Executive Turntable: Moves at Warner Bros. Records, Universal Music Group Nashville, YM&U Group & More
A list of moves and shakes across the music business, including Warner Bros. Records, Universal Music Group Nashville, YM&U Group, The Orchard, Live Nation and more.
Norman Wonderly has been promoted to executive vp, creative at Warner Bros. Records, it was announced Monday (May 6). Wonderly will be based in the company’s Los Angeles headquarters and will report to Warner Bros. Records co-chairman and COO, Tom Corson.
“Norman has a broad and critical role within WBR. He crafts powerful, individual brands for our artists and his amazing eye, great taste, and original ideas translate musical energy into visual style. He is the master of creating an impactful, captivating aesthetic that extends across everything we do at WBR — from album art and videos to the amazing new environment we’re experiencing every day,” said Corson in a statement. “I’m delighted to announce this richly deserved promotion.”
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On Friday (May 10), Kobalt Music Publishing announced Amanda Samii has been promoted to vp, creative. Samii previously served as senior director, creative and will be based in LA.
“I am very proud to see Amanda become vp, creative at Kobalt. Having worked with her for a number of years, I have seen her true passion for music and her loyalty to our writers and artists, always giving 100 percent,” said Sas Metcalfe, Kobalt’s chief creative officer. “This promotion is hard earned and well deserved.”
“They say if you love what you do it will never feel like a ‘job,’” Samii said. “I can say wholeheartedly that it has been a pleasure to work at Kobalt for the last 8 years. For me, publishing started as a curiosity but quickly turned into my greatest passion. I’m excited to step into the role of vice president, creative and continue to discover and cultivate great talent.”
Hannah Wilson has joined Universal Music Group Nashville as its director of A&R, the company announced May 6. Wilson brings years of experience in both management and publishing work with Parallel Entertainment and most recently served as creative director at Big Loud.
“For years I have admired Hannah’s song sense and ability to find talent,” said Brian Wright, UMG Nashville’s evp of A&R. “Her passion and excitement for music is second to none. We are excited to have her on our UMG A&R team.”
YM&U Group has tapped Melissa Sabo to be head of A&R, the company announced this week. Sabo joins the group with years of industry experience and A&R consulting under her belt, most recently helming her own company, Built To Last Entertainment.
Sabo’s career in the music business began at MCA Records before she joined Red Light Management in 2005, working with bands like Underoath and The Starting Line. Shortly after, she was hired at Ultra Music working in A&R and artist/producer management before launching Built to Last Entertainment.
On May 7, The Syndicate announced it appointed Josh Hubberman as vp, brand and business development. Hubberman previously founded FoxTales, a visual experience platform where he created engaging custom experiences for brands like Microsoft, Facebook and Disney.
In his new role, Hubberman will focus on developing client relationships across the The Syndicate’s range of services including consultation, experiential, digital, PR, radio promotion and grassroots marketing.
“We’ve long admired Josh’s ability to integrate powerful messaging and beautiful design with technology to tell compelling stories,” said Graham Rothenberg, general manager of The Syndicate. “He has a history of taking risks and pushing against conventional wisdom to create breakthrough experiences built around robust strategy. He’s the perfect complement to our already talented team.”
Concord announced May 8 that its promotion team has been restructured to “better service the needs of its labels,” resulting in a string of new hires and management changes.
The realign — led by Concord svp Jill Weindorf — has added Tyson Haller as vp promotion. Haller joined Concord in February and is working alongisde Weindorf and current vp promotion Angelo Scrobe running day-to-day operations. Howie Pivar, senior director of promotion, has been named a format captain for Triple A and promotion veterans Howard Frank and Alyssa Holtgrewe will continue as all-format regionals.
“The collective talent of this team is second to none. This realignment supports Concord’s leadership position in our core formats and adds additional resources to better serve our expanding artist roster,” Weindorf said in a statement. “As our labels and artist roster evolve, we are positioned to offer unparalleled promotion and marketing services.”
Live Nation Australasia has appointed Greg Segal to president of brand and marketing partnerships for Australia and New Zealand, the company announced May 9. Based out of Sydney, Segal will report to Alan Ridgeway, the chairman of Live Nation Asia-Pacific, and Russell Wallach, global president of sponsorship and media.
“Since we originally partnered with Greg in 2013, he has developed world-class brand partnerships for the Australian and New Zealand markets. We welcome working more closely with Greg to build on both existing and new brand partnerships in his new role with Live Nation,” said Ridgeway.
Lisa Logutenkow has been named vp, Canada for The Orchard, the company announced May 10. Logutenkow will be based Toronto and report to Colleen Theis, COO of The Orchard.
“Lisa is an accomplished and proven industry leader who has successfully nurtured local talent and built an international presence,” Theis said. “Her independent spirit, dedication and passion makes her an ideal fit to maximize The Orchard’s platform, services and global reach in Canada and help us take our business to the next level.”
“I cannot wait to champion The Orchard’s Canadian business alongside our Toronto team,” added Logutenkow on her new role. “The collective knowledge within The Orchard makes it one of the most exciting companies to be a part of, and they have set themselves apart in the industry.”
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