In our latest roundup, we present eight rising professionals from various parts of the biz whose dedication and effort make their superiors look good.
This week's entrants will also find their faces in our latest mag. And if they don't care about that (because, why should they?), we're told the pages make for semi-decent coasters.
Steph Pensa
VP, Digital Marketing, RCA
Pensa was stoked when she got to work with
Childish Gambino on his 2018 single “This Is America,” which would debut at #1 and win four
Grammy Awards, including Record and Song of the Year. “If this doesn’t break the Internet and change the culture, I’m retiring early,” she said upon seeing an early cut of the (Grammy-winning) video. Pensa’s now devoted to developing artists like
Tate McRae, whose single “You Broke Me First” amassed more than 1b streams. A high school softball state-champ catcher, she’s tagged us out.
Niles Goodwin
VP, Promotion, Capitol Music Group
Before making waves in marketing and promotion, Goodwin was a teenage DJ at
KMOJ Minneapolis, where he hung out with
Prince at
Paisley Park as a lad of 16. He earned his first radio spin from
Hot97 New York’s legendary
DJ Enuff (who also gave him an on-air shout-out). When he’s not working on
Migos,
Halsey,
Sam Smith,
Katy Perry and other Capitol artists, Goodwin’s at his NYC eatery
Late Nite Buns, among the farthest points in the continental U.S. from
HITS headquarters, which we suspect is no coincidence.
Roxy Silver
Manager, A&R, APG
Silver treasures being on the team that delivered
Ava Max’s 2020 album
Heaven & Hell, which yielded the 1b+ streamer “Sweet but Psycho,” and launched
Josh Golden’s artist career. She recently signed
Salem Ilese—writer of the viral hit “Mad at Disney” and co-writer of
Bella Poarch’s “Build a Bitch”—for publishing. In addition to seasoned songwriters
Madison Love and
JHart, Silver is working with up-and-comers like
LØLØ and
Sorana. She may be a self-described dog whisperer, but she’s never had to deal with
HITS weasels—until now, that is.
Matt Spiller
Head of Publishing, Ultra Music Publishing
This former
Ernst & Young exec transitioned from accounting to music to work with producer/artists like
Grammy winner
Benny Benassi and
Zaytoven (named one of the 50 Greatest Producers of the 21st Century), about whom he says, “They turned me on to music in their respective realms, the gateway drugs, if you will, to hip-hop and dance.” Spiller today oversees a publishing roster that includes
JMSN and
Clinton Kane, among others. An avid skier, he’s always looking for company on the slopes. Not that he’s asked
us to join him.
Marc Rucker
Artist Management, Big Loud
As part of the squad handling
Chris Lane and
MacKenzie Porter, Rucker’s had a hand in #1 platinum singles, sold-out tours and banner brand deals. At the moment he’s focused on Lane’s song “Fill Them Boots” and tour of the same name; ditto
Dustin Lynch’s “Thinking ’Bout You” featuring Porter (who got the high-profile gig via a blind audition) and
her forthcoming road show. Once an amateur boxer, Rucker fought for
St. Jude at Nashville’s 2020
Rumble on the Row. He’s understandably dubious about having us in his corner.
Elizabeth Eason
Product Manager, Artist & Label Services, Vydia
Eason worked on Christmas Eve in 2020 to distribute
Kanye West’s
Sunday Service Choir composition
Emmanuel. Her professional dedication was also apparent at
SXSW in 2021 when she moderated her panel “Emerging to Mainstream: Africa’s Newfound Success,” a discussion about the music market in sub-Saharan Africa. She’s currently formulating marketing strategy for Sunday Service,
Akon,
Five Finger Death Punch and
Joeboy. A classically trained violinist, Eason is also a member of the
Santa Monica Symphony. We know how to play a comb kazoo.
Maxim Karlik
Agent, Music Crossover, UTA
In 2019 Karlik helped deliver
Lauryn Hill’s first release in six years, “Guarding the Gates,” for
Queen & Slim. He’s also had a hand in producer
Harvey Mason Jr.’s
Emmy noms for
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist; projects for
Issa Rae’s music-supervision company and supe
Brienne Rose (Emmy-nominated for
Russian Doll); and signing
Grammy-winning producer
Marius de Vries (
La La Land) and
White Horse Pictures (Emmy nominee
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart); and
much more. Improbably, Karlik binged 10 seasons of
Survivor while we were writing this.
Zachary Crandall
Co-Founder, Very Rare
Relying on his A&R background, Crandall co-founded Very Rare with a fellow former
BMG intern. The management company represents
Lexi Jayde—whose debut EP arrived on 7/23 via
APG—and producers
Bendik Møller (
Jaime Miller’s “Here’s Your Perfect,” which hit #2 on
Spotify’s global Viral 50) and
Jason Strong (
Jack Newsome,
Sueco,
Lonely God). He’s also working on a project intended to create a sense of community among managers. Something he might want to share: his obsession with
Trader Joe’s seasonal offerings; Crandall’s counting the days until TJ’s fall drop.
