2023 Featured Artists

Marcella Araica 

Engineer, Mixer

As an award-winning recording and mixing engineer responsible for numerous multiplatinum smashes, co-founder of the New Age Rock Stars [N.A.R.S.] record label and Dream Asylum Studios with GRAMMY® Award-winning prolific producer and longtime collaborator Danja, Marcella “Ms Lago” Araica utilizes sound as a vehicle to tell the stories of GRAMMY® Award-winning icons. She has shaped music by everyone from Beyoncé, Britney Spears, The Notorious B.I.G. Among hundreds of recordings, her credits span everything from Timbaland’s “The Way I Are” and Britney Spears’ “Gimme More” to Mariah Carey’s “Migrate,” Duran Duran’s “The Valley,” and DJ Khaled’s “We Takin’ Over” [feat. Akon, Lil Wayne, T.I. Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman]. Lauded for her achievements, she picked up ASCAP Awards for Keri Hilson’s “Knock You Down” and P!nk’s “Sober.”

Ultimately, Marcella pioneered her own path and uses her platform to encourage others to do the same.
 

Bobby Booshay 

DJ & Producer

Coming from Cleveland Ohio, Bobby Booshay has made quite the name for himself over the last decade. Bobby uses his love for music to bring together high energy sets that encompass multiple genres of music which sets the vibe for any venue; nightclubs, music festivals, concerts, and corporate events. Notable achievements for Bobby include: Cleveland Scenes 2020 “Best of” runner up under the category “Best DJ” in Cleveland, featured guest mix on Cleveland’s REAL 106.1 (iHeartRadio Station), 2016 Ohio Hip Hop Awards "Best New DJ" nominee, and voted "2018 Most Musical On Campus" from Ohio University publication "The Post."

Over the years Bobby has shared the stage, performed and been direct support for notable figures in music which includes Marshmello, Two Friends, Rick Wonder, Riff Raff, Kid Ink, Lil Jon, DJ Scene, DJ Beatbreaker, Deville, Saint JHN, Vince Staples, Cal Scruby, GTA, R.L. Grime, Lil Uzi Vert, Rezz, Chevy Woods, Cory Gunz, Mantis, King Los, Hi - Rez, Chief
Keef, Afroman, Frankie Bones, Buku, Caskey, Futuristic, Joe Budden, Chip Tha Ripper, Asher Roth, and more!

Bobby Booshay has performed at some of the biggest venues and festivals around which include House of Blues (Cleveland), The Agora, Quicken Loans Arena, The Numbers Fest: 16 Fest, EST Fest, Magnolia Nightclub, FWD Day & Nightclub, Barley House Nightclub, Halloween Block Party (Athens Ohio) SeeSaw Columbus and more. Bobby has worked with major companies such as Corona, Lululemon, Monster Energy, FWD Hospitality Group, iHeartRadio, ESPN, Red Bull, NCAA, Prime Social Group, REAL 106.1, NPi Audio Visual Solutions and iLTHY.

Diana Buchert 

Diana Buchert is an Austin-based Digital Account Manager at Nettwerk Music Group by day and a supporter of local music scenes by night. While attending Ohio University, Diana attended the LA in Ohio and SXSW programs, served as President for the organization Women in the Music Industry, and was the Promotions Director for ACRN Media (go rock lobsters!), where she booked monthly gigs including the popular Battle of the Bands, Prom, and Lobsterfest events. Now an Austin resident of nearly four years, Diana serves as Nettwerk's southwest rep and books local gigs for Howdy Gals, an inclusive booking group. She is also an avid vinyl collector, reader, and lover of naps.

Lysa Cárdenas 

Global Music Programs, TikTok

Lysa Cárdenas is the Global Music Program Manager at TikTok where her focus is on creating new and innovative ways to connect TikTok and the music industry - whether by amplifying trending TikTok sounds, creating must-see moments for an artist release, or coming up with ways for TikTok to show up at music festivals and award shows.

Previously, Lysa was the US Latin Editor at TikTok where she created a program called #Rompiendo designed to highlight Latin artists on TikTok and beyond. Prior to her time at TikTok, she managed Strategic Partnerships at UnitedMasters, an independent label and distributor founded by Steve Stoute, where she connected independent artists like Armani White and Tobe Nwigwe with partnership opportunities for major brands such as the NBA, Cash App, American Eagle, ESPN, and more.

Lysa has been featured as one of Business Insider's 15 Music Power Players shaping the industry and is a 2017 graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston.
 

Juan Carlos Cárdenas 

Global Co-Lead of Banda, Spotify's LatinX Group

Juan Carlos Cárdenas, or JC for short, is part of the global music licensing team at Spotify, where he is responsible for the successful operationalization of Spotify's top global music licensing deals. Additionally, JC serves as the current Global Co-Lead of Banda, Spotify's LatinX group.

Prior to his time with Spotify, JC was part of the Business & Legal Affairs team at Sony Music Entertainment and served as President of the Sony Emerging Professionals board - the youngest in the history of the group.

JC is a 2018 graduate of Berklee College of Music holding a dual bachelor’s degree in Music Business/Management and Contemporary Writing & Production. Born in Quito, Ecuador, JC is passionate about Latin music & culture.
 

Marie Chailosky 

Radio Coordinator, Warner Music Nashville

Marie Chailosky has been with Warner Music Nashville since September 2021 when she started as the Executive Assistant to WMN's Senior Vice President of Radio. Less than a year later, she was promoted to be Team WMN's radio coordinator where she now supports the radio promotion of Blake Shelton, Ashley McBryde, Cody Johnson, Cole Swindell, BRELAND, Brett Eldredge, Jessie James Decker and more! Since joining Warner Music Nashville, she has celebrated ten #1 records, including "Til You Can't" by Cody Johnson which went on to win a CMA and a Grammy. 

Ollie Chanin 

Head of Allships Music

New York raised musician, producer, and web 3 artist.. With over 10 years of experience in the music industry, Ollie has produced for Artists' such as Eminem, DRAM and A Boogie. As a composer, he has worked across all mediums including, TV, film, advertising and fine Art. Ollie is a founding member of ALLSHIPS MUSIC whose goal is to help artists gain creative and financial independence through the use of blockchain technology.

Tariq Cherif 

Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Rolling Loud

Tariq Cherif is the co-founder of Rolling Loud, the world’s largest hip-hop festival, alongside his lifelong friend Matt Zingler. A fan before all else, Tariq’s music industry career began when, as a college student in Florida, he observed local promoters booking EDM shows while ignoring hip-hop. Dissatisfied with the lack of shows booking his favorite rappers, Tariq took matters into his own hands, partnering with Matt Zingler to co-found Dope Entertainment in 2010, a new promotion company founded on the principle of keeping a finger on the pulse of fans’ desires and accommodating artists with utmost hospitality. Over the next five years, Dope Ent. became the top hip-hop promotions company in the state of Florida. With their newfound expertise in booking and buoyed by Dope Ent.’s success, the pair founded Rolling Loud in 2015. Starting as a one-day, one-stage festival in Miami, Rolling Loud quickly grew to become exactly what it set out to be—the largest hip-hop festival in the world, with three annual stateside festivals and shows in Australia and Europe.

Dani Deahl 

Head of Communications & Creator Insights, Bandlab

Dani Deahl has been at the forefront of artist discovery and meaningful industry change for over a decade. She is currently Head of Communications & Creator Insights at BandLab, the next-generation social music creation platform on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. She is also President of the Chicago Chapter of The Recording Academy, a DJ, and an electronic recording artist with music released on labels like Dim Mak, Armada, and Monstercat.

Chris DeVille 

Managing Editor, Stereogum

Chris DeVille is Managing Editor of Stereogum, The World's Best Music Blog. He has written about music, sports, TV, film, religion, parenting, and more for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The Ringer, and elsewhere. In 2006 he graduated from the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University, where he worked for The Post and ACRN. He lives in Worthington, Ohio with his wife and three young children.

Lisa Bella Donna 

Composer, Modular Synthesist

Lisa Bella Donna is an internationally acclaimed recording artist, composer, modular synthesist, sound designer, educator, and clinician. She has decades of experience as a multi-instrumentalist session musician, educator, as well as developing extensive techniques with musique concreté, modular synthesis, analog recording & mixing techniques, microtonal music, orchestration & film composition. Lisa has traveled all throughout the USA, Japan & Europe performing concerts and conducting workshops and clinics. She has been commissioned for many multichannel audio art installations in the USA and Europe.

Lisa can be seen often representing and showcasing the modern instruments of Moog Music Inc. She has many videos of her awe-inspiring performances with Moog Synthesizers on the Moog Music Youtube page. Lisa also works closely with Moog Music Inc. composing a wide variety of patchbooks for their semi-modular "Ecosystem" as well as the deeply exploratory multi-timbral patches you will pull up on the Moog One 16 Voice Polyphonic synthesizer. Lisa has 2 full length releases only available on the Moog Music Bandcamp that feature the Moog One Synthesizer. "Transformers" & "Explorations With The Moog One Electronic Music Synthesizer Vol. 2" These recordings give truly inspiring examples of the Moog One's infinite sonically musical possibilities. Also, Lisa's 2XLP album "Afternoon Dreams" was the very first album released that features compositions performed solely on the Moog Matriarch. Lisa is a proud ambassador & educator of Moog Music and all of the artistry that goes into making their instruments.
 

Britnee Foreman 

Data Strategy & Digital Operations, Exceleration Music

Britnee Foreman is a multi-hyphenate music executive and data strategist with a passion for helping artists and creators make a living doing what they love. Currently, she’s Head of Data Strategy & Digital Operations at Exceleration Music where she scales labels and music catalogs using data, and works across multiple verticals like royalty collection, marketing, development, and discovery. The Los Angeles native is also the Global Co-Chair for Membership at Women in Music, an organization committed to advancing equality, visibility, and opportunities for women in the industry. Britnee’s career spans 10+ at the intersection of music, tech, and data analytics at top companies such as Downtown Music Holdings, Temple Music Investments, Universal Music Republic Group, SPIN Magazine, Pandora, among others.

Vladislav Ginzburg

CEO, Blockparty

Vladislav Ginzburg is the founder and CEO of Blockparty, a blockchain development company focused on the building blocks of a decentralized creator economy. 

In his time at Blockparty, Ginzburg lead the launch of an early NFT marketplace that onboarded hundreds of digital creators into the industry, including first NFTs by notables like 3lau, Slime Sunday, Dave Krugman, Adventure Club and many others. Currently, he is leading development of tools that empower digital creators with fast and accurate data for NFT collections, and scalable smart contract infrastructure so anyone can transact and trade feely. 

Before entering the Blockchain and entertainment spaces, Ginzburg managed a fine art investment fund focused on trading blue chip artworks and managing copyrights for collections. Ginzburg studied at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio as well as The New School in New York. He resides in New York City with his wife and two children. 

Jarred Goldner

Director of SET, MAX

As Director of SET at MAX, Jarred Goldner helps artists and their teams work smarter (not harder) to deliver better fan experiences, execute more efficient tours, better understand their fans, and even secure their own brand sponsorships. SET is a suite of innovative artist tools that support and empower artists, managers, and labels with practical strategies that center the artist-fan relationship.

Jarred and his team are passionate about helping artists take ownership of the relationship with their fans by eliminating gatekeepers and garden walls.

Before heading up the SET team, Jarred served as Director of Artist Relations at MAX, where he ran the team responsible for sourcing artists for branded promotional programs. He has spoken at SXSW, A3C Music Festival, and MusicBiz and has contributed to publications like Music Connection, BandsInTown for Artists, Hypebot, and ANA (Association of National Advertisers). Plus Jarred is a proud OU Grad! OU OH YEAH! 

 Keith Hanlon

Keith Hanlon is a producer and engineer and is the long-serving session engineer for Musicol Recording Studios in Columbus, OH. In 2020, he became the owner/operator of Secret Studio, a recording studio, art gallery and events space allowing artists of all types to connect, share and create. Hanlon started his career interning at the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis, TN, and has gone on to work as an in-demand producer and studio engineer, working equally at home in analog and digital with numerous national and regional acts. He has worked extensively as drummer, recording and touring with bands such The Black Swans, Parker Paul and Orchestraville.

Gene Imbody

I have nearly 3 decades of experience in lutherie. I've worked in multiple pro guitar shops and operated my own shop, United Lutherie, for over 10 years. I've also worked with world renowned local luthier, Dan Erlewine, in his shop for many years. My primary focus is repair and restoration of vintage guitars and custom made guitar pickups, but I have also built many custom guitars over the years. Currently I am one of the head technical advisers at StewMac. My duties there include answering technical related questions from customers, filming marketing related content and instructional videos, while also playing a key role in quality control and product development. 

Talib Kweli 

Featured Artist

The Brooklyn-based MC earned his stripes as one of the most lyrically-gifted, socially aware and politically insightful rappers to emerge in the last 20 years.

“I’m a touring artist. I’m an artist that’s internationally known. I’m not just a local artist at this point in my career. I’m cognizant of the fact that what I do is beyond where it started. I’m trying to reach the apex of where I am now, but without turning my back on or dismissing what I’ve done before.” READ FULL BIO

Lydia Loveless 

Featured Artist

Lydia Loveless is an Ohio-bred singer-songwriter with five full-length records and numerous B-sides and singles under her purview. The unmistakable voice, an incisive way with melody, and an unrelenting willingness to cast the first stone inward are all hallmarks of Loveless’ songwriting. Her vocals meld between commanding and brash to delicate and introspective and subject matter entertains everything from broken hearts to messy dreams.

Her breakout release, Somewhere Else (2014) was followed by the critically acclaimed Real (2016). The albums were embraced by critics and listeners alike, with her fanbase growing to include some of Loveless’ heroes like Lucinda Williams and Jason Isbell. During this time, Loveless performed live on CBS This Morning: Saturday Sessions, NPR Tiny Desk and played major festivals (Stagecoach, AmericanaFest.) 2020 found Loveless starting her own record label, Honey, You’re Gonna Be Late Records with her album Daughter as the first release. She’s currently finishing her sixth album with a late 2023 release planned.

Yuri 
Lysoivanov 

Market Development Specialist, Shure

Yuri Lysoivanov is a product expert at Shure and a Chicago based audio engineer specializing in recording singer/songwriters and small classical ensembles. His love of sound and acoustics and friendly personality make him a valued asset to a variety of projects across the country. His recent recordings include Joshua Bell, the American Composer’s Orchestra, Kurt Elling and two classical albums released on Navona records.

LJ Malberg 

LJ is an Executive Coach, Organizational Design Strategist and Speaker specializing in Workplace Culture, Mindfulness and Interpersonal Communications performance. She serves as the CEO of Compassionate Muse and Founder of CoMuse, the Mindful Business Community for Music + Tech and Creatives, leveraging the practical applications of emotional intelligence for better work. LJ also serves as an Advisor and Lead Consultant to web3 company, Blockparty, as their Head of People & Culture.
   
Her work spans nearly 3 decades in Music & Entertainment from dancer/choreographer, jazz vocalist, artist manager and then talent agent for clients such as Ultra Gypsy, Slam Jamz (Chuck D of Public Enemy), Apple, NASA, Cisco Systems to notable roles such as Music Market Strategy (Eventbrite North America, Music) and Director of Client Development (TicketWeb/Ticketmaster U.S.).
   
LJ is an accredited PCC-level coach and a recognized member of the International Coach Federation. She maintains a daily Zen Meditation (zazen) practice for more than 25 years and lives in Athens, OH.

Alex Malcolm 

Global Music Sync, Warner Music Group

An Ohio University alum (Class of '18), Alex began his journey with Warner Music Group just a few weeks after graduation. Starting as an intern, Alex has worked his way up to Manager, Global Sync - within WMG's Visual Media Licensing team. His main slate of clients center around Video Games + New Media, working with companies such as: Epic Games, 2K Games, Electronic Arts (EA), Rockstar Games, Meta, Roblox, and many more.

Grace Martins 

Industry Relations Coordinator, Country Music Association

Grace Martins is the Industry Relations Coordinator for the Country Music Association (CMA). As a previous traveling consultant for collegians and a recent graduate herself, Grace is committed to building up college students and setting them up for success in their future endeavors. Grace oversees CMA's Leadership Development Program, CMA EDU. A program designed to give students who are passionate about working in the industry an opportunity for mentorships, 1:1 career advice/coaching, and hands on experience. When Grace isn't at work, she enjoys catching the sunset, reading, and exploring her new city, Nashville!

Chris Messina 

Producer, Bon Iver

Chris Messina is a Grammy nominated producer, engineer, mixer, and songwriter. He is best known for his work as Bon Iver’s producer and engineer on the albums i,i and 22, A Million. Messina has engineered and produced for a number of artists including James Blake, S. Carey, Gordi, and Bruce Hornsby. Additionally, he has extensive experience as a live music engineer, having worked with many major artists including everyone from Madonna and Lady Gaga to Eminem and Arcade Fire. He currently serves as a creative director for Bon Iver’s live show in addition to his continued work with them in the studio.

Marcus Meston

Producer and Composer

Marcus Meston is a producer and composer in Nashville, TN who specializes in creating music for film, TV, and visual media. Since graduating from Ohio University's Audio Production program in 2017, he has had his work featured in commercials and promotions for brands including Apple, Nike, HBO, NFL, Louis Vuitton, Under Armor, and Xbox. In addition to his own personal projects, Meston also works alongside Matt Mahaffey's composer collective, Cake In Space, where he recently scored Ludacris' Emmy-nominated Netflix series "Karma's World" as well as Marvel's Long Story Short series and both E! Channel TV shows Total Bellas and Total Divas. Currently, he is working with various publishing companies to create and bring fresh exciting music to your television screens and is also scoring and producing songs with Cake In Space for an upcoming Netflix original series scheduled to be released in 2024. 

Seth Miller 

Seth Miller is the founder and CEO of Rapchat. He lives in Columbus, Ohio with his fiancé Morgan and his two pups, Arlo and Ralph. When he's not in the lab working on Rapchat, you can find him out and about exploring, playing golf, going on runs with Arlo, or hanging out with friends and family. His passions in life revolve around learning new things and helping people chase their dreams. He sometimes writes at sethmiller.io or stayballin.substack.com.

mxmtoon 

The world first met Maia when she was a 17-year-old singer with a ukulele and a now-famous screenname: mxmtoon. In 2017, and from the guest bedroom in her parents' California home, the high-school student began posting covers of pop favorites and her own catchy confessional musings, tunes that spoke frankly of her setting's assorted tribulations -- dates and a lack thereof, online socializing and offline loneliness. READ FULL BIO

Kara Oberholzer 

Kara Oberholzer is the Director of Global Data Services for Universal Music Publishing Group. In her role, she works with many aspects of publishing administration, including royalties and copyright. Kara joined Universal Music Publishing Group in 2017 as an assistant for the same team she now leads as Director. Kara is an Athens County native & Ohio University alum, earning her Bachelor's in Audio-Music Production and Master's in Media Management.

Cece Palmquist 

Cece Palmquist is on the core team at Catalog (beta.catalog.works) — a leading Music & Web3 company focusing on one-of-one digital collectables. Prior to Catalog, she worked in Artist Management at 11E1even as a day-to-day for Big Gigantic among other bands. Cece got her start in Web3 & Music as a project manager on Daniel Allan’s ETH crowdfunded EP - “Overstimulated” - allowing for a new level of co-ownership between artist and fan. Outside of Catalog, she does music supervision for outdoor films & runs an event series in LA. 

Maggie Phillips 

Acclaimed Music Supervisor

Music supervisor Maggie Phillips has lent her expertise to the creation of some of television and films’ most unique sounds. She is the music supervisor on Raven Jackson’s All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which will premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival; FX's Fargo, Kindred and Snowfall; Hulu’s The Handmaid's Tale, The Great, The Dropout and Normal People; and Amazon Prime's Bosch. Notable other credits include Starz’ Gaslit; Hulu's Rosaline; Apple TV+’s Shining Girls; HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death; Shawn Levy’s Netflix sci-fi film The Adam Project; and more. Upcoming projects include Matthew Lopez and Ted Mawler’s adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s best-selling novel Red, White & Royal Blue; Paramount+’s mini-series Fatal Attraction; Netflix’s mini-series All the Light We Cannot See; Hulu’s adaptation of best-selling novel Black Cake; and Sam Esmail’s highly anticipated psychological thriller Leave the World Behind.

Dave Polster 

Dave Polster is a Senior Mastering Engineer at Well Made Music and a proud OU alum (Class of 2013). Dave joined Well Made in 2014 after working at Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland. While at GGR,, Dave learned the craft of vinyl record manufacturing and expanded upon his music recording and engineering background. Early on, Dave jumped at the opportunity to learn how to cut master lacquers and has since spearheaded the digital mastering service offerings at Well Made Music. He has worked on several GRAMMY-Winning albums as the lacquer cutting engineer for Billy Strings’ Home and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway's Crooked Tree albums. In his spare time, Dave enjoys live music performances, hiking outdoors, and thoroughly researching lots of technological topics online. One of Dave’s favorite aspects of his job is the unifying power of music and the timelessness of the recording and mastering process.

Jason Rawls 

Music Producer & Associate Professor of Instruction

Known for his music production work with artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Domo Genesis (Odd Future), Capital Steez (Pro Era), Beastie Boys, Del tha Funky Homosapien, Aloe Blacc and more, Dr. Jason Rawls is also an educator with over two decades of teaching experience. As an Associate Professor of Instruction at The Patton College of Education at Ohio University, Dr. Rawls has developed the first Hip-Hop Based Education program in a College of Education. The program called H.O.P.E. is a series of four courses rooted in Hip-Hop Based Education using both Culturally Relevant and Relational Pedagogy. Dr. Rawls is also coordinator of the Brothers R.I.S.E. program at Ohio University. Dr. Rawls is also co-author of a book entitled, Youth Culture Power: A #HipHopEd Guide to Building Teacher-Student Relationships and Increasing Student Engagement. Rawls is also featured in an exhibit on Hip Hop at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Daniel Rowland 

Head of Strategy and Partnerships, LANDR

Daniel Rowland is an LA-based audio engineer, educator, and tech executive. He holds both a B.S and M.F.A. in Music Technology, and is currently Head of Strategy and Partnerships at LANDR, cofounder of Audiotool, and longtime instructor at MTSU.

He has helped grow LANDR to 5 million users, refining their AI mastering engine and plugins, while crafting partnerships with leading brands and labels. Daniel has produced the music for an Oscar-winning Pixar film (“Piper”); and mastered multiplatinum/Grammy-nominated projects, with artists including Nine Inch Nails, Seal, Phillip Glass, David Foster, Gayle, Gucci Mane, Burna Boy, Adrian Belew, and Gwen Stefani, along with soundtracks for Star Wars, Marvel, John Wick, and others. Most recently, he cofounded Immersive Mixers, focusing on mixing for Atmos, with projects including The Fast and the Furious (YG/Ty Dolla $ign), Nina Simone, Flo Rida, Michael Bolton, Amari White, The Jackson 5, and Jeremih.
 

Tom Truitt 

Tom Truitt serves as Managing Director of TurnKeyZRG’s Music Practice in its Nashville office. He focuses on senior level executive placements in all areas of entertainment companies with emphasis on music, sports, technology, gaming, eSports and related enterprises. In this role, Tom brings 24 years of executive recruitment experience and relationships throughout the world.

Previously, Tom founded and ran his own boutique search firm called MusicRowSearch. As well, Tom launched and produced the very successful live event series called WHO KNEW. This is a bi-monthly networking event that draws over 500 people to hear highly accomplished entertainment industry executives sharing their stories, wisdom and predictions for the industry. Think TED Talks for the music industry.

During the pandemic, Tom launched an online only version of WHO KNEW, called The Smartest People In The Room. This program has quickly become a very popular series which features a 1 x 1 conversation between two highly accomplished music industry executives or personalities. To date, he has produced over 150 episodes (nearly every Thursday). 

Tom is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned his MBA at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Graduate Management. He’s been married to the same one and only woman for 31 years and has two kids in their 20’s. Beyond his family, his greatest passions in life are live music and Tar Heel basketball.

Cooper Turley 

Cooper Turley is the General Partner of Coop Records LP, a fund focused on investing in the future of Music. He is also an advisor to many companies in the space such as Sound.xyz, Catalog and Hume.

Ted Van Hyning 

Ted Van Hyning, a 2000 graduate of Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication, is a Cleveland, Ohio live event production professional. As Vice President of NPi Audio Visual Solutions, Ted works with a wide variety of customers across the entertainment, corporate and experiential markets. Notable clients include Live Nation, AEG, the Cleveland Orchestra, Eaton Corporation and Key Bank. Ted lives in Chagrin Falls with his wife Jenny and a menagerie of horses, dogs, a cat and a crested gecko. 

Kate Kaltenbach Watson

Sr. Manager of Industry Relations, Country Music Association

Kate Kaltenbach Watson is Senior Manager of Industry Relations for the Country Music Association (CMA). Growing up in the music industry with her family business of 93 years, Kate brings a passion and familiarity with the music industry that drives her determination to improve the lives of those who work within it. In her current role, Kate manages member benefits, communication, and events for CMA’s 6000+ members, while keeping an eye on topics important to the music industry community, including workforce development, mental health, financial wellness, and others. Kate currently lives in Nashville with her touring husband and their 2-year-old cat, Fitz.

Demetri Wolfe 

Demetri Wolfe is a professional musician living in Chicago, Illinois. A graduate of the Ohio University School of Media Arts & Studies, he has completed internships at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Forecastle Festival, Well Dunn, and at Public Hi-Fi Studios. Mostly recently, Wolfe wrapped up a 6 month tour as the guitarist for the Off-Broadway production, "An Officer and a Gentleman." He currently fronts the math rock band, Inoculous, and gigs frequently in the Chicagoland area as a solo artist, as well.

Raina Zafar 

A native of Atlanta, Raina Zafar has always been captivated by the power of visual storytelling. As Head of Content Marketing at Rapchat, Raina leads social strategy and creator relationships to produce content that educates and inspires the next generation of music artists. Most recently she was at Genius where she played an integral role in the creation of popular web series’ like Verified and Open Mic, helping millions of viewers get to know some of the biggest names in music (Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, SZA, etc). Raina is also the founder of RAINASFUNERAL, where she produces thought-provoking pieces such as artist mini-documentaries and short films. In her free time, you can find her cuddling with her new puppy, making DIY crafts, or nerding out about the wisdom of Ram Dass and Alan Watts.

Jon Zellner 

President of Programming Operations & Digital Music, iHeartMedia

Jon never had a “plan B.” After meeting Wolfman Jack on the NBC Tour at the age of 8, he knew he wanted to work in the radio industry. Jon’s first time on the air was at the age of 14 when he joined his high school radio station in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Now, 40 years later, Jon has worked with over 100 markets across the country specializing in ratings and revenue growth through brand development, strategic and financial planning and the coaching and mentoring of talent. Jon's experience includes broadcast and digital programming, operations, marketing, mergers & acquisitions and product start-ups & turnarounds from his senior management positions at iHeartMedia, Sirius XM and CBS Radio. 

Jon currently serves as President of Programming Operations and Digital Music for iHeartMedia, the #1 audio company in America, overseeing national programming and strategy for 650+ iHeartMedia Custom and Format Center stations, thousands of Digital Channels and Playlists on the iHeartRadio app, Partner and Client integration, the Commercial Production, Imaging and Audio Distribution Centers, the Talent Management Center, the Technical Operations team, event broadcast operations and communication to all of iHeart’s 860+ radio stations in 160 markets serving 275 million monthly listeners. As a Regional EVP, Jon oversaw programming for dozens of markets of all sizes from coast to coast.

Before joining iHeartMedia, Jon was EVP of Programming for Sirius XM overseeing programming operations and strategy for 100+ channels and helping grow the subscriber base from 1m to over 20m. Jon spent nine years as VP of CHR and Hot AC programming for CBS Radio, WBMX & WODS Boston VP of Programming and KMXV, KSRC, KFKF & KBEQ Kansas City VP of Programming. Jon also worked as an OM, PD and On-Air Talent in Phoenix, Columbus, Greensboro, Oklahoma City and Fresno. 

A recent Senior Programmer of the Year winner at the Worldwide Radio Summit, Jon has also been recognized by Billboard, Radio & Records, Friday Morning Quarterback, Gavin and the Kansas City Media Professionals as OM/PD of the Year and five times as one of Radio Ink's Best PDs in America. He has served on the Board of Governors and the Media Advisory Council for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and the faculty for the Conclave, the HD Radio Leadership Team and the National Talent Radio System.

Jon and his wife Patty have three children and live in New York City.