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Moderator: Moya Nkruma - Director, Rhythm & Soul (Urban) ASCAP
Moya Nkruma has always known what she wanted to do in life. Moya knew that she wanted to work in music and make a positive impact on the world. As a native of Los Angeles who grew up in a very artistic household, falling in love with music, art and the entertainment industry was almost predestined. Music being the vessel, she honed her chops at the music conservatory and sharpened her teeth as an intern in music publishing. With over 10+ years of music industry experience, Moya has held creative positions at BMG Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group and at KPFK 90.7 FM’s Associate Producer for “Radio Afrodicia”, an afro-beat show, hosted by DJ Nnamdi Moweta.
Currently, Moya Nkruma is the Director for the Rhythm & Soul/Urban department at ASCAP in the Los Angeles office, where she is responsible for identifying and signing new and meaningful songwriter/producer talent, cultivating new and existing industry relationships, and produces several live events throughout the year (i.e. showcases, writing camps, award shows, etc). Drawing on these experiences, coupled with her knowledge of the current trends of the music industry, Moya hopes to continue to assist in the creative development of artists and advocate for music creator rights.
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Sarah Haswell - Senior Manager, Artist Services at UnitedMasters
Sarah has over 7 years of experience working in music and tech. She graduated with a degree in Media from York University in the UK in 2009 and headed to London, where she tackled a number of roles at management and digital marketing companies before landing at SoundCloud. Travelling between London, Berlin, NY and San Francisco, she was initially responsible for managing SoundCloud's independent label partners and experimenting with partner marketing opportunities. She later moved from London to the Bay Area to take over Artist Relations for SoundCloud and work with a growing group of independent artists, tackling everything from discovering and onboarding independent artists, managing marketing campaigns and brand opportunities, providing feedback to product, collaborating on roadmaps and evolution strategies, and educating artists on new and existing product features.
She's a fan of the outdoors - mostly running, hiking and snow sports, and she also volunteers weekly at SF Animal Care & Control walking the adoptable dogs.
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Stacy Cunningham - Director of Strategic Radio Marketing, EMPIRE
Stacy Cunningham started her radio at 92.3 The Beat/Los Angeles, as an intern in the Promotions department where she worked her way up to Assistant Promotions Director. In 2001, she relocated to San Francisco to work as Assistant Promotions Director for then Clear Channel’s 106 KMEL. From 2002-2005, she was promoted to Director of Promotions for KMEL and KIOI. In 2005, she earned her Programming stripes and became Program Director for 106 KMEL. Throughout her tenure at Clear Channel, she over saw programming duties for KMEL, KIOI and KISQ. In 2012, she crossed the street to Entercom Communications and became Program Director for legendary station 102.9 KBLX and Director of Operations for Entercom San Francisco. Currently, she has moved over to the record label industry as Director of Strategic Radio Marketing and Events for EMPIRE Distribution in San Francisco.
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Kristen Fraser - Music Marketing, Beats by Dre
Learning early in her career importance of merging brands & culture, Kristen Fraser has spent the past 12 years doing just that. Focusing on the music and genuine relationships, Kristen had spent her career connecting the right talent with the right brands at the right moments for companies such as Cornerstone Promotion & Nike and as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Island Def Jam. Over the past three+ years, Kristen has done the same in her role leading Music Marketing for headphone giant, Beats by Dre.
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Vatana Shaw - Talent Management & Creative Strategy
Vantana Shaw is a talent manager specializing in artist development, tour management, & creative strategy. With a background in sound engineering and composition, she worked intently for Interscope/Amaru as an engineer then later signed to Universal Records as recording artist and composer. Currently, she manages Tiffany Gouché through her independent record label Earthtones Music Group.
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Sophie Ash - Artist Services, UnitedMasters
After graduating from New York University with a BFA in Recorded Music, Sophie Ash parlayed jobs at Def Jam and Translation into a project manager gig at Beyoncé's Parkwood Entertainment. There, she helped launch her boss's sixth No. 1 album, "Lemonade," and her Formation World Tour, which has grossed over a quarter of a billion dollars. Ash now works in Artist Services at UnitedMasters and was featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017.
Follow @sophsaproblem
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