Dick Clark Productions, which is part of MRC’s Live & Alternative division, is bringing on Fonda Anita as their new executive vp of production. She’ll join the company’s leadership teams and be responsible for physical production for all of DCP, which is currently in pre-production for the 2021 American Music Awards.
“As we look to attract the best artists and producers in everything we do, our internal talent is no exception,” said MRC co-CEO Modi Wiczyk. “Fonda brings significant experience in production and will be a critical addition to our leadership team as we evolve dick clark productions for its next stage of growth and adapt our business for the ad-supported streaming emerging around us.”
Anita most recently served as vp of production for tentpoles, events, music & specials for ViacomCBS inclusive of MTV, VH1, CMT, Nickelodeon and BET. She and her team oversaw production of the music division including BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, The Soul Train Awards, the “CMT Music Awards pre-show and MTV Video Music Awards pre-show. Her resume extends beyond award shows though, with more than a decade producing projects like “Showtime at the Apollo,” “Gun Hill” and MTV’s “Making the Band II.”
Annie Aberle has been elevated to the role of senior creative director at PULSE Music Group, where she previously served as director of A&R. She’ll work with the publishing company’s A&R team and its roster of songwriters and producers.
Aberle brings a packed resume to her new role, having worked with clients like Tyler Johnson, who most recently co-wrote & produced Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” and co-wrote “Adore You,” ALDAE, who co-wrote five songs on Justin Bieber’s album Justice and SG Lewis, who has collaborated with artists like Dua Lipa, Nile Rodgers, Khalid, Robyn, Clairo and Lucky Daye.
“I’m eternally thankful to Ashley, Scott and Josh for the opportunity they have given me, and for everything they’ve done to help me grow and be successful since I joined PULSE,” Aberle said. “I’m so fortunate to be part of this team, which epitomizes a genuinely singular kind of creative experience for artist, writers and producers out there. It’s a blessing to call these brilliant creatives my clients and my family.”
Flo Millie, 8ae, Kehlani, Trevor Daniel, and Audrey Mika have all been signed to PULSE in the past year as an extension of its deal with EL-P. They join a lineup including Starrah, Ty Dolla $ign, Rich the Kid, YBN Cardae, El-P, YBN Nahmir and OZ.
“What sets PULSE’s A&R team apart is our ability to identify great new artists and songwriters before anyone else does and then do whatever it takes to help them to reach their potential,” said senior vp/head of Creative Ashley Calhoun and co-CEOs Scott Cutler and Josh Abraham. “Since she joined PULSE Annie has embodied that approach, and she’s accomplished some incredible things in a very short time. We’re thrilled to have her be a part of our team and congratulate her on this well-deserved promotion.”
Music technology company SoundExchange has appointed Stephanie Werner to be their new vp of brand marketing and industry engagement and Barry LeVine to vp of marketing and entertainment partnerships. The two will round out the company’s newly-expanded corporate affairs group based in New York and will report to Esther-Mireya Tejeda, chief marketing and communications officer.
“SoundExchange is hard at work building innovative technology systems, growing our suite of fintech services and expanding our data capabilities to make the business of music more simple, efficient, and fair,” Tejeda said. “It’s an exciting time to redefine our corporate affairs group with best-in-class industry leaders as we level-up to meet and surpass the demands of a digital-first ecosystem.”
Werner has over 25 years of experience under her belt, having most recently served as vp, Head of Global Marketing at Global Citizen, executive director for VH1 Save The Music Foundation and vp, Consumer Marketing and Music Marketing for VH1 and LOGO. She’s credited with building VH1’s Music Marketing and Partnership group, developing long-term relationships with brands like Starbucks, Six Flags, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Club Med and SXSW. In her new position, she’ll lead engagement and growth strategies for SoundExchange’s lineup of creators.
Levine joins the company as part of an initiative introduced by Tejeda. Marketing and Entertainment Partnerships is a new discipline at SoundExchange, which the former vp, Industry Relations will head. He’ll build strategic brand relationships and foster alliances to advance SoundExchange brand initiatives and impact across tech, music, and entertainment.
Former BMG executive vp Andreas Katsambas has joined Charmtetric, an analytics and business intelligence resource for the entertainment industry, as president of strategy, marketing & operations.
Katsambas has assumed senior positions at BMG across his career, most recently leading BMG’s development in Latin America and Canada as executive vp. He oversaw 30 releases achieving diamond, platinum, or gold sales status, having joined the company as a senior vp and overseeing all international releases for North American artists. Prior to that, he founded his own independent record label The End Records, which was acquired by BMG in 2016.
Chartmetric is a tool geared toward the music industry specializing in data collection, data cleaning and data visualization. The company tracks more than two million artists around the world on over 20 streaming and social platforms, with a mission to help entertainment professionals make smarter and faster music business decisions.
Independent label Mom+Pop Music is expanding its digital department with the new hires of Michael Schreder and Whitney Dublin as directors of digital, Ilana Lombardo as digital marketing manager and Dasha Johnson as digital marketing and promotions coordinator. They’ll be based in the label’s New York City office and report directly to Lindsay Schapiro, vp, head of digital.
Prior to joining Mom+Pop, Schreder ran DSP pitching and partnerships at digital music company Believe Music, meanwhile Dublin ran campaigns as part of the artist and label services team at music distribution and services company The Orchard. “Joining the Mom+Pop team last year has been such a pleasure,” Schreder said. “I’m thrilled to be working alongside an exceptional digital team and helping to elevate Mom+Pop artists’ releases in new and creative ways.”
Lombardo previously worked on digital campaigns at management services firm mtheory and Johnson worked on the Mom+Pop radio promotion team. The label’s digital department has spent the past year driving success for songs like Ashe’s “Moral of the Story,” Porter Robinson’s “Look at the Sky” and Beach Bunny’s “Cloud 9.” It’s also added rising artists such as Frances Forever and SEB to its roster.
“In the throes of extremely uncertain times, when live music and the music industry at large felt unsteady, my first few weeks at Mom+Pop reassured me that artists are as busy – and more creative! – than ever, and those of us working alongside them to support their artistic vision will have plenty to do,” Lombardo said. “From working on new signings like Frances Forever and SEB, to marketing releases from established acts like Porter Robinson and Sleater-Kinney, every day at Mom+Pop has kept me on my toes. On our team especially, the past few months has shown that informing digital strategy in our rapidly changing music ecosystem proves to be more important than ever before.”
Margaret Yen has joined This Machine, the media company of R.J. Cutler, who’s fresh off the success of her documentary The World’s A Little Blurry following Billie Eilish. Having worked with Cutler in the past documentaries like 30 Days and the Sundance Award-winning The September Issue, Yen joins This Machine’s senior executives Trevor Smith and Elise Pearlstein as senior vp of Music, working to oversee and grow the company’s music projects.
In the one year since This Machine launched, it has put together the Untitled Martha Stewart Documentary and Big Vape for Netflix and Murf the Surf at EPIX. “We could not be more excited to welcome Margaret to This Machine,” Cutler said. “She’s a brilliant producer and a great executive, and her taste, vast experience and unique expertise are the perfect match for our sensibilities and objectives. This Machine is champing at the bit to grow our work and relationships within the music industry and Margaret is just the person to help us do so.”
A Grammy award-winner, Yen is a minted music supervisor with a list of credits spanning Extraction, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Midnight Sky, The Prom, Moxie, Yes Day, The White Tiger, Kate and the upcoming Lin-Manuel Miranda musical Tick Tick Boom. “I’m so thrilled to be building a music documentary space at This Machine with RJ, Elise and Trevor,” Yen said. “This is an amazing team of people who inspire trust, build legacy stories and produce fascinating verité. I can’t think of better collaborators to deliver documentaries that celebrate the transformative power of music.”
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