300 Entertainment has named Kevin Saer Leong as head of the company’s creative department. He will report to CEO and co-founder Kevin Liles.
In the role, Leong will oversee all creative initiatives, brainstorm concepts with other departments at 300 and rebrand websites and merchandise. He will additionally design and produce artist merchandise and accessories, conceptualize photoshoots and visualize album art and other assets.
Leong has spent over 20 years in the fashion industry, including 15 years with Russell Simmons, whose Phat Fashions eventually named him vp of design. He later served as creative director for Lil Wayne and his brand Trukfit and as a consultant on skateboarder Steve Williams’ Asphalt Yacht Club brand. Leong and Liles previously worked together at KWL Enterprises, where Leong spearheaded all creative elements and built brand identities for Big Sean, Trey Songz, Estelle and more.
Leong joins 300 in the wake of several recent successes for the company, including two Billboard chart-toppers: Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” remix (No. 1 on the Hot 100) and Gunna’s album Wunna (No. 1 on the Billboard 200).
Dinraj Shetty has been named director of Sony/ATV India, making him the inaugural head of the company’s newly established office in the country.
Based out of Mumbai, Shetty will be tasked with managing all aspects of Sony/ATV’s India office, including promoting catalog, negotiating international agreements, signing and developing local songwriters and composers and fostering relationships with industry partners. He will report to Sony/ATV president, international Guy Henderson.
Shetty will continue serving as director, licensing at Sony Music, where he was worked for over 20 years. His previous roles at Sony include head of sales and retail promotions, head of operations and digital sales & business development.
Cherry — a new “global creative communications collective” encompassing music, sports and fashion – was launched Monday (June 15) by four founders: We Care a Lot PR founder Louise Mayne, Atlantic Records UK director of publicity Caroline Dollimore, The Sports PR Company founder and CEO Caroline McAteer and writer and editor Paul Flynn.
Billed as “a unique hybrid destination for elite talent,” the company will “inter-pollinate” the worlds of artists, designers, athletes and more, the four founders said in a joint statement.
“Now is the time to cultivate the opportunities that arise when working with so many influential and inspiring people, and offer them a neoteric approach to representation,” the statement reads. “We know there is a need for agencies to diversify and become truly exciting and future-proofed destinations for their clients. With a multi-layered offering and rich network we will create strategic high impact global facing moments, unique content and explosive partnerships. An alliance between the worlds of sport, music, fashion and more will open powerful doors.”
Cherry’s first appointment is writer and editor Douglas Greenwood, who has been brought aboard as creative consultant. Greenwood will continue in his role as contributing editor at i-D magazine as well as continue writing for Vogue, The Face and the New York Times. He is the co-founder and editor of SUPER, a free fashion and arts manual.
Mayne’s clients at We Care A Lot PR include Tyler, The Creator, Jay-Z, Rex Orange County and Lorde. She previously served as head of publicity at Sony Music and at Mercury Records/Def Jam and worked as the press representative for Rick Rubin’s American Recordings. She launched her career at Roadrunner Records.
Since 2016, Dollimore has been director of publicity at Atlantic Records UK, where she has overseen PR campaigns across the label’s roster, including for Cardi B, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Sia, Lizzo and Charli XCX. She will continue working on the label’s “artist realization process” and brand development under the Cherry moniker. Previously, she served as head of publicity at Purple PR for nine years.
At The Sports PR Company, McAteer has helped secure brand partnerships for athlete clients including Didier Drogba, Theo Walcott, Petr Cech, Dele Alli, Frank Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wilfried Zaha and Conor McGregor with Calvin Klein, Pepsi, Adidas, Nike and Turkish Airlines. She managed David Beckham’s PR and media after he was sent to the World Cup in 1998.
Flynn is currently senior contributing editor at the Condé Nast publication LOVE and contributing editor at Fantastic Man. He has also held editorial roles at at i-D, Attitude, Dazed, GQ Style and Man About Town. Flynn has served as a consultant to the PR industry for 20 years.
Both We Care A Lot and The Sports PR Company will continue operating independently under the Cherry umbrella.
Corporate and entertainment attorney Robyn L. Sandak has joined the team at Alter, Kendrick & Baron, LLP.
During her career, Sandak has counseled clients in music, film, TV, theater and live events on a number of corporate transactional matters, including choice of entity, corporate governance and sophisticated corporate structures; customized shareholder, operating, and joint venture agreements; the purchase and sale of equity and assets including legendary music catalogs and master recordings; private placement offerings in compliance with securities laws; a variety of commercial agreements; and resolution of shareholder/member disputes.
Sandak was most recently a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP in both the corporate and entertainment departments. She is a member of the ABA Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries and founder of the boutique professional networking group BYOBiz.
Said Sandak in a statement, “Even in these times, music assets continue to generate solid revenue streams and are a sound investment for rights holders, music publishers, and equity investors, and I am thrilled to be a part of the groundbreaking work AKB is doing in this area.”
Alter Kendrick & Baron’s music clients include Primary Wave Music Publishing, Reservoir Music Management, Tempo Music Investments, Steve Miller, Foreigner, Ray Davies, David Gilmour and the Ira Gershwin estate.
Longtime Blue Élan Records employee Kacy Swain has been named the Los Angeles-based label’s first-ever chief social initiative officer, a position created in the wake of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.
In her new role, Swain will lead the label team with ideas and campaigns designed to support the company’s stated commitments to inclusion and equality.
“I am really excited to begin implementing policies and overseeing campaigns that support our label’s commitment to human, civil, and equal rights, the support of Black Lives Matter, and the support of eliminating discrimination of all forms,” said Swain in a statement. “This begins with assessing label partnerships and making the support of Black-owned businesses a priority. We will also develop new systems that help provide access to those underrepresented in the music industry. Thankfully, I get to do so at a record label that is proactive in providing a work space that is not only free from discrimination, but is looking to make change in the world. I am proud to be a part of the team and I am very happy to be making this step with Blue Élan Records.”
France-based authors’ rights society SACEM (Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music) elected its new board of directors at the organization’s annual general meeting on Tuesday (June 16).
The new and returning board members include chair Bruno Lion, vice chair Richard Seff, vice chair David Séchan, vice chair Arnold Turboust, treasurer Thierry Communal, deputy treasurer Thierry Perrier (newly elected), secretary general Patrick Sigwalt and deputy secretary Elisabeth Anaïs.
Directors are Frédérique Alie (newly elected), Gilles Amado, Wally Badarou (newly elected), Vanessa Bertran, Dominique Dalcan (newly elected), Frédéric Doll, Anne Dorr (newly elected), Nicolas Galibert, Brice Homs (newly elected), Caroline Molko (newly elected), Dominique Pankratoff and Laurent Petitgirard.
Vevo has named Andrea Zapata as vp of west coast sales, effective immediately.
Zapata’s hiring marks a return for the executive to the video hosting service, where she formerly worked as vp of data and analytics. In that role, she built the company’s research practice and made key changes in Vevo’s go-to-market sales narrative.
Zapata most recently served as vp of data innovation and insights at Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, where she oversaw the data innovation and measurement team and the in-market client research team. She has also worked at Hulu and ESPN.
Tracy Percival has been appointed chief operating officer at Visionary Media Group.
Percival joins a growing team at the entertainment and media company, including CEO Cory B. Savage, president Ronald Zamber, M.D., senior advisor Nick Sciorra, chief financial officer Robert Grenley and chief content strategist Anastasia Brown.
Percival currently serves as president at two beauty and wellness companies: New Jersey-based Patty Lou and Luxe by Tracylee, a consulting company serving the beauty industry.
MUSIC ROW MOVES:
Warner Music Nashville installed Shari Roth as Team WEA national director of radio and streaming, an upgrade from regional manager … Universal Music Group Nashville promoted Leigh Parr Malleus to vp media marketing, assuming the position Lori Christian occupied before she was upped to senior vp marketing. Malleus joined the company in 2013 as a director … Kelly Striewski joined the Country Music Association as senior vp marketing and strategic partnerships, filling the position vacated when Damon Whiteside became Academy of Country Music CEO. She was previously dick clark productions executive vp communications and marketing. -Tom Roland
