culture & fashion icon, and professional lady killer.
In addition to his success as a recording artist, CeeLo Green has completed three seasons as a coach on NBC’s hit show The Voice alongside Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. He has also made guest-appearances on NBC’s popular show Parenthood (2011), FOX’s American Dad (2011), Nickelodeon’s How To Rock (2012) and also hosted his own talk show “CeeLo Green Talking to Strangers” on FUSE TV. On top of his television work, CeeLo Green is also transitioning his career into acting and has made an impact on the film industry starring in Sparkle (August 2012), which was Whitney Houston’s last film. Additionally, He is the voice of “Murray the Mummy” in the Sony animated film Hotel Transylvania (September 2012) along with Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg. CeeLo will also star in the John Carney film Can a Song Save Your Life? along with Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo and Catherine Keener, which is slated for a 2013 release. With a strong passion and natural talent for acting, CeeLo has big plans to further his career as an actor and film/TV producer and as a result has developed his own production company Emerald Productions in partnership with Primary Wave Music.
CeeLo truly approaches the industry as a businessman. Besides being appointed Chief Creative Officer of Primary Wave Music, he is also co-owner of a premium Sake brand TY KU; is the Brand Ambassador of eDiets; the voice behind the NFL’s Thursday Night Football theme song; remixed the iconic Meow Mix Jingle; became the face of ad campaigns such as 7UP and Las Vegas Tourism; and has a book slated for release in 2013.
Lawrence Mestel, Founder & CEO
Lawrence Mestel, Founder & CEO of Primary Wave Music, has been working in the music and entertainment industry for over 20 years. In 2006, Mestel took his extensive experience working at multiple record labels and founded Primary Wave Music, one of the largest independent music publishing, marketing and talent management companies in the United States. Primary Wave currently controls the copyright of over 10,000 songs from the catalogs of legendary artists such as Kurt Cobain, Steven Tyler, John Lennon, Def Leppard, Hall and Oates, Chicago, Maurice White, Steve Earle, Graham Parker, Holy Knight, Steven Curtis Chapman, Lamont Dozier, Blue October, The Airborne Toxic Event, Anberlin, Shwayze, New Boyz, Taddy Porter and many others. Originally founded on music publishing, Mestel has strategically and successfully built the company into a full service music and entertainment powerhouse offering in-house branding, digital marketing, publicity, TV & Film development, touring division and a talent management company who manages artists including CeeLo Green Eric Benet, Ginuwine, Trevor Jackson, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent, Diggy and more.
Recently, Larry Mestel landed on Billboard Magazine’s 2012 “Urban Power List”, being recognized for his leadership in the music industry and has also been featured in top press outlets such as New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Fast Company, New York Post, Forbes, Billboard Magazine, and HITS Magazine.
Prior to founding Primary Wave Music, Larry Mestel was Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Virgin Records, where he was responsible for all marketing, sales and business-related aspects of the company. During his tenure, he worked with iconic artists including The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupri and Lenny Kravitz. From 2000 - 2004, Mestel was Executive Vice President and General Manager at Arista Records, managing sales, international and strategic marketing, A&R and marketing administration, finance and business affairs. While at Arista, he developed artists such as Avril Lavigne, Outkast, Usher, Pink, Carlos Santana, Dido among many others. Mestel also held the position of Chief Operating Officer for Island Entertainment Group, which included Island Records, Island Music Publishing and Island Pictures.
Justin Shukat, President Primary Wave Music Publishing
Justin Shukat is a founding partner and General Manager at Primary Wave Music Publishing. Justin oversees all areas of Primary Wave's synch exploitation, its licensing platform, www.thinkmusic.net and the company's website. He is responsible for new writer signings and content acquisitions and works closely with the current writer roster to facilitate recordings within the industry. Focusing on new marketing initiatives, Justin is currently developing a series of entertainment properties that leverage Primary Waves copyrights. His music career began at The Montreux Jazz Festival and was followed by various positions at Walter Yetnikoff's Velvel Records. Justin then moved on to senior marketing positions at both Arista and Epic Records. During that time Mr. Shukat worked with top-selling artists including Avril Lavigne, Carlos Santana, Toni Braxton, Run D.M.C, Judas Priest, Tori Amos and Outkast.
jshukat@primarywavemusic.com
Adam Lowenberg, CMO & G.M. Primary Wave Talent Management
Adam brings 17 years of music industry experience to Primary Wave. He is responsible for all marketing related activities within the organization. Most recently, Mr. Lowenberg was Sr. VP of Marketing for Island Def Jam. He also served as Sr. VP of Marketing at Virgin Records and VP of Marketing at Arista Records. Adam's career has been punctuated by the multi-platinum success of such global superstars as Avril Lavigne, Dido, Sarah McLachlan, Pink, Rihanna and Bon Jovi.
alowenberg@primarywavemusic.com
Ramon Villa, Partner and CFO
Ramon Villa manages the financial and operational functions for Primary Wave. His 14 years of experience within the entertainment field has immersed him across many platforms including music, publishing, video, film and distribution. Most recently he worked closely with Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, as CFO and acting COO of Palm Entertainment Properties where he managed daily operations and financing activities. He was part of a team that built the catalog and brand value of Manga Entertainment, an anime content and copyright holder, from its U.S. inception through 2004 when he marketed and negotiated the sale of the company. Mr. Villa also gained extensive knowledge of sales and distribution as the CFO for Ryko Distribution, a leading independent music/video distributor.
rvilla@primarywavemusic.com
CREATIVE SYNCH & MARKETING TEAM
Ryan Barkan, Partner/Executive Creative Director, Advertising & Video Games
Ryan Barkan is responsible for creating innovative and integrated campaigns within the advertising and video game spaces. Most recently, Ryan worked with Pontiac on an integrated music campaign that featured the new artist Shwayze's hit single "Buzzin'," and starred the artist himself. He has also placed songs in games such as Guitar Hero, SingStar, Rock Band, American Idol: Karaoke Revolution, LIPS, and more. When not at work, Ryan spends his time checking out new bands and attending shows. He chronicles each show with his trusty camera and writes about them on his music blog, http://freshbread.blogs.com. His photos have been picked up by publications such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice and blogs like Brooklyn Vegan. Lastly, Ryan does a mean back spin...but not on request.
rbarkan@primarywavemusic.com
Robin Joseph, Partner and Sr. Creative Director, Film & Television
Robin Joseph brings 10 years of Music Licensing, Clearance and Supervision experience in the Film & Television world to her position today, where she is responsible for pitching and placement. She has worked with New Line Cinema, Artisan Pictures and on numerous productions as an independent Music Supervisor. Robin's music clearance credits include The Notebook, A History of Violence, Friday After Next and the box-office smash, Wedding Crashers. She was also responsible for music clearances in the promotional campaigns of films including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Austin Powers in Goldmember and Elf. As a Music Supervisor, her credits include Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and most recently, the hit NBC show, American Gladiators.
rjoseph@primarywavemusic.com
Marty Silverstone, Partner and Sr. Creative Director, Film & Television
Marty is part of the West Coast film & TV team, cultivating and securing creative synch opportunities for the company's songwriters and artists. Most recently, he headed the creative department of music publisher North Star Music Group, where he managed and promoted song catalogues featuring works by Collective Soul, Butch Walker and Bruce Hornsby. While at North Star, he helped found the company's Independent Artist / 1-Stop Music Licensing division by building a roster of compelling, emerging bands for whom he secured placements in major film/TV projects, as well as in the advertising world. Before transitioning into music publishing and artist development, Marty launched his career in music as part of the Queen's University Department of Psychology music research team in Kingston, Canada, leading studies on the psychology of pop music and music technology. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Marty is also an accomplished musician and producer, working with emerging artists and songwriters in his spare time. He is an instructor at Berklee College of Music's Los Angeles Program (Current Issues in the Music Industry), a member of NARAS, and regularly speaks on music industry panels.
msilverstone@primarywavemusic.com
Seth Faber, Partner and Sr. Director, Marketing/Artist Development
As Senior Director of Marketing & Artist Development, Seth works across multiple sectors within Primary Wave. On the publishing side, Seth is responsible for creating unique regenerative opportunities for several of Primary Wave's iconic & developing catalogues. Seth also oversees Primary Wave Records, Primary Wave’s record label distributed by EMI Label Services. Additionally, Faber is the co-founder, with Hosh Gureli, of Primary Wave’s Electronic Dance Music Division; in this capacity he & Gureli co-manage a roster of artists, DJs, and producers. Prior to joining Primary Wave, Seth was Manager of Artist Development at the Island Def Jam Music Group, where he oversaw the promotional and commercial touring activity for a roster of platinum and developing acts including Bon Jovi, Sum 41, The Rocket Summer, and Jon McLaughlin. Previously, Seth worked at the RCA Music Group, where he coordinated both A&R and Marketing initiatives for a number of successful artists including Maroon 5, Flyleaf, and Gavin DeGraw. In 2009, Seth was named to Billboard Magazine's "30 Under 30" list of industry power players. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Music Marketing at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.
sfaber@primarywavemusic.com
Tiffany Starr Kumar, Sr. Director, Creative
Tiffany Starr Kumar utilizes her unique background as a songwriter and manager to work alongside the creative Primary Wave roster. A graduate of New York University, Tiffany Starr got an early break by working as a songwriter with Diddy on MTV's "Making The Band" and soon after signing to Universal Music Publishing. As the Senior Director of Creative at Primary Wave Music Publishing, she focuses on identifying new talent and setting up creative sessions for the company's growing roster of talented writer/producers as well as pitching songs to be covered from the iconic artists in Primary Wave's catalog.
TStarr@primarywavemusic.com
Jake Livingston, Sr. Director, Creative
In addition to bringing his well-rounded management roster into the company via a new Joint Venture with Primary Wave Talent Management. Livingston's clients include new artist Lola Blanc and producers Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Milo Greene, The Gossip), Jerrod Bettis (OneRepublic, Gavin DeGraw, The Lonely Island), Rob Hawkins (Boys Like Girls, Megan & Liz, Three Days Grace), Tom Meredith (One Direction, Miranda Cosgrove, Cady Groves), Mitch Allan (Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Daughtry), and Jon Levine (Nelly Furtado, Cher Lloyd, K'Naan).
Jlivingston@primarywavemusic.com
Jessica Branca, Manager, Creative
JBranca@primarywavemusic.comDIGITAL MARKETING (BRIGHTSHOP DIGITAL)
Robert Dippold, Partner & General Manager
Rob began his career in marketing and rose to General Manager at Ruffhouse Records, a pioneering record label with Sony Music which has sold over 100 million albums worldwide with artists Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, Cypress Hill, Wyclef Jean, Kris Kross and others. In 2003, Rob served at Warner Music Groups distribution arm, W.E.A. Corp. developing retail and account based marketing initiatives for WMG artists including T.I., Linkin Park, Metallica, Missy Elliot, Sean Paul and others. In 2005 Rob became Head of Marketing & General Manager of Trustkill Records, an independent industry-leading entertainment and lifestyle company partnered with Sony and Universal Publishing. Trustkill established many key bands in the metal and hardcore rock scene including Bullet For My Valentine, Eighteen Visions, Poison The Well amongst others. Under the Trustkill brand, Rob was actively involved in digital marketing services, developing website properties, merchandising, music publishing, recorded music, artist management, mobile technology, as well as overseeing all company marketing initiatives. In 2005, Dippold developed and co-launched "MobileThreat" the first ever mobile content destination platform dedicated to the metal & punk music genres as well as other lifestyle branded websites. Rob has also managed acts including the pioneering alternative rock act Mushroomhead, Nothing, Dice Raw (The Roots), The Drama Club and many others.
rdippold@primarywavemusic.com
Melissa Berlin, Digital Marketing Manager
Melissa started her career in music with the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival as the Manager of Panel Programming. For three years with the CMJ Music Marathon, Melissa crafted panel discussions on music industry business and trends in addition to booking key speakers and moderators for the festival including top industry executives, artists and musicians. Melissa most recently comes from Independent Record Label, Management and Marketing company, Rock Ridge Music. In her role as Product Manager, Melissa specialized in digital marketing, digital publicity and new media for all Rock Ridge Music and Rock Ridge Marketing clients including Sister Hazel, Reel Big Fish, Ike Reilly, Tony Lucca and Joe Firstman.
mberlin@primarywavemusic.com
Anne Watkins, Director of Publicity
Anne Watkins has worked in the public relations entertainment industry for the last six years as a leading Account Executive at Lizzie Grubman Public Relations. She spearheaded PR campaigns for celebrity & music talent including Billy Baldwin, Plies, Victoria’s Secret model Kylie Bisutti, Chynna Phillips, Simon Rex, etc. as well as fashion and lifestyle brands such as Custo Barcelona, Beezag, SuperTrash and more. Anne graduated from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Development with a degree in Communication Studies. She spent her first two years in college at George Washington University, where she also played on the Women’s Tennis team (division 1). On a personal note, Anne grew up in Naples, Florida, but considers herself a New Yorker. She has a passion for creative writing and you’ll either find her at the dog park with her pup Charlie, running the Central Park loop or out at an industry event.
awatkins@primarywavemusic.com
Alexander Stein, Project Manager & Director of Social Media
Alexander Stein spent his three college summers in New York where he held 3 internships with Columbia Records in Digital Media, Video Promotion, and Video Production. At Columbia, Alexander was able to explore his interests in social media, assisting in the development of artist platforms and creative elements for video campaigns. As a means of artist promotion, he developed his personal passion for photography into a professional service for both emerging and established musicians. Alexander is a frequent contributor to Pitchfork.com among other music blogs.
astein@primarywavemusic.com
RaVal Davis, Digital Marketing Manager
RaVal has worked as an Entertainment/ Beauty and Lifestyle Editor for various publications such as Essence.com, Vibe Magazine/ Vibe.com, Honey Magazine, Today's Black Woman Magazine, Hype Hair Magazine and more. She is the founder of Ladies Room TV as well as the Executive Producer for all online video content.
RDavis@primarywavemusic.com
BRAND MARKETING (BRAND SYNERGY GROUP)
Jeff Straughn, CEO & Founder
Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Brand Synergy Group. Jeff Straughn has over twenty years of core marketing experience that includes working for global advertising firms, such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Interpublic Group’s Bozell, and ten years within sports marketing at global powerhouse Octagon. Jeff worked for Jay-Z and Mr. Antonio “LA” Reid while building a new strategic marketing department for Universal Music Group at Island Def Jam Recordings, and he has become a leader and trendsetter in how brands and artists work together. Now at Brand Synergy Group, with relationships that are direct and limitless, Jeff’s experience in brand development for Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Fall Out Boy and many others is now used to help corporate America leverage key assets to market their own brands.
jstraughn@brandsynergygroup.com
Laura Striese, Partner & Vice President of BSG
As Partner and Vice President of BSG, Laura Striese has been an integral part of the formation of the company and is responsible for all aspects of account management. Having worked alongside Jeff Straughn from the inception of the Strategic Marketing Department at Island Def Jam Recordings of Universal Music, Laura understands the importance of maintaining the integrity of both artists and brands in the creation of marketing relationships designed to bring optimum satisfaction to all involved. Her creative instincts have effectively contributed to a variety of successful marketing campaigns, running the gamut from artist record releases and promotions, major music industry events to the development of Nivea’s advertising campaign with Natasha Bedingfield and their most recent global campaign.
lstriese@brandsynergygroup.com
Brian Lancey, Partner, V.P. of Marketing
As Partner and Vice President of Marketing, Brian brings 10 years of consumer goods marketing experience to Brand Synergy Group from both the brand and agency sides of the business. Most recently Brian lead marketing efforts from multi-national corporations such as Mars Chocolate, Dr Pepper Snapple and Cadbury Schweppes.
blancey@brandsynergygroup.com
Jennifer Erb, Account Executive
Account Executive for Brand Synergy Group. Jennifer is a recent Summa Cum Laude graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, graduating with a duel degree in marketing and finance. Jennifer has experience in marketing, public relations and e-commerce for a wide range of corporations including MFS Investment Management, The TJX Companies, Staples Inc. and L'Occitane.
jerb@brandsynergygroup.com
Dave King, Partner, VP of Business Development
David King is a Partner and Vice President of Business Development. For over 15 years, King has created numerous impactful programs for blue chip companies within the sports and entertainment arena. King’s vast experiences include spring break beach promotions with Major League Baseball to activating Nivea on site at the Sundance Film Festival. King spearheaded the launch of Rihanna Totes umbrellas and helped develop several Las Vegas TV spots with the Neon Trees and CeeLo Green. King’s career span has included such national firms as MarketSource-Alloy as well as global powerhouses Octagon and Universal Music Group- Island Def Jam. At IDJ, King designed strategic marketing campaigns consisting of branded entertainment programming between artists and matching DNA brands. These platforms produced additional artist exposure while increasing profits and pop culture brand relevancy. At BSG, King continues to direct connect brands with artists while also expanding his talents into artist management and publishing.
dking@brandsynergygroup.com
TELEVISION DEVELOPMENT
Andrew Jameson, President, P.W. Television
Andrew Jameson has produced a diverse range of projects from the worlds of scripted television, features, and unscripted television. Andrew recently served as President of the Maloof Entertainment Group, where he ran the day-today operations while creating strategic alliances for the company. In his tenure at Maloof, he developed and produced forty episodes of primetime television and a feature. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President at Steve Stabler’s Commotion Pictures, and held Business Affairs positions at Screen Actors Guild, Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox. He has lectured at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, and is a member of the Producers Guild of America as well as the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
andrew@irishdreamtime.com
TALENT MANAGEMENT
Tom Maffei, President, Talent Management West Coast
Tom Maffei started his career as a club promoter, while working in the mailroom at Sony Music. That led to a job with Diane Warren¹s RealSongs publishing company and several successful record promotion positions at labels Elektra, Geffen, and Arista Records. Rising to the executive rank of SVP at Priority/Capitol Records, during his long career Tom has worked closely with several superstar artists including Busta Rhymes, Miss Elliott, Outkast, P. Diddy, Usher, Pink, Santana and Snoop Dogg. In 2005 he created his own venture to manage songwriters and producers, a roster led by Brian Kennedy, who has produced hits for Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Brown, Rascal Flatts, Justin Beiber, Jennifer Lopez and more.
tmaffei@primarywavemusic.com
Steve Hutton, Head Rock Management
After graduating law school in 1993 Stephen Hutton started Uppercut Management. Shortly thereafter he began managing a skinny white rapper from Detroit. During his eight years as an Uppercut artist, Kid Rock sold over 14 million records, toured the world, sold out numerous arenas, got arrested a few times and was even nominated for a Grammy. Uppercut has worked with a number of successful artists over the years including Big Kenny (Big & Rich), Better Than Ezra, The Heavy, Kill Hannah, Pixie Lott, All That Remains, Louis XIV, Dom, Escort and many others. In addition, Uppercut manages a small roster of songwriters, who have written several #1 singles. Besides his work as a manger, Stephen also serves as a marketing consultant and has worked with clients like Citibank and MasterCard.
SHutton@primarywavemusic.com
Hosh Gureli, Head of Electronic Dance Music Division
Through a joint venture with his production company HOSHG, Hosh Gureli oversees Primary Wave’s EDM division. Gureli, a widely recognized dance music pioneer, brings over 25 years of industry experience to Primary Wave. Gureli began paying his dues in high school as a record store clerk, and his passion for music soon led him to a career as a club DJ. Soon, he became the hottest commodity in Boston, DJ-ing at the city’s best clubs, including a residency at the famed Metro. Gureli’s DJ profile led him to San Francisco, where was hired as the Music Director for KMEL. Together with Keith Naftaly, Hosh created a new format, turning KMEL into the country’s first Rhythm and Crossover station. Additionally, Hosh created & hosted KMEL Underground, a mixshow featuring a myriad of EDM trailblazers. Later, Hosh took on underground mix show duties at New York’s Hot 97. In 1993, Hosh was hired by Clive Davisas a senior A&R at Arista, and laterJ Records / RCA Music Group, where he served as Vice President. Hosh has had a hand in some of the greatest dance hits of all-time, fromSwedish House Mafia’s “Leave the World Behind” featuring Deborah Cox to Whitney Houston’s hit dance mix of “It’s Not Right … But It’s Ok,” and hundreds in between.
HoshG@primarywavemusic.com
David Simone (D.S.W.)
David Simone has been President of Arista, Mercury and MCA Records in the UK before moving to the U.S. He was the President of UNI Records, President of Polygram Music Publishing and EVP of Geffen Records. Mr. Simone then joined his current partner Winston Simone and formed Deston Songs, which became a very successful independent publishing company. Mr. Simone has worked with the world's greatest artists and songwriters from Elton John to Jon Bon Jovi to Desmond Child to Bono.
dsimone@dswent.com
Winston Simone (D.S.W.)
Winston Simone has been in the music industry for over 30 years. As a manager, his clients have included Jan & Dean, Carly Simon, Joe Jackson, Curtis Stigers, Desmond Child, Michael Beinhorn, Michael Feinstein and Ricky Jay. Mr. Simone has put on shows with his clients at venues ranging from Broadway to the West End, from the Bottom Line to Wembley Stadium and from Brisbane to Paris. He has also produced television specials for his clients on the BBC, HBO, PBS and Cinemax. With his partner, David Simone, Winston founded Deston Songs which became a highly successful music publishing company.
wsimone@dswent.com
Michael "Blue" Williams (Family Tree Entertainment)
With a career in entertainment that spans over a decade and a half, Michael “Blue” Williams has managed the careers of some of hip-hop and R&B’s most prolific artists.
Blue has also been instrumental in managing the careers of singers Monica, Case, Jagged Edge, Macy Gray, and the one man entertainment arsenal, Nick Cannon, whose rise in film, music and fashion has been metamorphic. Blues credits also include rapper turned Television and movie star Xzibit, who captured the interest of car enthusiast around the world with the top rated MTV television show “Pimp My Ride”. With Blue at the helm, his artists have sold over 50 million combined albums, developed lucrative portfolios and created business opportunities that many urban acts can only dream about.
From humble beginnings as a “roadie” for R&B super group, K-Ci and Jo-Jo in the early 90’s, Blue’s dedication and persistence enabled him to rise through the ranks from this meager position to an official road manager after three years of service. Blue’s career continued to escalate when in four years he began to work for Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere, who owned Flavor Unit Management. Blue came on board as a manager and worked with a variety of artist in managing their careers, creating partnership opportunities and developing artist tours. In an industry built on reputations and relationships, Blue continued to build both as he steadily created a name for himself as a hardworking manager that had the ability to develop artists’ careers while continuously creating new avenues for success.
In 1995 while still with Flavor Unit management, Blue, at the urging of music industry mogul LA Reid, met with a then unknown southern rap group, Outkast and thus began a business relationship that has materialized to include over 20 million records being sold, a Grammy win and the numerous endorsements and partnership deals that have come to define their successful reign in hip-hop. In 1998 with Outkast in tow, Blue amicably parted ways with Flavor Unit Management to begin his company, Family Tree Entertainment that boasts an independent record label, a management arm and a film and TV division.
In January 2010 Blue’s Family Tree Entertainment entered into a management deal with Primary Wave Music.
TStembridge@primarywavemusic.com
Laurel Stearns (Dilettante)
Before venturing off on her own Laurel Stearns for a year and a half, built a small roster at Prospect Park(The Firm) with Red Fang , Father John Misty and Jenny O. Laurel spent 8 years at Capitol Records, 3 years at Red Light Management and 6 years as an independent manager. During her tenure at Capitol Records, Laurel ushered in bands such as: Interpol,The Decemberists, Shout Out Louds, Fischerspooner, Sparklehorse and LCD Soundsystem. During her tenure at Capitol Laurel realized there were many bands that she was passionate about that belonged no where near a major label. With two partners, launched Cold Sweat Records/Caroline. From that label ,No Age(WIVES), Battles, Health, Devendra Banhart , Yahowa 13 and many others were discovered and released. Laurel along with 3 others , opened the LA office of Redlight Mgmt , brought The Decemberists and Alberta Cross. She conceived of the idea to arrange a tour for The Decemberists with the philharmonics/orchestras in major markets across the US – and it was the band’s largest grossing tour to date. As an independent manager, Laurel managed: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Mammoth), The Descendents, ALL(Epitaph), GWAR(Metal Blade), The Paladins (4AD) Plastilina Mosh (Capitol). Laurel helped develop fan bases for these bands with branded tours & creative marketing ideas (ie: comic book instores for GWAR, shows on cruise ships for Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Descendent’s “Caffeine Nation Tour” - which did not allow any beer sponsors or corporate posters in the venue, etc.). Earlier in her career, Laurel also scouted for The Sony WORK group, where she was involved in the album set up for artists such as Fiona Apple, Jennifer Lopez, Jamaroquai & Eagle Eye Cherry.
lstearns@primarywavemusic.com
George Augusto (Dilettante)
GAugusto@primarywavemusic.com
Deborah Klein (Hands On Management)
Deborah brings over 25 years of experience in the music business to Primary Wave. With a legal degree and a background in radio and retail she brings a diversity of experience that has jumpstarted the careers of many musical acts. Prior to joining Primary Wave, Deborah was the General Manager for Prospect Park Label and was responsible for breaking Five Finger Death Punch with 3 Gold Albums and multiple top ten singles. Over the span of her career she has found and developed such acts as Morphine, Folk Implosion, Yellowcard and Flyleaf. Most recently she managed Smashing Pumpkins and created a worldwide marketing campaign for their recent album and tour. Her current roster includes Flyleaf, The Record Company, DWNTWN and Wim.
DKleine@primarywavemusic.com
Chris Maltese (Maltese Management)
After graduating from Monmouth University in 2000, Chris began an 8 year career at MTV in the heart of Times Square. He quickly worked his way up to the role of Senior Producer / Writer in the company's Radio department before departing in 2008 to follow his passion of artist management. It was this year which saw his client Secondhand Serenade (Glassnote's first signed artist) hit the top of the charts with the single "Fall For You", which would later go on to sell over 2 million units. Since that time, Chris has worked with artists on major labels, indie labels and independents while also developing a passion for licensing. His clients have performed or been heard on such programs as Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live, MTV's TRL, American Idol, Ugly Betty, Dancing With The Stars, and in worldwide or national ad campaigns for the likes of Nissan, Home Depot, The PGA, Behr Paint and more.
cmaltese@primarywavemusic.com
Clive Black, Head of U.K. Office
Clive@blacklistent.comJason Fields, Rock Management
Jason “JD” Fields has been in the music industry for over 20 years in talent buying, tour management and artist management. Jason has been fortunate enough to guide and developing the careers of many successful artists, writers and producers in multiple genres over the years to achieve well over 70 + million in sales thus far.
JFields@PrimaryWaveMusic.com
Aimee Berger
Aimee Berger, the founder of CAMPLIFIED, is a veteran music industry executive whose entrepreneurial passions run as deep as her pedigreed lineage. She’s a third generation music industry professional, who found her true calling when she successfully merged her two greatest passions – the music business and summer camp – a decade ago to create the pop culture phenomenon called CAMPLIFIED. Camplified is a marketing vehicle for artists on the rise, brands looking to reach the teen/tween demographic in the summer and continue communications with teens and their parents through a digital platform created specifically for the camp community at large with membership for campers, their families, alumnus and camp directors exclusively. Berger is a Penn State University graduate who earned her law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law, and specialized in entertainment law during her last year of law school at Southwestern University in Los Angeles. Berger’s current management roster includes Nicole Ryan, part of the “Morning Mashup” crew on Sirius XM’s top-rated Hits One morning show.
aberger@primarywavemusic.com
Michelle Santosuosso
“Michelle S.” is a 20+ year radio & records industry veteran, best known as Program Director for several major market stations that were groundbreaking urban music formats (KMEL-San Francisco, KKBT/92.3 The Beat-Los Angeles, KKLQ-San Diego) that influenced a generation of hip hop and R&B music, as well as a successful record company executive (RCA Records, J Records). She’s worked extensively in the digital realm at MTV Digital as music director/online plus the now-infamous Napster as VP of Music Programming. Also a writer, Michelle spent three years at Hits Magazine as Crossover Music Editor, is a contributing music editor for xomba.com and runs her own music blog, “The Smash”. Fun Fact: she knows every word to the Eddie Murphy movie “Coming To America”.
msanto@primarywavemusic.com
Jami Stigliano
Jami Stigliano joined the Primary Wave team in January 2010, following a 6+ year stint at the JIVE Label Group where she launched innovative marketing campaigns and developed a strong digital presence for the entire JIVE roster including Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, P!nk, Chris Brown, Ciara, Three Days Grace, Jordin Sparks, OutKast and many more. Before leaving to join the world of publishing and artist management, Jami was the Director of Marketing at JIVE where she was on the product management team handling multi-platinum acts Britney Spears and P!nk, as well as developing artists Allison Iraheta, Lesley Roy, Livvi Franc, among others. She now applies her 12+ years of music industry experience in digital, grassroots, and product management to the role of General Manager of Primary Wave’s Talent Management division. In this role she oversees the operations, day-to-day movement, and marketing/digital campaigns of the newly created talent management division, whose clientele includes CeeLo Green, Eric Benet, Cody Simpson, and Big Boi, among others. Her career started as a young intern at JIVE while a student at The University of Texas at Austin. A passionate lover of all things pop music and culture, Jami is still an avid subscriber of J-14 magazine and knows (and can teach you) all the choreography to Single Ladies! Follow Jami @jamistig
jstigliano@primarywavemusic.com
Lakeisha Orange
LOrange@primarywavemusic.com
Tamika Stembridge, Esq., Office of Michael "Blue" Williams
Tamika Stembridge, Esq. works directly with management heavyweights Michael “Blue” Williams on a day-to-day basis and supports the entire Primary Violator management team. As an MBA-toting attorney, life-long lover of music, and business professional with experience that spans corporate, non-profit, and start-up organizations, Tamika brings a wealth of skills, talents, and passion to the team. Tamika not only has a deep appreciation for the artistic and cultural components of music, media, and entertainment, but also understands the need for balance between the creative facets of the businesses and the commercial underpinnings that keep them flourishing.
TStembridge@primarywavemusic.com
FINANCE & BUSINESS AFFAIRS
Matt Jones, Partner and Director of Copyrights and Royalties
Matt Jones is responsible for all copyright and royalty functions for Primary Wave. Most recently he worked at Palm Entertainment Properties as Royalties Manager, where he oversaw the implementation of rights management and royalty systems for both its music and film divisions. He has extensive knowledge in copyright matters and in mechanical and compilation licensing. Mr. Jones previously worked as Finance Director of Ultra Records, the country's leading independent electronic music label.
mjones@primarywavemusic.com
Erica Emerson, Controller
eemerson@primarywavemusic.comJoan A. Davis
JDavis@primarywavemusic.com
John Luneau, General Counsel
jluneau@primarywavemusic.comDan Kuby
CONSULTANTS
Randy Miller, Partner
Randy Miller, one of the most respected marketing executives in the music industry, has held senior positions at Jive, Sire, MCA and RCA. Most recently, Mr. Miller was head of marketing for Virgin Records. Over his 25-year career, Mr. Miller has worked with many top-selling artists, including Britney Spears, R. Kelly, N' Sync, The Backstreet Boys, The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson and Lenny Kravitz.
rjaymiller@gmail.com