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Aimee Bobruk | Grammy Nominated and Eurovision Songwriter

Aimee Bobruk, is a chameleon of sorts—she can change colors. Her shapeshifting spirit is evident as an independent songwriter and filmmaker. Her original music straddles the genres of American folk and ambient folk pop. Her self-titled record, /ba.’brook/, was selected by Texas Music magazine as one of top six indie albums released in the state in 2013. Performing Songwriter called the album “nothing short of a work of art.” In addition to performing her own songs and touring across Texas and the southern states, Bobruk collaborates with songwriters and producers worldwide in the music publishing industry. To date, her 50+ co-writes have earned her seven European title tracks, two of which were nominated for Grammy Awards in Germany and Norway. In 2015, her pop co-write, “Black Swan,” competed in Melodifestivalen to represent Sweden at the International Eurovision Song Contest. Malybanchia, is her much awaited forthcoming LP (to be released in August of 2023), and she mentors a select studio of aspiring songwriters.

Amanda Davis | Engineer for Janelle Monáe and Tegan and Sara

In 2013, Emmy-winning artist Janelle Monáe handpicked Davis to serve as her Front of House Engineer. In her stint with Ms. Monáe, Amanda has mixed legendary artists Prince and Stevie Wonder and has mixed in some of the world’s most renowned venues and events: The White House; Madison Square Garden; Radio City Music Hall; The Hollywood Bowl; Coachella; The Grammys; The Oscars; Glastonbury Fest; Good Morning America; The Today Show; Montreux Jazz Festival; Saturday Night Live; BET Awards; and American Idol. She has worked as the Production Manager for Tegan and Sara and has worked with the late, great Nipsey Hussle, legend Olivia Newton John, DC-rapper Wale, Nigerian artist Jidenna, and classic R&B group SWV. Amanda worked with non-profits, universities, and local organizations to create “Linecheck, Women in Live Production” a mentoring program dedicated to young women who are pursuing a career in live sound mixing and production/tour management; focusing on professionalism practices and life as a tour crew member. She has been profiled by The Recording Academy; Meyer Sound; Waves; and FOH Magazine and was nominated for the Parnelli NextGen Award.

Anna Stevenson | Marketing Lead at Sofar Sounds

Anna Stevenson is a music marketing professional who is passionate about helping independent artists build sustainable careers by activating lasting connections with their fans. Anna understands that while social media is a powerful and necessary tool for every artist to master, it can be overwhelming to create an effective online presence alone. Anna has designed and managed successful campaigns across a variety of platforms for independent artists, nonprofits such as Austin Music Foundation, and companies including Sofar Sounds. In doing so, she has developed efficient and effective strategies to attract, engage, and retain dedicated followings. Anna holds a bachelor's degree in Music Business from Berklee College of Music, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She is a member of Women In Music, and passionate about contributing to work that amplifies women’s voices and promotes diversity and inclusivity in the music industry. Originally from Missoula, Montana, Anna now lives and works in Austin, TX, where she is constantly inspired by her local music scene.

Blake Mohler | Founder of MIDAMERICAN RECORDS

Blake is the founder of Midamerican Records. He's also a music producer and songwriter in Nashville, but before that he was a touring artist in a band with his three best friends. They managed to take thier artist career from a few songs they sketched out in a spare bedroom to playing the Bluebird, selling out shows while touring the country, riding in a tour bus, and having audiences yell their lyrics back at them. Through that experience, he found out his real passion when making music was using his ears, not his hands. He shifted to producing music for other artists, wanting to provide the same amazing experience for artists that he had received. What he found was that all artists he worked with had something amazing hiding just under the surface, and with a little guidance it bloomed into amazing and unique music. Many of them had worked with producers before who had missed that special spark. He's made it my his mission to help artists achieve their wildest dreams by finding and capturing their unique sound.

Caleb Gilbreath | Former Music Director for Brett Eldredge

Caleb was born and raised in the small town of Waxahachie, TX. He earned his bachelor's degree in Music Production and Engineering and Drum Set Performance at Berklee College of Music in 2011. Moving to Nashville in 2011, Caleb has worked just about every position in the creative side of the music industry, including touring drummer, front of house engineer, record producer, songwriter, audio engineer, and recording session musician. Caleb has recorded and toured with a wide range of Country, Pop, CCM, and bluegrass artists, including Zac Brown (of Zac Brown Band), Brett Eldredge, Brian Kelley (of Florida Georgia Line), Hunter Hayes, Gabby Barrett, Sierra Hull, Michael Ray, Runaway June, Ryan Hurd, Mandi Sagal, and many more. Caleb produces and records music from his studio in Hermitage TN, Battery Life Studios.

Charles Burchell | U.S. Cultural Diplomat and Music Production Educator for Carnegie Hall

Charles "BLVK SamuraiI" Burchell is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, educator, and cultural diplomat from New Orleans, Louisiana. He has studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the New England Conservatory (B.M. ’12) and the Harvard Graduate School of Education (Ed. M ’13). Burchell has recorded, produced, and performed with artists such as Omar Sosa, Yilian Canizares, Diamond D, Christian Scott, Braxton Cook, Talib Kweli, Ran Blake, Mazzi, Jason Moran, Iman Omari, and Nick Hakim. He is the founder of LEX Sounds, a sample pack label that distributes high quality music samples on platforms such as Splice, Bandlab, Roland Cloud, Tracklib, and Landr. Burchell works as a cultural diplomat with the Next Level Hip Hop Diplomacy Program and has presented workshops and seminars internationally. He has designed programs for Carnegie Hall, John Cabot University and Saint Louis College of Music. He has also written over 50 articles on various music topics on platforms such as Splice, Soundfly, and Roland. Burchell performs internationally as a DJ, drummer, and rapper under the moniker Karnival Kid.

Chris Kapica | Composed for Cirque du Soleil and The New York Philharmonic

Chris is a composer, performer, and educator who straddles the line between the classical and popular music worlds. He earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Composition from The Juilliard School, where he also taught ear training for its college and pre-college divisions. Chris's music has appeared in Cirque du Soleil's One Night for One Drop, the New York Philharmonic's Biennial Festival, Carnegie Hall's Neighborhood Concert Series, the Albany Symphony's American Music Festival, and many TV spots. Steve Smith of the New York Times wrote that Chris's music in Juice Box Hero, his 2010 mini-musical about kindergarten, was "deployed with sure instincts and dramatic flair." Chris also won a 2009 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award for his mixed ensemble work, Flak. Chris has toured as a bassist, performing with Jon Batiste and in groups who have opened for the Allman Brothers Band, Neil Young, Heart, the Black Keys, McCoy Tyner, Esperanza Spalding, and other acclaimed acts. Chris is now creating cinematic industrial music as FauxFriend. His first single, "The Void," is out on all platforms. He is also the Dean and Chief Academic Officer of California College of Music.

Elisa Smith | International Country Artist and Songwriter

When Garth Brooks invites you on stage to play a song, you play a song! Elisa met Garth when she attended a talk he and Trisha Yearwood were giving at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After asking her name, and what kind of music she plays, he invited her on stage to play a song. After the performance, Garth gave her his guitar (the one she plays with now) and told her to sing her heart out. And that's what she's been doing ever since. Her most recent album album "Baptized By Fire," was produced by Caleb Gilbreath (Brett Eldredge, Mandi Sagal) and Eddie Bayers (Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson). Nominated for two BMAs for Country Artist of the Year, a New England Music Award for Country Artist of the Year, and referred to as "Boston's Honky Tonk Queen" and "one of the best original country acts in New England," she has been featured on The Bull, Country 102.5, and indie radio stations across the country and around the world. She's headlined and performed at festivals throughout New England, performed on Boston television, and she has been featured in WBUR's the ARTery, HarvardEd Magazine, and domestic and international music blogs.

Eric Beall | A&R Executive, Publisher, and Top 10 Billboard Songwriter

As an A&R executive for Zomba Music, Jive Records, Sony/ATV Music, and Shapiro Bernstein & Co., Eric worked with artists and writers ranging from David Guetta and the Script, to Stargate Productions and the Jonas Brothers, and brought in hit songs like “I Gotta Feeling” with the Black Eyed Peas, “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae, and “Am I Wrong” by Nico & Vinz. Currently, he leads the international music management and publishing company Adesso, where he’s developed Italian multi-platinum artist Rose Villain and UK songwriter Anne Tello. As a songwriter and record producer, Eric wrote and produced 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, and others. He is also an author, having penned "The Billboard Guide To Writing and Producing Songs That Sell" and "Making Music Make Money (An Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Music Publisher)", and created the course Music Publishing 101 for Berklee Online.

Erin Bonnie | Professor of Songwriting at Berklee College of Music

Erin Bonnie is an Americana Folk-Rock Mama and fiddle player who takes inspiration from artists like Gillian Welch, Bonnie Raitt, and Dolly Parton. Career highlights include sync placement on the hit television series The Young and the Restless, an Honorable Mention in the American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Competition, and a Best-In-State nomination at the New England Music Awards. In addition to being an independent artist with extensive cowriting and recording experience, she is an Assistant Professor in the Songwriting Department at the esteemed Berklee College of Music teaching lyric writing, song craft, and professional development. A true singer-songwriter at heart, she writes narratives lush in language and melody, and lives for those intimate moments between audience and artist that happen because of a song and a stage.

Jacob Conner | Award-Winning Composer and Musician

Jacob is a composer, producer and musician. Starting life in a small, working class, industrial town in the North of England, he now resides in California. The path into a career in music was unique; the first gig he landed was writing music for on-hold messaging. Now, his work is as varied as his musical tastes, and includes award-winning shorts and feature documentaries, avant-pop artists; adverts for blue-chip brands and includes commissions at world renowned festivals. The detailed process of creating a sonic language with directors and artists he takes, and his unique blend of organic, found sounds and classical sensibilities create a music language perfect for scoring. A huge believer that music is for everyone, he loves to work with people, help them find their artistic voice, and give them the courage to pursue their convictions. Alongside composing and producing, he is a multi-instrumentalist who has played at festivals throughout the UK with his post-punk outfit Gardenback, headlined dance tents with groove-merchants Howling Rhythm and performed on some of the most prestigious concert halls in the country, including The Bridgewater Hall and The Royal Albert Hall.

Janet Robin | Guitar Player's “Top Rock Acoustic Guitarists” and Songwriter

Janet got her start as the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band, Precious Metal, and was soon signed to Polygram Records. Later moving to Chameleon/Capitol Records, Precious Metal released several albums, wrote with Heart, Poison and Cheap Trick, toured extensively and gained accolades from both fans and critics alike. After Precious Metal, Janet was hand picked by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, band in support of his solo albums. In 2017 and 2022, she was named in Guitar Player’s “Top Rock Acoustic Guitarists”, amongst many notable players including her old boss, Lindsey Buckingham. Along with her musical career, Janet is also a respected guitar coach. In January of 2015, Janet was hired to coach actress Jennifer Jason Leigh on guitar for 2 months for a guitar scene in the Quentin Tarantino film, "The Hateful Eight." The actress was later nominated for an Academy Award. Along with Janet's solo career, she is part of "The String Revolution,” which utilizes unique arrangements for original instrumental guitar songs. Their release “Red Drops” reached the Top 10 Spotify Instrumental Charts for Los Angeles and their Spotify channel is over 4 million streams.

John DiBiase | Music Producer & Engineer with The Offspring, Taj Mahal, Jeff Beck, & Miley Cyrus

John DiBiase is a Los Angeles based Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer and Live Sound Engineer. In his career, he has worked with artists such as Miley Cyrus, The Offspring, Prince, Jeff Beck, Taj Mahal, Dancing with the Stars: Live, Greer, Plague Vendor, Jin Akanishi, Life Of Dillon, The Anatomy, The Spooky, and Todd Morse. John is also a proficient musician and songwriter. Currently, John is mixing a live album for multiple Grammy award winning artist Taj Mahal, with the album’s release scheduled for 2023. In the studio, John recently recorded and mixed a performance by the legendary guitarist Jeff Beck for the release of the new American Vintage II Stratocaster by Fender guitars. John also toured as a recording engineer with Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp on their recent US/Canada Tour. John is also recently credited as a Recording Engineer for The Offspring's acclaimed latest album "Let The Bad Times Roll". John also Produced, Engineered, Mixed, and Co-Wrote Todd Morse’s latest solo release “Suit Of Armor”, which was aired and featured on the Howard Stern Show, as well as Morse’s latest EP “Time Stopper”.

John Russell | Award Winning Songwriter

John has worked with some well-known artists such as John Legend, Cody Simpson, and legendary producer RedOne. In 2017, he was awarded first place out of 10,000 songwriters in Guitar Center's Singer-Songwriter 6 competition. Today, his songwriting catalogue consists of over 2200 songs. Through songwriting, producing, sync-licensing, and street performing, he's managed to turn his passion into a full-time job. John was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan - the birthplace of Motown, where the soulful sounds of Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Aretha Franklin, and many others inspired him to pursue his passion for music. He knows how precious and vulnerable sharing your art can be, and he'll never take that lightly. He also understands that helpful advice can be the little push you need to take your art to the next level. He can't wait to hear what you're working on!

Josh Pelletier | Sync Licensing Executive and Entreprenuer

Josh is a 4th generation musician with over 10 years of experience in the music industry, both as a creative and business professional. He has worked in A&R with several indie record labels and has toured and played in a number of major music festivals. Josh is also no stranger to the Music-Tech industry, and has worked with several successful early stage Music start-ups such as Ribo Music, Mode Mobile, Reel Crafter, and has founded his own music licensing company called No Noise with a roster of over 200 artists that have had music placements in ads for companies and productions like EA (NBA, Madden, Apex Legends & Need for Speed), FOX, Showtime (Shameless), Toyota, T-Mobile & Vans. Josh has a track record of successfully handling music campaigns and is skilled in Music Partnerships. In his previous role as a Music Curator & Partnership Manager with Mode Mobile, he was responsible for overseeing Music Curation of over 10,000 radio stations for Mode Mobile's incentivized music streaming ecosystem. On any given day, his Music Curation has been consumed by over 500k unique listeners. Josh is passionate about bringing equity to the table for independent musicians.

Keith Clizark | Produced Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Master P

Keith Clizark is one of the music industry’s best-kept secrets. He’s the epitome of a new breed of business savvy music entrepreneurs advocating for Independent Artists. Keith has 37 years of experience and knowledge in the music industry as a producer. He has over 30 million records sold and over 500 million dollars generated to his production credits. Keith has produced records for legionary Hip Hop artists such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Too Short, Master P, Kurupt, Mystical, Tha Eastsidaz, T.R.U. and many others. His music has also been featured in motion pictures and television networks such as; Warner Brothers Pictures, MGM, BET, MTV, VH1, BRAVO, E!, CARTOON NETWORK, and HGTV. Keith is also founder of “Team Winning Consulting”, dedicated to help independent artists reach their highest potential.

Len Brown | Senior Manager of Hip Hop/R&B/Reggae at the Recording Academy

Jamaican roots and a New York City upbringing enabled Len’s love for music at an early age. Despite any formal training, this passion remained constant through his culmination of experiences in music journalism (Entertainment Tonight, Mixologi, etc.) and other outlets. Now at the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs, Len aims to maintain that same focus when it comes to educating communities on the inner workings of the institution as well as being an agent of change for the music industry at large.

Maria Kowalski | Renown Fiddler, Performer, and Composer

Maria is a string instrumentalist living in Brooklyn, NY. A seasoned performer, Maria has shared the stage with Dolly Parton, Gillian Welch, Wyclef Jean, Florida Georgia Line, Mark O’Connor, Ben Rector and more. She has taught at top music institutions including Columbia University and Berklee College of Music. As an active live and session musician, she has had the privilege of collaborating with top artists and traveling the world playing and teaching music and composition.

Matt Watkins | President of Marketing, Aristo Media Group

As President of Marketing and International Relations at The AristoMedia Group, I build and maintain relationships with key players in the music industry nationally and internationally. I spearhead multi-faceted marketing campaigns and act as the primary liaison between our company and external partners. Additionally, I oversee the company's digital marketing team, which includes several high-profile award-winning artists. I also have a strong focus on identifying new opportunities for our artists to expand their fan base and sources of revenue. I work to develop and implement innovative strategies to connect our artists with their audience, whether through social media campaigns, live events, or other channels. This has helped our artists to reach new heights in their careers and has enabled our company to stay at the forefront of the industry. I lead the music sync department and have achieved great success, securing over 100 placements annually. This has allowed our company to extend its reach across various industries, including film, television, and advertising, and has given our artists valuable exposure and opportunities to further their careers.

Ms. Madli | Music Producer with Google, Airbnb, and Feature Films

Estonian-born composer and record producer, Ms Madli, gained recognition after winning a series of producer competitions. Her list of accomplishments includes securing top prizes at Standard's Producer Showcase in NY, Brewery Recording Studio's Producer Competition, and "Tight 32" in Atlanta, plus taking second place at ASCAP EXPO in LA. Ms Madli has since become a sought-after talent, crafting music for some of the top brands such as Google, Airbnb, and Planned Parenthood. Skilled in producing songs and scoring music in a variety of genres, her work features in films, advertisements, TV promos, and hundreds of prime-time TV shows from History Channel to HBO. In 2022, Ms Madi's outstanding work in sync earned her nominations for both the "Mark Awards" in LA and the "Production Music Awards" in the UK. In addition to sync placements, she also holds credits on a range of single and album productions in the US and Europe, including Yelawolf, Ryan Toby, Fred The Godson, and Anett. For the latter collaboration, Ms Madi received a "Producer of the Year" nomination from the EMEA Awards in Estonia.

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