If it’s Friday that means another spin around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across the music industry.
Jonny Shipes is walking the walk on GoodTalk, his new full-service entertainment company (formerly Cinematic Music Group). Since officially launching GoodTalk in early August, Shipes has cemented a management team that includes Mike Epstein as svp of digital marking and strategy, Brendan Kennedy as GM and head of marketing, Erica Bowen as svp of A&R and head of A&R admin, Sean Mula as head of A&R, Lauren Saldana as operations manager, CEO Slo as vp of A&R and Drew Friedman is vp. The GoodTalk umbrella extends to talent management, film & television production, festivals, clothing and a new record label (it already has working partnerships with Geffen and Virgin to provide an array of artist deals). Shipes has worked with many members of his staff for years, with the GoodTalk team largely reflecting the Cinematic days — Epstein most recently served as head of digital marketing at the influential label, while Mula A&R’d That Mexican OT, and Bowen was svp of A&R there as well. Friedman, co-founder of Duck Down Music label, joined Cinematic as a manager consultant a decade ago. Saldana, Shipes’ executive assistant before being elevated to her current role in January, will also help oversee the company’s philanthropic efforts. Before joining Cinematic a year ago, Kennedy was head of digital marketing at Alamo Records, where he helped score big wins for Lil Durk and Rod Wave. CEO Slo is a lifestyle brand curator and creator Slow Bucks clothing.
“GoodTalk has been an idea brewing since I started Cinematic, I was just waiting for the right moment to launch it,” Shipes said. “The next 20 years of my career will be continuing to do things my way and not be concerned with what the rest of the industry is doing. I never chased trends and I’m def not gonna start now. I took the best of the best employees from cinematic + a few new additions to start the GoodTalk brand. If it weren’t for them none of this would be possible, it takes a great team to get where you’re going.”
Dick Clark Productions hired Richard A. Pizante as new senior vp of production. Based in Los Angeles and reporting to Michael Kohn, COO and general counsel, Pizante will run DCP’s ever-busy production department and oversee the physical grind of producing and budgeting the company’s slate of awards shows, live events and other programming. It’s a big plate — DCP owns-slash-produces the Golden Globe Awards, the American Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards, as well as Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve every Dec. 31. As founder of his own production firm (PPI), Pizante has consulted and produced content for several DCP shows and cultivated a clientele that also included NBCUniversal, X/Twitter, Fullscreen Media and Fox Alternative Entertainment. Founded in 1957, DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, itself a subsidiary of Billboard parent Penske Media Corporation. “Rick brings a wealth of experience to this role and will add significant value to the team,” said Jay Penske, CEO of PMC and DCP. “We look forward to tapping into his expertise as we continue to creatively execute and evolve our incredible slate of live productions for the future.”
Lucille Wenegieme
HeadCount‘s months-long search for its next executive director is over. The nonprofit organization, which enlists politically engaged music artists to help inspire youth participation in elections, hired Lucille Wenegieme to succeed co-founder Andy Bernstein in the new year. Bernstein announced his transition in May and will step down from handling day-to-day operations at year’s end — but will remain as a senior advisor to his successor. Wenegieme arrives from Denver’s Clerk & Recorder Office, which oversees all elections in the city of over 700,000. Wenegieme also served as vp of communications at the National Vote at Home Institute and ran her own communications firm. HeadCount says it has registered over 1.2 million voters since its 2004 launch by engaging with music fans at concerts, festivals and more. The org has worked with a wide array of artists, including Beyonce, Harry Styles, Dave Matthews and Billie Eilish. “Millenials and Gen Z now make up nearly half of eligible voters, and we can’t be reached through traditional media buys and direct mail,” said Wenegieme, 32. “We respond to authentic messages from trusted messengers, and that’s where HeadCount has always been a leader.”
Mom+Pop promoted Sydney Hard to head of creative/creative director of the indie music record label. As creative head-honcho, Hard oversees the ideation and execution of an album’s visual identity — whether that be the album’s artwork, music videos and artist websites. Put plainly, she is tasked with bringing an artist’s vision to life and in five years at Mom+Pop has worked closely with Tycho, Maya Hawke, Ashe and Del Water Gap, among others, to do just that. “Sydney continues to be an incredible asset to our team,” glowed founder Michael Goldstone. “She has built a reputation for consistently delivering on the creative visions of our artists and in addition adding her own high level of taste and vision with every project she is involved with.”
Roger De Graaf and Ewout Swart were named co-presidents of Dutch dance label Spinnin’ Records. De Graaf co-founded Spinnin’ in 1999 and has served as CEO since 2017, when the imprint — known for helping launch the careers of artists including Hardwell, Afrojack and Martin Garrix — was acquired by Warner Music Group. De Graaf and Swart will report to Simon Robson, president of international, Recorded Music at Warner Music, and Bart Cools, WMG’s evp of global A&R and marketing for dance music. –Katie Bain
BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville promoted three staffers within its marketing department. Lauren Crawford has been elevated to director of marketing, Hillary Borden has been upped to senior manager of marketing, while Hayley Irvine has been promoted to manager of marketing. Crawford will lead the label’s marketing team and initiatives, while continuing to manage artist projects for the label’s roster including Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch and Jelly Roll. Crawford previously worked at Capitol Christian Music Group and in marketing for Pilgrimage Music Festival. Borden comes to the label from The Bobby Bones Show, where she served as a producer, booking artists for the show and writing the weekend show, Country Top 30. Irvine transitions into her new role after previously serving as BBR Music Group’s manager of recorded finance. “Each of these women are a force,” said JoJamie Hahr, evp of BMG Nashville. “They seamlessly lead artist projects with passion, intensity, organization, and creativity.” –Jessica Nicholson
Indie-minded film distributor Abramorama, fresh off buzzy critical hits like Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd and What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat and Tears?, promoted Evan Saxon to president and head of international distribution. Saxon has spent the last seven years overseeing strategy, international distribution and marketing for the company’s music films — about artists like Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam, Green Day and Duran Duran. Prior to Abramorama, Saxon got his start at IRS Records and Capitol Records, before launching his own artist development company. “Evan’s knowledge of and commitment to bringing music-themed films to both targeted and broad audiences is prodigious,” said Abramaorama founder Richard Abramowitz.
ICYMI: Shore Fire Media veteran James Rainis joined Twnty Three’s U.S. affiliate … Big Loud Records put Brianne Deslippe in charge of expansion efforts in Australia and the U.K. … Bob Boilen said he’s cleaning out his tiny desk at NPR … Gary Gersh is leaving AEG … Diddy has a lot of people working for him … Range Media tapped Casey Robison to lead its newly formed publishing division … Graham Davies was named CEO of the Digital Media Association (DiMA) … the Recording Academy upped Todd Dupler to chief advocacy and public policy officer … and Endeavor put leadership into place for its new TKO Group.
Jaxsta, the official music credits database, promoted Alli Galloway to chief marketing officer and Jessy Trengove to chief product officer. Galloway, who joined the company in 2021 as head of audience and creative, will now oversee marketing initiatives across Jaxsta and its social network Vampr, which it acquired in February, as well as its recently launched online store Vinyl.com. Trengove joins the team from Vampr, where she was head of insights. Her old boss at Vampr, Josh Simons, was appointed CEO at Jaxsta in June. “With Alli’s background deeply embedded in the music industry and Jessy bringing significant tech expertise from her time in the world of startups, they add an enviable combination of experience and stability to our team,” said Simons.
Seth Goldstein joined Moises as the AI-driven music creation app’s in-house legal eagle. Given the brain-breaking complexities surrounding artificial intelligence’s potential impact on the music-making process, Goldstein will counsel the company on the legal questions that are quickly materializing in the space. His credentials are stacked, having started his career at MediaNet before serving as general counsel at SOCAN’s Dataclef venture. Most recently he was vp of business and legal affairs at Utopia Music. “I’ve always sat between users and creators and tried to balance those relationships from the middle,” explains Goldstein. “Everyone can benefit from AI in different ways so we must find a way to use this technology to innovate in the market while protecting the interests of rightsholders and artists.”
Alison Dannenberg-Frost has returned to peermusic, this time with VP stripes. Peermusic has appointed Dannenberg-Frost as vp of film & TV creative. Dannenberg-Frost most recently served as head of sync & licensing for Glassnote Entertainment Group. Prior to working at Glassnote, she worked at peermusic for eight years. Reporting to Dannenberg-Frost in her new role will be Oscar Martinez, creative director of film/TV and Hispanic advertising; Steve Torres, creative manager of film/TV; and Brendan Ristau, administrative coordinator. –JN
Graham Helserof was promoted to business manager at tech-forward business management firm Leftbrain. The startup tracks down missing royalties for artists and runs an app using proprietary technology that allows clients to access real-time financial data. “There is nothing this profession can throw at [Helserof] that he isn’t equipped to handle,” said founder and CEO Nicholas Judd. “His skill set and knowledge are the broadest at the firm.”
Super Evil Genius Corp, a Los Angeles-based creative marketing firm, is expanding with a new PR and Communications Services division. Matt Oliver will serve as head of communications for the company, which focuses on increasing brand visibility across all key digital platforms with a focus on social media. Oliver has more than a decade of PR experience and most recently led global PR efforts for Adidas and Gen-Z focused activations with Facebook at Pitchblend. “It’s an honor to join the Super Evil Genius team and work in Long Beach where I was raised,” he says. –KB
Music copyright firm Alter Kendrick & Baron added Madison Smiley as an associate at the firm, where she’ll be put to work on major music acquisition deals and other complex transactions. Prior to joining AKB, Madison launched her legal career at Davis Polk & Wardwell. A music business major at Belmont for undergrad, Smiley got her law degree at Brooklyn Law School. “We are thrilled to welcome Madison to our team,” said Lisa A. Alter, Founding Partner of Alter, Kendrick & Baron, LLP. “Her addition reflects our firm’s commitment to hiring the best available talent to assist our clients with navigating the most complex transactions.”