In our latest roundup, we present eight more stars of tomorrow from various parts of the biz whose dedication and effort make their superiors look good.
That said, a shout-out from this pathetic trade rag and 15 bucks will only get them one flimsy flower crown at
Coachella.
Rebecca Sahim
VP of Publishing, Film & TV, SALXCO
Having begun her career with
Quincy Jones—“Our daily chats were peppered with stories of his illustrious life”—Sahim felt she’d come full circle the first time she heard “A Tale by Quincy,” from SALXCO client
The Weeknd’s
Dawn FM. Today, she’s advancing new albums by
Bebe Rexha,
M.I.A.,
Mohamed Ramadan and
Audrey Nuna, as well as soundtrack contributions from
French Montana and
Hope Tala. Before starting her Music Business degree at
USC, Sahim considered going to art school. She still paints.
We mostly paint ourselves into a corner.
Khris Riddick-Tynes
VP, A&R/Co-Head of Urban, Arista
Riddick-Tynes will never tire of hearing a stadium full of people singing along to a song he helped create (
Ariana Grande’s “Honeymoon Ave” was the first). Currently building Arista’s Urban department—home to
Audrey Nuna,
Idman and
Princess Nokia—alongside New York-based
Kendall “
Young Sav”
Freeman, the L.A. exec is also one half of the
Grammy-winning production/songwriting duo
The Rascals. Riddick-Tynes will graduate from
Loyola Law School this spring, which is good news as you never know when you might need a lawyer. Actually, we do know.
Blaike Ford
SVP, Streaming & Artist Development, Range Music/Range Media Partners
Ford has been thanked by
Dan + Shay from the stage in front of 15k people, dined with
The Lumineers at the sushi bar where they were once busboys, heckled
Keith Urban at the behest of
Nicole Kidman and baked cookies with
Ed Sheeran. At Range, she teams up with DSPs to further the careers of established creators like
Mariah Carey,
Jack Harlow,
Cordae,
Midland and
Justin Tranter and such promising newbies as
TALK,
Hailey Whitters and
ELLIANA. Ford was recently told, “You’re the happiest, most joyful person in the music industry.” At least until we got to her.
Nathan Ledesma
VP, Marketing, Motown Records
Lil Yachty has said he leans nautical in part because of the
Nautica brand, so Ledesma was thrilled to connect him with the apparel maker, with whom LY has collaborated on capsule collections and related campaigns. Ledesma has likewise worked his magic on behalf of
Migos, who graced the cover of
Ad Age thanks to their partnership with
Finish Line. He’s lately all about Memphis rapper
Duke “Crunk Ain’t Dead”
Deuce. Ledesma says he can whistle like a bird (“for real, though”). His inclusion here will surely make him wish he could fly (away) like a bird, too.
Shelby Yoder
Head of Nashville, Milk & Honey
In 2020 Yoder cheered Milk & Honey writer
David Hodges’ collaboration with
Ed Sheeran on “Afterglow,” in 2021 she was one of
The Nashville Briefing’s 30 Under 30 and in 2022 she’s organized a writing camp at M&H’s Nashville studios to support local songwriters. Yoder has a B.A. in psychology—she once oversaw pediatric therapy as a mental-health specialist at
Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. She’s also certified to teach yoga. Our involvement in the helping professions extends to helping ourselves to all the
Thin Mints and
Tagalongs in the kitchenette.
Michael Collin
GM, Photo Finish Records
During
Elton John’s 60th birthday celebrations, Collin flew on the superstar’s private plane amid “a whirlwind of amazing shows.” He’s presently developing
Mckenna Grace, whose debut single, “Haunted House,” was heard during the end credits of
Ghostbusters:
Afterlife. Collin’s also stoked about
The Maine’s “Loved You a Little,” featuring
Charlotte Sands and
Taking Back Sunday. The band will appear at Vegas’
When We Were Young emo fest in October. Collin has designed websites for some of Photo Finish’s artists. We wonder if he’d take a look at ours…
Avi Dahan
Counsel, Boyarski Fritz LLP
Dahan has helped secure career-changing deals for clients like
TikTok star
JVKE (“Upside Down,” “Dandelion,” “T.I.W.F.I.L.F.L.”) and
Nez, whose “Let's Get It” f/
ScHoolboy Q was adopted by
Grand Theft Auto. He’s also proud to rep
LMFAO’s
Redfoo (with
Jason Boyarski), multiplatinum producer/songwriter
Johnny Goldstein and dance act
DVBBS. Dahan, whose been DJing for nearly 20 years and once worked at
Columbia Records, is launching a label with his friends. As he was in the top 10 percent of his
USC law school class, he probably knows better than to let us cover it.
Samantha-Corrie Schulman
Manager, Best Friends Music
Witnessing Best Friends clients
Billie Eilish and
FINNEAS sweep the 2020
Grammys was a mind-blower for Schulman, who also saw
Ashe (“Moral of the Story,” a FINNEAS co-write/co-production) perform with
Niall Horan at the
Royal Albert Hall that year. At the moment she’s overseeing material from FINNEAS,
Bishop Briggs,
Mimi Webb,
Blake Rose and
Maris. Next up: Eilish, FINNEAS, Briggs and BF’s
Role Model at
Coachella. A woman who loves a bowl of soup, Schulman can cry on cue. We suspect the only cue she’ll need henceforth is the memory of seeing herself here.
