In our latest roundup of
Noisemakers, we present eight more rising professionals from different parts of the biz whose dedication and effort make their superiors look good.
At the very least, we’re told copies of our mag make for decent paper plates, which could come in handy on Cinco de Mayo.
Junko Takeda
Director, A&R Operations, Warner Chappell Music
In addition to overseeing and leading some of Warner Chappell’s biggest writing camps—including a 2019 Las Vegas outing that resulted in placements like
Little Mix’s “Sweet Melody,”
Kygo and
OneRepublic’s “Lose Somebody” and
Lil Wayne’s “Dreams”—Takeda aided in the development of WCM’s proprietary demo-pitching tool,
ARROW, rolling out now. She’s demonstrated her flexibility during the pandemic by helping launch a series of
virtual writing camps, with songwriters like
T-Minus,
Ross Golan,
Tayla Parx and
Priscilla Renea. In short, this classically trained pianist is hitting all the right notes.
David Wander
Chief Digital Officer, Roc Nation
Running digital for Roc Nation, Wander is the man to thank for some memorable out-of-home advertising for
Jay-Z’s
4:44 and many a wrapped city bus. He’s also played a crucial role in such projects as the Team Roc x Black History Month
We Recognize campaign;
Nipsey Hussle & Jay-Z’s “What It Feels Like” release; the
NFL’s
Super Bowl LV pre-show and
Pepsi Halftime Show live visual-album launch; and the announcement of Jay-Z’s
Champagne Armand de Brignac partnership with
LVMH, which generated more than a billion impressions. Now
that’s bottle service.
Melissa Mendez Director, Promotion Events & Logistics, Capitol Music Group
Before the pandemic, Mendez scheduled promotional activities for national radio events, including a sold-out
Jingle Ball at
Madison Square Garden and
CBS’
We Can Survive at the
Hollywood Bowl; last year, she facilitated 600+ virtual experiences, for artists like
Katy Perry,
Sam Smith (with whom she shares a 5/19 birthday),
Internet Money,
Surf Mesa,
City Girls and
Lewis Capaldi, who scored a historic #1 with “Before You Go.” Mendez is now breaking new Tower acts like
Duncan Laurence,
Mooski and
Toosii.
Jordan Moran
Director, Digital Marketing, Primary Wave
Moran breathes new life into the catalogs of creators as diverse as
Smokey Robinson,
Burt Bacharach and
Glenn Gould by introducing their classic works to a fresh crop of listeners. He was instrumental in launching the
Gloria Gaynor #IWillSurviveChallenge on
TikTok, which resulted in an 81% spike in digital sales, and partnered with
JibJab on an eCard for
Frankie Valli and the
Four Seasons’ “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” Moran is currently gearing up for the launch of Primary Wave’s first navigation pack with
Waze, featuring PW’s roster of iconic voices.
Todd Perry
VP, A&R/Business Development, Create Music Group
When Perry inked
Tory Lanez to a distribution deal, he demonstrated that an artist of Lanez’ stature can function creatively without major-label assistance. By the same token, he’s since been working on a content hub/label with
Funk Flex, which will serve as a place for rappers like
Rowdy Rebel,
Jadakiss,
Lil Tjay and
Pooh Sheisty to release music and rising hip-hop talent to flourish. A man of many talents, Perry has even sung
Stevie Wonder’s version of “Happy Birthday” with Stevie Wonder.
Drew Kaklamanos
A&R, Creative Director, Photo Finish Records
Kaklamanos worked his first tour (while at
Warner Music) in support of
Gary Clark Jr.’s 2012-13 North American/European road show. He notched a big win in 2018 when
ZAYN hopped on Photo Finish artist
SHAED’s “Trampoline.” Kaklamanos is excited at the moment about music from SHAED and
The Maine and welcoming
Marian Hill and
3OH!3 back to PFR, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Having met
HITS’
Lenny Beer during his MBA studies at
USC in 2008, Kaklamanos has done a decent job of steering clear of us—until now, that is.
Jae Brown
VP, A&R, Rostrum Records
During his
Interscope days, Brown worked with the folks responsible for helping
Kendrick Lamar deliver his 2017
Grammy Award- and
Pulitzer Prize-winning
DAMN. Today he’s working on the rollout of
Rich the Kid’s album while developing rising stars like
Taleban Dooda,
Mr. Chicken—whose “Never Could” is creating quite a buzz—
DC the Don and
Russell. Reportedly enjoying one of the best jump shots in the rap game, Brown triggered our asthma just by mentioning outdoor exercise.
Marissa Ramirez Senior Director, Creative Content, IGA
Ramirez has loved every minute of being on
Summer Walker’s
LVRN team, from the artist’s “Girls Need Love” video to her performance at the
BET Awards with
Usher. The creative exec is also working on
Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album alongside her colleague
Christiana Divona—they’ve been pedal to the metal since “drivers license” set
Spotify’s record for most streams in a day for a non-holiday song. When she’s not busy advancing the careers of IGA talent, Ramirez finds her bliss at DTLA’s flower market and crafting arrangements with the posies she procures.
