Panelist Biographies MECA Music Conference • May 12-15, 2004 • Chicago, USA
Jim Alderdice - Ikon Artists, Nashville, TN Panelist/Mentor Jim Alderdice is the founder and president of Ikon Artists, a new artist development and management company in Nashville, Tennessee. A ten-year industry veteran, Alderdice formerly directed marking and tour promotions for platinum-selling guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Specializing in the area of cross-promotional tour marketing, Alderdice managed promotions for Shepherd's U.S. and international tours with the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, the Eagles, Bob Dylan, B.B. King and others. He has produced groundbreaking national campaigns with companies including the GAP, Fender Guitars, the NBA, Guitar Center Stores, the House of Blues and Launch.com. A graduate of Harding University in Arkansas, Alderdice attended law school at the University of Memphis.
Sean Agnew - Blue Metallic Entertainment Group, Chicago, IL Panelist/Mentor Sean Agnew's diverse career in the music industry has led him from being a successful touring artist to an in-demand event coordinator to the founder and CEO of Blue Metallic Entertainment Group (BMEG). With an extensive business foundation that still maintains a true artistic soul, BMEG provides artist services in the new global music landscape. Drawing on his diverse experiences in retail, concert promotion, marketing, sales, management, and as an artist, Sean Agnew and BMEG bring a unique perspective to what promises to be an exciting shift in the music business.
As CEO and Founder of BMEG, Sean has been an in-demand speaker at many of the industry's biggest conferences, including SXSW, where he spoke alongside Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes (No Doubt, Justin Timberlake), Andy Gershon, President of V2 Records (White Stripes), Seymour Stein, President of Sire/Warner records (Madonna), John Alagia (Dave Matthews band, John Mayer), Gregg Latterman President of Aware/Columbia records (Train, Five for Fighting, John Mayer) and other prominent industry creative and business people. Other industry events he has been recruited to speak at include NXNE, the renowned Columbia College's Urban Music Conference, MP3.com's A.C.E event, the Global Entertainment and Media Summit, the Midwest Music Summit, the NEMO Music Conference, and many more. He has also been a featured speaker at colleges and universities, where he speaks to music business students about the changing industry and how to navigate the music world. Beyond conferences and colleges, Sean is a constant participant in the entertainment and media industry as a whole, and has been filmed on the national primetime show “Pop Stars" participated as a celebrity judge for the national finals of the Miller Genuine Draft Comedy Search featuring D.L. Hughley in 2001 and Monique in 2002 and been an integral subject of a BBC expose on the American music industry and it’s feelings toward the Fox show “American Idol”.
David Bash - Founder of the International Pop Overthrow Festival Panelist/Mentor As a youth in the early 1970s, David Bash knew he had caught the pop music bug when he found himself unable to sleep each Christmas Eve, as he anxiously awaited the broadcast of the WABC Top 100 the next morning. By the end of that decade Bash had amassed a record collection of more than 3,000 items, and though it's since been mostly converted to CDs, the collection has never stopped growing. In the '80s Bash received a B.A. in Journalism from New York University and a Masters in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. Although he taught Psychology at several community colleges throughout the '90s the journalism muse continued to beckon, and in 1995 he began writing CD reviews for Yellow Pills magazine and Audities magazine. Since then Bash has written reviews and articles for magazines such as Amplifier, Bucket full of Brains, Discoveries, Goldmine, Shindig, Ugly Things and Entertainment Today, as well as liner notes for several CD releases.
In August of 1998 Bash founded the International Pop Overthrow Festival In Los Angeles, which featured 120 of the best pop and rock bands from around the world. Since that time IPO, as it's affectionately been labeled, has occured each July in Los Angeles, and in 2001 began expanding to other markets. The festival now also takes place each year in Chicago, New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Nashville, and Liverpool (at the legendary Cavern Club), and will make its first appearance in San Francisco in August of 2004. The aim of International Pop Overthrow was and always will be to create positive exposure for every artist who participates, to create a nurturing, cooperative environment between the musicians and their fans, and to bring pop music, as those of us associated with the festival define the term, to the hearts and minds of the mainstream public.
Eric Beall - Vice President of Creative - Sony/ATV Music, New York, NY Panelist/Mentor Eric Beall is the Vice President of Creative for Sony/ATV Music in New York, overseeing a staff of leading writers and producers such as Billy Mann, Steve Diamond, Teron Beal, Walter Afanasieff, John Mayer, and many others. Sony Music also represents some of the music industry’s most prestigious song catalogues, including the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Neil Diamond. Prior to joining Sony, Eric was the Creative Director for Zomba Music Publishing, where he signed and developed top writers like KNS Productions and Riprock & Alex G., and has coordinated and directed Zomba writers in the development of material for Jive Records pop superstars like Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears and Aaron Carter.
Eric is also the author of “Making Music Make Money: An Insider’s Guide To Becoming Your Own Music Publisher”, due out in November on Berklee Press, the publishing arm of the prestigious Berklee College Of Music. “Making Music Make Money” is intended to educate songwriters, as well as aspiring music business entrepreneurs in the basics of becoming an effective independent music publisher. Topics include a discussion of the various roles a publisher plays in the music business: collection, administration, protection, exploitation and evaluation. An emphasis is placed on the exploitation process, and the importance of creating a sound business model for a new publishing venture.
Before joining the publishing ranks, Eric was a songwriter and producer, penning the pop hits “Nothin’ My Love Can’t Fix” for Joey Lawrence (Top 10 Billboard Hot 100) and “Carry On” by Martha Wash (#1 Billboard Dance Chart) as well as songs for Diana Ross, The Jacksons, Safire, Samantha Fox, Brenda K. Starr, and many others. He also co-founded Class-X Recordings, an independent dance label in New York
Bram - Partner in SoundArt Management - Chicago\Atlanta Drummer\Musician Bram first started in the music industry as the drummer for the Atlanta-based band Soup. After eight years of relentless touring, label deals, studio & live album production, and self-management, as well as commissioned managers, lawyers, sponsorships, an LLC, and every indie contest imaginable, Bram has experienced everything up and coming musicians shouldn't do to get a record deal.
Soon after Soup disbanded, Bram partnered with "Band-to-Band Combat" tour manager Staci Rothchild to form SoundArt Management, a management company dedicated to helping "newbie" bands and local talent make the next step in the music industry. For the past three years, SoundArt has been helping Chicago favorites like American Motherload, Mighty Fine Machine (recently renamed Matador Down), Drive, and Fashion Bomb, and countless others across the country, like Pepper'sGhost (Hybrid Records) and Dr. Dan (Aquarium Rescue Unit), make the transition into indie and signed acts. Bram's experience as both musician and manager has led him to develop a methodology suitably dubbed "Breaking the Band." He looks forward to sharing his unique perspective on the music industry with all who attend MECA '04.
Benjamin Brannen - Creative Manager - BMG Music Publishing, Beverly Hills, CA Panelist/Mentor
Del Breckenfeld - Director of Entertainment Marketing - Fender Musical Instruments Corp. / A&R Fender Records (Rhino/WEA), Corona, CA Panelist/Mentor Fender Musical Instruments is the worlds leading manufacturer of guitars, basses and amps, and includes other top names such as Charvel/Jackson, Guild, Gretch and SWR under its umbrella. For his first five years at Fender, Del was Director of Artist Relations, and was responsible for signing endorsements with some of Fender's best-known artists. He was also on the team that launched the Fender Catalina Island Blues Festival, which showcased both Fender's top, and up-and coming Blues artists. The Festival ran for five years and was regarded as one of the top ten Blues festivals in the country. Today, as Director, Entertainment Marketing, Del is responsible for product support for movies, television, print ads and commercials. He also coordinates major promotions for both the recording and film/TV industry. Del is a featured spokesperson for Fender in the entertainment industry and has recently appeared on such programs as MTV's Bands on the Run, Canada's Much Music's Star Treatment (shown in the US on Discovery Channel) and Tech TV's Audiophile, in addition to many local and regional outlets. He also appears on camera in the new documentary Catalina - Hollywood's Magic Isle.
Del was on the team that founded Fender Records, a joint partnership between Fender, Rhino/WEA and Morling Manor. Fender Records is a full line label that in 2003 released The Players - a compilation of some of Fender's biggest star's recent recordings. Next up for Fender Records is a co-branded CD with legendary So. California surf ware company, Ocean Pacific (OP) entitled Emerging. This CD features major athletes from extreme sports along with exciting new discoveries from Fender's stable of artists. As part of the selection process, Fender also hosted an open competition on their website that attracted almost 3,000 entries. The CD is slated for release in late spring of 2004.
Ed Breckenfeld - Drum Tuning Workshop Ed Breckenfeld is one of the most respected professional drummers and drum set teachers in the Chicago area, and a monthly columnist for Modern Drummer Magazine.
Ed first came to prominence in the early '80's with the popular Midwest punk/pop group The Odd. A few years later he helped form The Insiders, whose debut album in 1987 on Epic Records contained the Top-10 AOR hit "Ghost On The Beach". The Insiders went on to become one of Chicago's top rock bands from the late '80's through the mid '90's. Since 1997, Ed has been the drummer for the Grammy-nominated Cathy Richardson Band, as well as playing regularly with The Juleps, The Dooley's, and Jim Peterik's World Stage. He has also recorded numerous albums with other artists, in addition to radio and television commercials.
Ed has taught drum set and snare drum technique for well over 25 years, with hundreds of drummers thriving under his tutelage over that time. One of his most well known students is Kevin Clark, the young drummer in the hit movie "School of Rock". Ed has also been a regular contributor of drum technique articles to Modern Drummer Magazine since 1999. His column "Off The Record" can be seen every month in MD.
Alex Cortez - Independent A&R Director/Consultant - Mindless Music, Los Angeles, CA Panelist/Mentor Alex is an independent A&R Director/Consultant and President of Mindless Music an independent A&R and Consulting company. A twelve-year Radio Broadcasting and Records Industry veteran, Cortez is formerly Assistant Music director of CHR Los Angeles radio station 102.7 KIIS-FM & KHHT-FM Hot 92.3 R&B. He is currently working with Lenny Lyons new record label under the Universal Music Group umbrella, as West Coast A&R Director/Promotions Manager. Lenny Lyons gained his success as the #1 Independent Promotion Company in the U.S..
Dan de Ramos - Echosend, Chicago, IL Panelist/Mentor At age 5, Dan's musical career started with piano lessons, followed by cello lessons and joining chorus in grade school. He joined the Suzuki Youth Orchestra and won a first place medal for a cello solo performance. By the age of 12, Dan was formally trained in classical music and regularly performed Beethoven, Vivaldi and Bach. At the age of 13, he taught himself drums and guitar and began to learn the Blues and basic songwriting. Dan's love for writing, recording and performing music inspired him to join and form different cover, Rock and Blues bands. In 1998, he formed an original Rock band, Echosend, with some Jazz musician friends. Now Echosend plays on some of the biggest stages in Chicago and the Midwest. They have been featured in many showcases and festivals. And the band's songs have been played on the local radio and licensed to MTV and independent films. Echosend released their second full length CD in January.
Greg Diekroeger - Director of Campus Activities, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, WI Panelist/Mentor Greg supervises the University’s programming staff which annually produces 150 programs for students and the central Wisconsin community. Programs range from major concerts to lectures and from coffeehouse entertainment to novelty type acts. He also produces and promotes the University’s performing arts series. Greg served as the showcase coordinator for the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) for 12 years producing over 700 showcases and working with a wide variety of entertainment acts in the college market. He coordinated the “How to do Business in the College Market” for the former Wisconsin Region of NACA for 10 years, providing information and resources to performers interested in the college market. Currently, Greg serves on the Board of Directors for NACA. In addition, Greg owns a small event production services company in Stevens Point, WI providing production support to concerts and festivals throughout the Midwest.
Terence Dover - President of Hotbed Records - Brooklyn, NY Panelist/Mentor Terence Dover, President of Hotbed Music, an artist development company, has worked on major projects as a recording engineer, producer, A&R rep, and songwriter. His credit appears on over 40,000,000 records worldwide!
Dover served as Director of Talent Development for BMG imprint Esquire Records. There he developed & signed artists, was producer and A&R under the direction of Ric Wake (VP Epic) and Andy Fuhrman (VP Universal). He worked closely with producer Peter Zizzo on the development team for Avril Lavigne and Vanessa Carlton resulting in their deals! Terence produced and co-wrote 4 songs with Avril Lavigne for Arista Records. He worked on Celine Dion’s Grammy winning LP as well as Jamie Lynn Siegler, M2M, Plus One, and Grover Washington JR.and many other recordings. Terence was signed to a publishing agreement and has written with many of today’s hottest songwriters and worked with top producers including Billy Mann (Pink, Jessica Simpson), Greg Wattenberg (Five for Fighting, Bon Jovi) Andy Marvel (Diana King) Ric Wake (Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion). His songs have been licensed to HBO, Movie Channel and Showtime.
Terence teaches a music production course at The New School University in NYC, leads his unique Superstar Boot Camp seminar and works with developing acts. He has helped his clients receive record and publishing deals, major label interest, national airplay and press. He is also performing with his band Critical Fuse in support of their debut LP.
Paul Farahvar - Entertainment Lawyer, Chicago, IL Panelist/Mentor He began his musical endeavors following bands like The Police, U2, and R.E.M through the 80s. Through high school, he had a knack of "discovering" bands before they were recognized commercially (the Samples, Counting Crowes, Big Head Todd, Dave Matthews Band). With that sort of ear for music, he tried to form bands throughout college and law school at the University of Illinois. After years of flailing bands, he co-founded Shoeshine Boy, a pop rock band with a focus on vocal flair and substance. Shoeshine Boy made some minor waves in Illinois as one of the hottest upcoming acts in Chicago and Champaign. They shared the stage with acts like the Why Store, Tim Reynolds, Willy Porter, and the Lovehammers. He gave up playing music (for the most part) to focus on the business aspects of music. Currently, in addition to Shoeshine Boy, Paul is a part-time associate at Hartigan & Cusinier and a part-time member of Karma Tease (a local band with members of Soulfix and lead singer Jocelyn Baker of Shoeshine Boy fame).
Michael Freeman - Coachouse Music, Barrington, IL Panelist/Mentor Michael is an independent producer/engineer and President of Coachouse Music — an independent label and production company. With more than 25 years of experience in the recording industry, his credits include a GRAMMY Nomination for work on Bo Diddley's 40th Anniversary album "A Man Amongst Men"; four albums with W.C. Handy Award Nominations from The Blues Foundation, and work with a diverse group of artists that include Candi Staton, Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Sharrie Williams, Ministry, Ric Neilsen, Pop & Mavis Staples, Eric Clapton, Johnny Lang, BB King, Mighty Joe Young, Jerry Garcia, Echosend, Corey Harris & Henry Butler, John Primer, Eleventh Dream Day, Supermint, French icon Charlelie Couture, Mickey Gilley, Marcia Ball, and Irish folk legend Tommy Makem. Michael is also a founding member of EARS, and President of the Chicago Chapter of NARAS.
Rob Gillis - Mobile Fidelity Records and Waterdog Records , Chicago, IL Moderator/Mentor Rob Gillis is a Chicago music industry veteran with professional management experience with labels, record retail, print media, and radio . He is with currently on staff at Mobile Fidelity Records and Waterdog Records and consulting CR Music Management in conjunction with his independent company, Gillis & Brill, P. & R..
Richard Gottehrer - The Orchard Global Media Group, New York, NY Panelist Richard Gottehrer has had an exciting career in the music industry that's spanned four decades, with no end in sight. He's achieved success as a songwriter, ("My Boyfriend's Back", "I Want Candy", "Sorrow") a producer (Blondie, The GoGo's, Joan Armatrading, among others), and as a major label executive by co-founding and serving as President of the legendary Sire Records. Currently, Richard Gottehrer is Chairman of The Orchard Global Media Group, the world's largest distributor of independent music.
The Orchard was co-founded in New York City in 1998 by Mr. Gottehrer and Artist Manager Scott Cohen (The Raveonettes). Their desire to create The Orchard sprung from a belief that every artist's music should be available throughout the world--that every work of music and every artist that creates it deserves that opportunity. "Until we came along, distribution for the independent artist was extremely limited, and competing with major labels was almost impossible," says Gottehrer. Five years later and with thousands of artists from over 2,500 independent record labels in 48 countries, The Orchard remains dedicated to affording their artists and labels unprecedented opportunities to distribute music on a global scale, both digitally and physically. Mr. Gottehrer recognized early on the value of harvesting the digital content of thousands of artists. As a result, The Orchard is the largest provider of independent music to all the new digital music services, offering exposure opportunities to artists that might not otherwise be heard.
Mr. Gottehrer is deeply involved in helping set the direction of the industry as it deals with changes brought on by new technologies. Mr. Gottehrer has offered his advice and insight to artists, labels, documentaries and music business professionals throughout the world, and has appeared as a featured speaker at conferences in locals from New York City to Sydney, and from Hong Kong to Helsinki. From his unique and in-depth vantage point of the music industry both past and present, he is able to offer an informed look towards the future and the challenges that lay ahead.
As a producer, Mr. Gottehrer latest project is Danish band The Raveonettes, which he was instrumental in getting signed to a worldwide record deal with Columbia Records, and whose first full length album he co-produced. That album, called Chain Gang of Love, has garnered rave reviews from the likes of Rolling Stone and Q Magazine, and entered the Billboard Alternative Rock Chart at Number 1.
Jon Hain - Uvulittle Records, Madison, WI Panelist/Mentor Jon Hain started Uvulittle Records in 1996 as a means to release a live album featuring various artists that played at Mother Fool's Coffeehouse in Madison, Wisconsin. Hain and his wife, Stephanie Rearick, had run the coffeehouse for a little ver a year and felt that a live CD would be a boost for the business.
Shortly after releasing "Live at Mother Fool's" Hain realized that the label that had released his most recent band offering (Your Mom SRO's "Royal Jelly") wasn't doing anything in terms of promotion. He took the disc back and started calling radio and press, eventually getting the CD onto playlists on over 100 college stations and a good stack of reviews. "This was really the turning point. I realized that I really enjoyed promoting music."
In 1996, Uvulittle released Yid Vicious' first CD. This release sold well and helped pay for releases by Jack The Dog, Stephanie Rearick and MiLkBabY. Yid Vicious released a second CD on Uvulittle in 2000 which was quickly bought out by the band when they received an offer from Knitting Factory Records. This, in turn, allowed Uvulittle to release Pascal's debut CD as well as Hain and Rearick's band debut by The Coma Savants.
The Coma Savants broke up in early 2003 and Hain is excited to focus more on the business end of things for awhile. Ultimately, he sees himself getting into another project but isn't in a hurry. "I spent ten years in projects I loved, I'm in no hurry to jump into anything unless it really captures my imagination."
Meanwhile, Uvulittle has its hands full. Three of their artists are doing a showcase tour in April. Pascal is working on a new CD. MiLkBabY has new release coming out in May. And, there are a few surprises happening in the background. "We're negotiating right now with a couple of artists that will really boost our visibility." Stay tuned...
Rashaun Hall - R&B Editor, Airplay Monitor/Rap Columnist - Billboard, New York, NY Panelist/Mentor
Gary Hoey - Clinician In 1993, Gary Hoey's "Hocus Pocus" rocketed into the Billboard Top 5 and outpaced all other singles as the most frequently played rock song of the year. With that, he began his ongoing run as the dominant rock instrumental performer, with singles "Low Rider," "Linus and Lucy," and "Drive" following "Hocus Pocus" into the Top 20, album sales topping four hundred thousand, a choice assignment to score the surf movie Endless Summer II, a historic twin-threat guitar collaboration with Dick Dale on "Misirlou" for MOM II: Music For Our Mother Ocean, and benediction from Dale, in a Guitar Player interview, as one of his four favorite guitarists, alongside Eric Clapton, B. B. King, and Andres Segovia.
Stephen Jensen - Art Director / Owner • F3 Design & FlashMusicNetwork.com , Crystal Lake, IL Panelist Stephen Jensen is an award-winning entertainment art director, digital illustrator, and graphic designer and founder of F3 Design in Crystal Lake, IL. Although his experience covers a wide array of design including logos, advertisements, packaging, websites, and corporate collateral, Stephen is known mostly for his work in the music and entertainment industries on album covers and packaging. Stephen received his BA in graphic design at Columbia College of Chicago focusing mainly on graphic design, photography, and typography. Stephen’s style comes from a combination of unique photography, photo direction, and photo manipulation, and a strong sense of color, design and typography. With influences from the early art masters to his modern day peers, Stephen’s work balances elegance and precision with chaos and decadence. Some of his pieces offer deep concepts and photorealistic imagery, while others are studies in color, design, typography, and structure.
Gerey Johnson - Director of A&R - A440 Music Group, Chicago, IL Panelist/Mentor Probably one of the few A&R executives who is actually a working musician, Gerey provides a unique perspective to the process of selecting artists and material for the A440 roster. He operates from what one may consider an 'old school' perspective of musicians who should be able to play, singers who should be able to sing and songs that invoke an emotional response from the listeners. He incorporates this artistic approach to music with his solid business background as a former corporate bank officer and an investment banker for a NYSE boutique brokerage firm.
As a former talent buyer for the now defunct Chicago jazz club, "The Bulls", Gerey has had the opportunity to interact with a range of artists from Grover Washington and Chick Corea to the likes of Brian Culbertson and Steve Cole.
He continues to remain a wanted session guitar player appearing on recordings to include: Brian Culbertson, Steve Cole, the Braxton Brothers, Nelson Rangell as well as non-jazz artists such as Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige and Yolanda Adams.
If that wasn't enough, Gerey also works as a writer/producer that runs the full gamut of the music industry from remixing a current pop hit to producing music for television shows and radio stations.
Jason Jordan - Vice-President, A&R - Hollywood Records, New York, NY Panelist
Rich Keppler - SurfNet Media Group, Inc., Tempe, Az Panelist/Mentor Richard “Rich” Keppler, co-founder of SurfNet Media Group, Inc., began his career as a major market on-air personality in New Jersey, Delaware, and Arizona and moved into Internet broadcasting in the late 90’s. Always a visionary, he foresaw the potential for Internet radio long before the market did and partnered with Andy Burgess to create a patented tool for broadcasting streaming media, called Metaphor™ technology.
This tool allows listeners to quickly and easily “lift” a station from its website and put it on the listener’s own website or desktop, while continuing to broadcast the original station. This creates a virtual network, aggregating an ever-increasing audience for the station. SurfNet utilizes the Metaphor technology to broadcast its four stations: BoomBox Radio®, VoiceAmericaSM Radio, BusinessAmericaSM Radio, and TalkNet RadioSM.
As a recognized expert in new media, Mr. Keppler has spent a significant amount of time over the last several years consulting with media and record companies on such topics as developing new, Internet-enabled business models and the creation of new platforms for delivering content. Mr. Keppler speaks often at music conferences across the United States and enjoys sharing his industry expertise.
Michael Kranicke - Founder, Voodoo Kings, Chicago, IL Panelist A graduate of Boston's Berklee College of Music, Michael punctuates his emotional vocals with guitar solos that jangle and jump. His blues-drenched foundation can be traced to memories of hearing B.B. King at the age of four and to the privledge of seeing the late, great Muddy Waters. An impassioned lyricist, he reinforces the rhythm section with arresting melodies. A seasoned stage performer, Michael lead the group Blues Effect and toured the Southwest heavily from 1990 to 1994 opening up for various national acts. Moving to Chicago, he immediately dove in head first and formed the band the VOODOO KINGS and has written and co-produced all three of the band's releases. With his fingers in television as well, his past assignments include work for ESPN, Fox Sports, E!Entertainment, the BBC as well as mixing live productions with Grammy award winning artists like Albertina Walker, The Soul Stirrers, and Kirk Franklin.
Vince Lawrence - The Slang Music Group, Chicago, IL Panelist/Mentor Vince Lawrence is an internationally recognized innovator in dance music. Industry insiders recognize Vince as co-author of the first recording officially designated "house music". Credited with the initial organization of Trax Records, a seminal Chicago House label, Lawrence has exposed some of the dance world's greatest prodigies, including Marshall Jefferson (Move your Body, Ride the Rhythm, etc.), Adonis, Byron Styngly, Farley Jackmaster Funk, Ron Hardy, Screamin' Rachel and Jesse Saunders while inspiring many others.
As founder of The Slang Music Group and co-founder of Flatblast Entertainment, Lawrence has evolved from artist and producer to entrepreneur and marketer. Above all, he is a veteran of the street with an intuitive understanding of what youth culture craves-be it style and music or consumer products that he telegraphs to the street through soundtracks for advertising or non-traditional "under the radar" field marketing programs. Vince Lawrence's intimate relationship with pop culture and lifelong love of music have evolved into a unique insight that is eagerly sought out--from the trend hunters of Madison Avenue to the likes of pop star R. Kelly.
Bryan Leach - VP A&R Urban, TVT Records, New York. NY Panelist/Mentor In early 2000, Bryan Leach took a fateful trip to the South. As Vice-President of Urban A&R for TVT Records, the Harlem native was looking for new talent, so he went to Atlanta, GA for a Lil Jon & The East Side Boys performance and was blown away. Leach signed Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz to TVT Records and the trio's first two TVT releases, 2000's Put Yo Hood Up and 2001's King's of Crunk have sold more than 2.5 million copies. Continuing his winning streak, Leach signed the Ying Yang twins to TVT Records and released the duo's thrid album, Me & My Brother in 2003. It is approaching platinum and remains one of the best-selling rap albums in the country.
This visionary with the two biggest acts in the current wave of southern hip-hop is ready to continue his chart-topping streak in 2004 with Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz's third TVT album, Crunk Juice, as well as the highly anticipated debut albums from Miami rapper Pitbull, Lil Jon Affiliate Chyna Whyte, Lil Jon's first R&B act, Oobie, soul singer Teedra Moses, and Yo Gotti.
Danica L. Mathes, Esq. - Blumenfeld, Kaplan & Sandweiss, P.C., St. Louis, MO Panelist Danica L. Mathes is an Entertainment and Intellectual Property attorney. She represents and counsels clients in various areas and genres of the arts and has worked with the likes of Nelly and the St. Lunatics, St. Louis jazz label MAXJAZZ, and Oscar-nominated Hollywood film producer Buzz Hirsch ("Silkwood"). What she enjoys most is working with entrepreneurs and independent artists and labels to develop artists and educate them about legal and business issues. A musician since the age of 4, Danica has also been a television reporter, radio disc jockey and has worked with several NBC affiliates as well as Walt Disney World Entertainment.
Danica is an Adjunct Professor of Entertainment Law at Washington University School of Law. She was recently selected as one of the St. Louis Business Journal's 30 Under 30, is on the Board of Directors for St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts, the St. Louis Young Variety Board, and is active with the American Bar Association Entertainment & Sports Law Forum. Danica received her B.A. in Communication and Music from DePauw University and her J.D. from Washington University School of Law.
Brian Mencher, Esq. New York, NY Panelist Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mr. Mencher studied music for over 10 years throughout high school and college. As soon as he enrolled in law school, he knew he wanted to incorporate his passion for music with the practice of law. Now as a lawyer, Mr. Mencher focuses in the areas of intellectual property and entertainment law, with an emphasis in music.
He has been involved in numerous aspects of the music industry, serving as a personal manager, booking agent, promoter, and currently as a consultant for Music Law Conference, an event Mr. Mencher founded and coordinated in 2001. As co-producer for a developing musical composer, he managed all aspects of an album release including music licensing and copyright administration. Mr. Mencher not only offers legal advice on all aspects of the music industry, but also provides guidance on business and career development. He combines extreme organization with in-depth knowledge of the music industry to provide comprehensive legal and business strategy.
Mr. Mencher is a published author with the New York State Bar Association's Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal, the UCLA Entertainment Law Review and the American Bar Association Entertainment & Sports Lawyer, as well as a member of the ABA's Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Forum and the National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences. He is licensed in the State of New York and works out of New York City. He graduated in the top 3% of his law school class at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
In his spare time, Mr. Mencher has traveled throughout the world, spending extended periods of time in Europe and Africa. Through his travels, he has been exposed to many new styles of music, giving him a global perspective that he incorporates into the practice of law.
Mozy Mosanko - A&R/Senior Manager Creative Development, Jive Records, Beverly Hills, CA Panelist/Mentor As Manager for Jive Records Creative Development team Mozy has worked with top artists such as Britney Spears, NSYNC, R. Kelly, Petey Pablo, Backstreet Boys, Mystikal, Three Days Grace, and Bowling for Soup. Through various movie studios Mozy has also been involved in Executive Production of soundtracks for Jive Records such as: The Wood, Wild Thornberry’s, Jimmy Neutron, That 70’s Show, The Corruptor and Drumline. Mozy has managed Music Supervision for movies like New Line Cinemas “Dumb and Dumber”, The Movie “P.S” (in production), Manhattan Pictures “The Secret Lives of Dentist”, the movie “Saving Grace” (in production), Artisan’s Roger Dodger, Sony Pictures “Last Super”, Lion’s Gate “100 Girls” and Paramount Pictures “My First Mister”.
Paul Natkin - Paul Natkin Photo Reserve, Chicago, IL Moderator Through the years, Paul Natkin has photographed almost every major music star. Among many credits, he has had the covers of Newsweek (Bruce Springsteen), Ebony (Tina Turner) People ( Prince) and many music magazines from around the world. Paul has photographed many album covers, some of the artists include Ozzy Osbourne and Johnny Winter. He has been the tour photographer for the Rolling Stones for the last 12 years and done promotional photos and merchandising photos for many artists. In 1986, he started working as the official photographer for the Oprah Winfrey Show and worked with the show till 1993, when his music business work took over too much of his time.
Sheryl Northrop - The Baker/Northrop Media Group, Encino, CA Moderator Sheryl Northrop has worked in the music and media industries for more than two decades and has run her own entertainment PR firm, The Baker/Northrop Media Group since establishing the company in 1997 with former business partner Cary Baker.
During her career, Northrop has worked in print publishing and PR for both independent and corporate firms. She has represented entertainers, music artists in many genres including rock, pop, blues, Americana, jazz, children’s recordings and other entertainment entities including books, theatricals, events and corporate clients. She worked in the media departments at I.R.S. Records, RCA Records and All American Music Group prior to starting The Baker/Northrop Media Group.
Northrop holds a degree in journalism from California State University, Northridge and is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). She co-taught the UCLA Extension course “Publicity for the Music Industry for several years. She is a featured interview in the book “Getting Signed: An Insider’s Guide to the Record Industry,” and is regularly called upon to lecture or participate in panel discussions about entertainment PR in both industry and academic forums.
Mike O'Cull - Freelance Journalist - Chicago, IL Mike O'Cull is a freelance writer and guitarist living and working in the Chicago area. His work has appeared online at www.ChicagoGigs.com and in print in the Illinois Entertainer, Gig Magazine, Bassics, and Bass Frontiers. He has performed with The Convulsions, Bookstore Cowboys, The Joe Moss Band, and many others.
Wes Orshoski - Assistant Managing Editor - Relix Magazine - Brooklyn, NY Wes Orshoski is a music journalist based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Currently Assistant Managing Editor at Relix magazine, he spent nearly four years as a writer and editor at Billboard magazine. Also a contributing editor at Paste, he has written for MTV News, Guitar World and a slew of daily newspapers.
DJ P-Trix - Clinician With a new generation of DJs and turntablists, P-Trix is definitely one at the top of its class. From being crowned the 1999 DMC USA Champion, placing a very respectable 3rd place at the World Championships, and being named the Dirtstyle DJ of the Year by the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, P-Trix is showing the world that he is a force to be reckoned with.
Performed live with: Eminem, The Roots, Mos Def, Wyclef, Macy Gray, De La Soul, Jurrasic 5, Ozomatli, Heiroglyphics, Boot Camp Click, Black Eyes Peas, Dilated Peoples, Lootpack, X-ecutioners, Invisibl Skratch Piklz and many more.
Panos Panay - Sonicbids, Boston, MA Panelist/Mentor Panos Panay is the founder and CEO of Sonicbids, an online company that's quickly become the standard for music industry professionals to send a receive press kits via the Internet. Sonicbids currently boasts over 1,700 exclusive event partners, a list that includes prominent North American events and festivals such as the CMJ Music Marathon, North By Northeast, Canadian Music Week, Pop Montreal, Folk Alliance, Locobazooka!, the Jagermeister band sponsorship program, and the Billboard Song Contest. Prior to founding Sonicbids, Panos was VP of the International Division of the Ted Kurland Associates Agency, where he was responsible for the international tours of over 50 world-renown artists.
Jim Peterik - Panelist/Mentor No history of Chicago rock would be complete without a chapter on Jim Peterik. As lead vocalist and songwriter for The Ides of March from 1964-1973, he helped propel them to #1 on the national charts (at age 19) with their horn-driven classic, “Vehicle.” As a founding member of Survivor, he was responsible for the keyboard work and some guitar work, as well as writing or co-writing all of Survivor’s material: the triple-platinum Grammy winner, “Eye of the Tiger” (which Jim co-produced), commissioned by Sylvester Stallone for the movie Rocky III; the #1 single from 1985, “The Search is Over,” and top ten singles, “I Can’t Hold Back,” “Is This Love,” “High on You,” and the #1 smash from Rocky IV, “Burning Heart” in 1985. As a non-stop songwriter, Jim has been involved in many collaborations through the years. One of the most successful is his continuing association with .38 Special. With Don Barnes and Jeff Carlisi from .38 Special, Jim wrote a string of hits including, “Rockin’ Into the Night,” “Hold On Loosely,” “Caught Up in You,” “Fantasy Girl,” “Chain Lightening,” and “Wild-Eyed Southern Boys.” Jim recently co-authored the book, “Songwriting for Dummies” (Wiley) with Dave Austin and Mary Ellen Bickford. The ultimate how-to guide for writing lyrics and publishing a song.
Eddie Phoon - Event Director - USA Songwriting Competition, Fort Lauderdale, FL Panelist/Mentor Eddie Phoon is a fifteen-year music industry professional. He is the event director of the USA Songwriting Competition. He is also a booking agent for Lionheart Productions, handling bookings for artists such as Leni Stern and Michelle Malone. He has been a guest lecturer in Berklee College of Music songwriting classes since 1995 advising students in the business, marketing, song craft as well as critique of their song demos. Mr. Phoon was also a panelist for various music seminars advising musicians in songwriting, marketing and business aspect of their career, music conferences such as SXSW (South By Southwest), Atlantis Music Conference (Atlanta, GA), New Music West (Vancouver, Canada), 2NMC (Nashville New Music Conference), Midwest Music Conference (Lexington, KY), Millenium Music Conference (Harrisburg, PA), Midwest Music Summit (Indianapolis, IN) and Midpoint Music Festival (Cincinnati, OH) and many more. He has been demo listening panels, songwriting panels, touring and promotion panels & music publishing panels. Also, he has been a judge of several battle of the bands competition, including Rockslide III, hosted by 104.7 FM Radio, the Rocket in Hyannis, MA.
Eddie is also an accomplished composer and songwriter. Mr. Phoon won a scholarship to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in 1992. His music career spans both the Pop as well as the Classical world. EMI Music Publishing signed his first song at the age of just 16 years old. He has written songs for Sister Sledge, Art Garfunkel and Suzanna Jade Teo. He was classically trained as a pianist as well as a guitarist. He has worked as a A&R coordinator, producer and songwriter with EMI. As a classical composer he had his work premiered at Carnegie Hall and released with MMC Records. Eddie Phoon is a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). Mr. Phoon holds a Bachelors Degree in Music from Berklee College of Music. .
Jean Marc Rejaud - President and Founder of Focus Marketing, New York, NY Panelist/Mentor Jean Marc's background includes more than 15 years experience in marketing and strategy development at Fortune 100 companies like American Express and L'Oreal in France, United Kingdom and the US. In particular, Jean Marc Rejaud has helped to refocus some key business lines by developing effective information driven marketing strategies. For example, Jean Marc helped a business line in Europe to boost it's acquisition volume by +60% while reducing the cost/sale by 10%. In 2002 , Jean Marc Rejaud decided to combine his expertise in information-driven marketing and his passion for music by founding Focus Marketing, a new breed of marketing agency for the music business.
Dedicated to artists, artists management and labels executives, Focus Marketing is specialized in leveraging fans data-information analysis, the 80/20 rule and Fortune 100 marketing best practices to help indentify the top fans and develop practical marketing recommendations focused on those top targets, for music/CD sales and gigs attendance optimization. Since its launch, Focus Marketing has gained many clients from the independent artists to the major labels community and has proven that its information and fan driven marketing methodology can have a tremendous impacts on results.
Cathy Richardson - Panelist With her eagerly anticipated new CD, "The Road to Bliss," Cathy Richardson takes an extraordinary musical journey and brings everyone along for the exhilarating ride. Already hometown heroes in their native Chicago (voted Best Band in polls by the Chicago Tribune and Fox News) this intriguing singer-songwriter and her finely tuned bandmates are fixin' to drive right into your rock and roll heart. And with a 2003 GRAMMY Nomination for Best Recording Package in tow, the future seems paved with possibilities.
In this self-produced recording, Richardson's powerful, versatile voice glides effortlessly from gorgeous to gritty and back again. She often soars into the stratosphere with those remarkable pipes, but her songs remain down-to-earth and always passionate. No one who listens to "The Road to Bliss" will be surprised that Richardson portrayed Janis Joplin in the Off-Broadway hit "Love, Janis" and occasionally sits in with Big Brother and the Holding Company, rendering those heart-wrenching songs to spine-tingling effect.
CarmenRizzo - Panelist/Mentor The two-time GRAMMY nominated producer-mixer-programmer and writer has a very eclectic list of credits. Ranging from producing and writing on DJ Paul Oakenfold's current “Bunka” album, to producing Grant Lee Phillips “Mobilize” album to performing and writing on the multi platinum Seal 2 album. Remixes range from Gus Gus to Sinead O’Conner to BT. As well as currently producing the new Ekova album which features a duet with Alanis Morrisette, Carmen is currently recording a new self-titled artist record in which the song ”Too Rude” featuring Esthero is a KCRW radio favorite. Carmen has also produced and mixed with outside producers ranging from Marius De Vries, Trevor Horn, David Foster & Don Was.
Benjamin Ruth, Artist/Chicago Music Explosion, Chicago, IL. Panelist Benjamin Ruth is a British musician based in Chicago for the last ten years who, as well as successfully fronting a south side Chicago blues project, "Off the Hook", and a British RnB band, "The Convulsions", has performed and recorded with many Chicago based groups ranging from Celtic, rock, funk, pop, blues, latin traditional, latin jazz, and jazz.
Recently, Ben has recorded with legendary British muscians from the Clash, Kinks, Animals, and Jethro Tull on the "Animals and Friends" new CD launched in the UK in April 2004
For the last five years, Ben has fostered a UK / Chicago music exchange that has come to be known formally as the Chicago Music Explosion (CME).
The CME has taken Chicago groups and artists as diverse as Kate Brunner, Pete Special, Melissa Ziemer, Soulfix, Gary Yerkins, Ghettobillies Scottish McMillan, and the Convulsions to successfully perform in a wide variety of venues and locations in Britain. Msny of these acts have now established their own tour base in Britain as a direct result of the exposure afforded by the CME.
Goose Island Brewing Company of Chicago has become involved in the last two years with the CME and the Convulsions. Ben has gotten Goose's ale into the biggest Blues festivals in the UK including the Great British RnB Festival in Colne, the Burnley Blues Festival, the Welsh RnB Festival, the Orkney Islands Blues Festival, and most recently, the Maryport Blues Festival where Buddy Guy, Mick Taylor, Bill Wyman, and many other acts including the Convulsions, are set to headline in July 2004.
Ben is very familiar with all the aspects of putting on a tour and booking Chicago bands in the UK along with all the procedures and best practices for a successful visit.
Michael Santucci, M.S. - Audiologist & President, Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation, Inc., Chicago, IL Panelist In 1985 Michael founded Sensaphonics as a result of the music industry's search for high fidelity hearing protection. Michael has been published in both medical and music industry trade journals about the effects of loud music on hearing.
Today, Sensaphonics designs, develops and manufactures custom in-ear monitors and Musician's ear plugs. Michael has personally worked with hundreds of top performers such as The Dave Mathews Band, John Mayer, Prince, Korn, U2, Riverdance, Garbage, Eminem, Coldplay, Sarah McLachlan and Janet Jackson to name a few.
Michael's works have been featured in Crain's Chicago Business, the Chicago tribune, Chicago Sun Times, ABC Chicago affiliate (WLS-TV), and on CBS radio. In 1999, his fellow Audiologists voted him to be the first recipient of the " Larry Mauldin Award for Excellence in Education for the Hearing Healthcare Field " for his contributions in hearing health care in the music industry.
Michael lectures regularly at Columbia School of Engineering, Northwestern University Music School, University of Chicago Musicology Department, The American Academy of Audiology and has spoken at the 2000 AES convention, the Canadian AES, the Engineering And Recording Society (EARS), the International Double Reed Society, the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists and to numerous organizations in an effort to raise awareness of the damaging effects of loud music on hearing.
Chris Schuler - Bass/Schuler Entertainment, Chicago, IL Panelist/Mentor Chris Schuler is co-owner of Bass/Schuler Entertainment (BSE) in Chicago. Throughout the past five years BSE has been a national leader in the college entertainment market with a roster of over 40 independent touring artists. Providing schools with the best in music entertainment, BSE was voted 2001 and 2002 "agency of the Year" by the readers of Campus Activities Magazine, APCA's (Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities) 2001 "Agency of the Year" and nominated as NACA's (National Association for Campus Activities) "Agency of the Year" for the last four years. BSE is also involved with booking entertainment in the Chicago area festival and corporate market. Chris not only has an insight into the world of music from an agent's perspective but he is also a musician touring with the Chicago band My Left Arm.
Mark Selby - Songwriting Workshop Vanguard Recording Artist Mark Selby is a native of Oklahoma and Kansas now based in Nashville. Mark Selby has established himself as a triple-threat talent: a gifted songwriter with serious guitar chops and a voice to match.
Songwriter: Selby has written more than 10 top-40 hits, including 4 #1 songs. His songs have been recorded by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the Dixie Chicks, Keb' Mo', Lee Roy Parnell, Wynonna, and many others.
Recording Artist: He has released two internationally acclaimed albums for Vanguard Records - More Storms Comin' (2000) and Dirt (2003) - and contributed to the Grammy-nominated Avalon Blues: A Tribute to Mississippi John Hurt (2001).
Live Performer: A virtuoso guitarist and dynamic live artist, Mark Selby has shared the stage with B.B. King, Jeff Beck, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Levon Helm, Double Trouble, John Mayer, Robert Cray, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Collective Soul, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Junior Brown, and many more.
Scott Shapiro - Shapiro & Vasilatos, P.C., Chicago, IL Panelist/Mentor Scott Shapiro is a Chicago native, who graduated from University of Iowa where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Journalism. In 1997 he received his law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, and after gaining extensive litigation experience founded Shapiro & Vasilatos, P.C. As a founding partner of Shapiro & Vasilatos, P.C. Mr. Shapiro quickly expanded his practice to include entertainment law, primarily focusing on contract negotiations, and other transactional work in the entertainment field, as well as aiding in the career development of his clients. Mr. Shapiro represents a wide range of talent including solo musicians, musical groups, producers, poets, actors, entertainment promotion companies, and talent agents. Drawing upon his considerable litigation experience, Mr. Shapiro brings a unique and aggressive approach to the entertainment field, while taking great pride in actually educating clients regarding their legal matters and the music industry in general.
Billy Sheehan - Clinician Billy Sheehan has changed the way the world looks at bass playing. Rising to cult status in the 80's with his Buffalo, NY based band Talas, Billy was recruited by David Lee Roth when Roth left Van Halen in '85. He recorded two platinum selling albums with the former Van Halen front man before setting out on his own. Forming Mr. Big in 1989, the band achieved a Billboard #1 single in the USA and 14 other countries with "To Be With You" from their 2nd Atlantic Records album release "Lean Into It". Whiledeveloping his trademark style of playing he has performed over 4000 live gigs on every continent except Africa and Antarctica.
Voted the "Best Rock Bass Player" 5 times in Guitar Player magazines Readers Poll, an honor which placed him in their "Gallery of Greats" (alongside Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee and Eddie Van Halen to name but a few), he has also won readers polls in Germany, Japan, Korea, Italy, and many other countries. On January 27, 1999 Billy's handprints and signature were preserved in cement on the Hollywood Rockwalk at Guitar Center. An honor attributed to those artists who have made a significant contribution to Rock and Roll. In Japan, Billy has won the prestigious "Player Magazine" (Japan's #1 Music mag) Readers Poll for Best Bass Player an unprecedented 15 consecutive times and Burrn! Magazines (Japan's #1 heavy metal mag) Readers Poll 6 times while selling out Budokan arena 3 consecutive nights with his band Mr. Big.
Neil Sheehan - Owner - Hardcore Marketing, Inc., Cleveland, OH Panelist/Mentor Hardcore Marketing is a band management and concert promotions firm located in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tia Sillers - Songwriting Workshop "The great thing about being purely a songwriter is that it enables you to slip out of your skin and have so many other voices," says tunesmith Tia Sillers. "I could never sing a George Jones song, but maybe I could write one."
With undergraduate degrees in English, Fine Arts and a Masters in Business Communications, the prolific Sillers capitalizes on a diversity of influences and experiences in crafting some of the most poignant songs to emerge from Music Row.
Sillers has had many cuts by artists including LeAnn Womack ("I Hope You Dance"), The Dixie Chicks ("There's Your Trouble"), Pam Tillis ("Land of the Living"), George Ducas ("Lipstick Promises") and Kenny Wayne Shepherd ("Last Goodbye" and "Blue on Black"). Not only did "Blue on Black" have the honor of holding the number one spot on the rock charts for 17 weeks, it was also the 1998 Billboard Rock Song of the Year. Other artists to have covered Siller's songs include Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Diamond Rio, Wynonna, Patty Loveless, Suzy Bogguss and Kim Richey.
Donald R. Simon, Esq. - Entertainment Law Chicago, P.C, Chicago, IL Mr. Simon is Chairman of Entertainment Law Chicago, P.C., a law firm concentrating in entertainment, music, and intellectual property law issues. The firm represents actors, artists, musicians, producers, record labels, and writers on a myriad of matters from counseling and negotiation to incorporation and litigation.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Donald worked for 7 years in the radio and television industries as an award-winning television producer and radio announcer. He worked as a graphic artist at an advertising publication and as a promotions manager at a college television station. Donald also played bass guitar in several alternative bands.
Donald has written extensively on art, entertainment, and media law issues. He has written two law review articles and has had articles published in DownBeat and Billboard. Currently, Donald writes an entertainment law column for Screen Magazine. He also teaches "Broadcast Law" in the Radio Department of Columbia College Chicago.
Donald received his Juris Doctor and Master of Laws (Intellectual Property) degrees from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He received his Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communication) from Missouri Southern State College (now Missouri Southern State University) in Joplin, Missouri.
Steve Smith - Clinician Smith's drumming, while always decidedly modern, can best be described as a style that embodies the history of American music. His original love of rudimental parade drumming is evident in his intricate solos. Likewise, his command of jazz, from New Orleans music, swing, bebop, avant-garde to fusion, is applied with his powerful rock drumming sensibilities and allows him to push the boundaries of all styles to new heights. His musical focus, along with his Vital Information group, is committed to the exploration of improvised music in the uniquely American vein, incorporating styles as diverse as Blues, Jazz, R&B, Funk, Cajun and Pop.
As a member of the the popular rock band Journey, Smith toured around the world and recorded many successful albums including the immensely popular "Escape" (Columbia 1981) and "Frontiers" (Columbia 1983), both of which garnered the band many Top 40 hits.
Jordan Tishler - President, Digital Bear Entertainment, Boston, MA Panelist/Mentor An exceptionally talented engineer as well as producer, Jordan Tishler has been making music for nearly 20 years. In 1996 he founded Digital Bear Entertainment, an Artist Development, Music Production, and Publishing company devoted to finding and developing talented young rock artists.
Through Digital Bear Entertainment, Jordan has worked with a number of bands both nationally and in the Boston area, including Labb, James O’Brien, Binaural, Marie’s Children, Bean, Evil People, and many more. Jordan is extremely active in the Boston scene, serving as Chairman of the Boston chapter of the Audio Engineering Society, a member of the Recording Academy, and part of the New England Initiative, a five-person coalition dedicated to unifying the Boston music scene.
Jonathan Topper - Manager, Top Artist Productions, Deptford, NJ Panelist/Mentor After getting involved in on-campus activities with attending SUNY Buffalo, Jon Topper started to use his connections to book national touring acts into Buffalo clubs. During this time, his college friends started a band called moe. and asked him to help out. After graduation, Topper moved to New York City where he booked the worst club in Manhattan, the West End Gate. At the same time, his duties with moe. started to grow and so did the band, so everyone decided to quit their day jobs and go for it. They decided to all move into one house in Albany, NY in order to save money. Topper stipulated that he would not give up his Manhattan apartment unless he was officially made Manager, and so a beautiful relationship began.
MOE. has grown to become one of the biggest indie touring acts in the country, drawing as many as 4,000 fans in markets such as Chicago, Atlanta, New York, and Philadelphia. Two years ago, Topper's company, Top Artist Productions, picked up their second band, Antigone Rising. Antigone was signed by Lava Records and will be releasing their major label debut in the summer of 2004.
Butch Walker - Artist/Songwriter/Producer, Atlanta, GA Panelist/Showcasing Artist
Denise Wallace - President, The College Agency, Minneapolis, MN Panelist/Mentor Denise Wallace Heitkamp of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is co-owner and president of The College Agency, a nationwide full-service talent agency specializing in the college market. A native of Farmville, Virginia, Denise obtained a Speech/Public Relations degree from Radford University, where she served as Class President and was a member of the Rho Lambda Honor Society. Denise has been recognized for her accomplishments by the National American Academy of Achievement, and was recognized as 1989's Outstanding Young Woman of the Year. She has served on the Associate Member Advisory Council for the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA), as the Associate Member Representative on the NACA Board of Directors, and as an executive member of the board of directors for the Minnesota Music Academy. She has served as the producer of the Minnesota Music Awards show for two years. Denise was named as an NACA Regional Associate of the Year in 2002, and currently serves as the Associate Member Representative to the Executive Council of the NACA Board of Directors.
Jim Welch - Vice-President, A&R - Arista Records, New York, NY Panelist/Mentor
Mark Wolfson - Music Producer/A&R/Music Supervisor, Reel Entertainment, Los Angeles, CA Director of Production and Development, Playtone/Epic Records Panelist/Mentor Mark has been in the entertainment business since 1972 and has continued, on a consistent basis, to cross from music to film, commercials to live events and television as a Producer, Music Supervisor, Engineer, Writer and Musician. Currently his main client is The Playtone Company (Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks) where his title is Director of Production and Development for Playtone/Epic Records working on films like: That Thing You Do, Mi Vida Loca and My Big Fat Greek Wedding and soundtracks like: The Sopranos, Sex And The City, Josie and the Pussycats, Philadelphia, Stop Making Sense and Silence of the Lambs.
Some of the Artists Mark has developed independently have been: Stone Temple Pilots, Jane Child and School of Fish. He has also worked with Artists from Smokey Robinson and Natalie Cole to Ice T and UB40.
Billy Zero - Program Director of Unsigned channel - XM Radio, Washington D.C. Panelist/Mentor
More participants will be added soon. Check back for details.
NOTE - The schedule of events, panel topics, panelists, speakers and clinicians are subject to change. If an event has to be changed, MECA Music Conference & Festival will make every effort to make a substitution of equivalent quality and/orsubstance. MECA Music Conference & Festival is not liable for any inconvenience or damages caused by a change in schedule and/or presenters.
