Both are crucial hires for Sony as it works to recruit star executive talent that reflects the diversity of its artists, although Holiday sees mentoring as a way to develop and promote talent from within. “I involve them in the process, so they can learn as they go -- whether we get the deal or not,” says the executive, who was a linchpin in the label’s partnership with Fox TV show Empire. “I don’t want them to just hand things off to me and I say, ‘I’ll take it from here.’ I want them to take this experience as going to grad school, because that [education] only helps you grow as an executive.”
In 2019, Holiday and Fant will focus on rising rap talents like Polo G, Yung Bleu and Lil Tjay while supporting planned releases from established artists Solange and Juicy J. The pair are also celebrating Chloe x Halle’s two Grammy nods for best new artist and best urban contemporary album as a highlight (the sibling duo’s debut, The Kids Are Alright, peaked at No. 19 on the Top R&B Albums chart.)
Fant, who is also founder/CEO of The Purple Agency, sees her PR background as an advantage to her new role, working with artists whose public appearances and social media feeds are under close scrutiny. “Publicity is beyond calling magazines and making sure artists are on TV -- we’re the closest thing to A&R and marketing,” she says. “We definitely have a role in shaping the opinion and value system of these artists.”
Supporting diversity: “I really care about women of color and how we are perceived,” says Fant, who helped launch an annual entertainment summit at her alma mater, Atlanta’s Spelman College. “By Sony hiring [me], it shows that we matter. We’re beautiful, strong; we’re worthy of love and these promotions.”
ADAM ALPERT, 38
The triple-threat CEO: Alpert likes to challenge the status quo. The longtime manager of The Chainsmokers chose a nontraditional “building album” strategy, as he calls it, to roll out the duo’s latest LP, Sick Boy. Released in 2018, the LP collected a series of singles released regularly over the previous 12 months. Alpert says the approach resulted in every track on the album getting playlisted, not just the radio singles. “It kept the buzz on The Chainsmokers for the entire year,” he adds. It also helped the act score its third No. 1 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The University of Pennsylvania alum, who doubles as CEO of the duo’s Columbia label partner, Disruptor Records, and Sony/ATV publishing joint-venture Selector Songs, added a third CEO title to his docket with the November launch of the act’s new film/TV venture, Kick the Habit Productions. The company has already sold its first screenplay -- based on the duo’s 2017 hit “Paris” and penned by Mickey Rapkin (Pitch Perfect) -- to TriStar. “We have about 25 projects slated: films, TV series, digital shorts, docu-series, both scripted and unscripted,” says Alpert. “Music will always be No. 1, but this is an extension of their creative career.”