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, which could make for a great (or dismal) conversation during Sunday brunch.
Angelica Fernandez Zavaleta
Senior Director, Finance, Warner Music Latina
Zavaleta has found herself chatting with
DannyLux at the elevator, exchanging nods with
Yandel and bumping into
Myke Towers, inspiring her to think, “Wow—I can’t believe I get to be part of this world.” She’s thrilled to be on the front lines helping WML sign talent like
Natanael Cano,
Maria Becerra,
Junior H and
Blessd and participating in the process of bringing their music to the world. Zavaleta’s secret superpower? Baking. “In my spare time I create beautiful, intricate cakes,” she reveals. The only baking
we do is just after waking.
Charlie Heat
Producer/A&R, Primary Wave
Heat has orchestrated beats for
Kanye’s
The Life of Pablo, scoring multiplatinum hits like “Famous” and “Waves”; left his mark on tracks by
Madonna and
Bryson Tiller, serving as executive producer of the latter’s eponymous 2024 album; and scored a Rhythm Top 10 with
DaBaby’s “Shake Sumn.” He’s presently geeked about forthcoming releases by
Sia that he co-produced with
Jesse Shatkin and a string of other tracks dropping this summer. Heat’s a cigar aficionado—he’s even crafted his own line. No cigars will be lit after he sees this feature, however.
Kate Myers
Director, Strategic Partnerships, Warner Music Nashville
Myers’ chops were showcased in 2023 when she launched
Ian Munsick’s
Voices of the West doc with an event at Vegas’
National Finals Rodeo, offsetting the cost via sponsorships while honoring the Native American and Western cultures that have inspired the Wyoming artist. This year she’s connected
Austin Snell and
Busch Light, made
Chase Matthew Lucas Oil’s first music brand ambassador and collaborated on
The Castellows’ first brand campaign, with
Farnam. “I have crystals and tarot decks in my office,” informs Myers, who got nothing but bad vibes from
us.
Christian Conant
A&R Manager, Prescription Songs & Amigo Records
Conant has had the pleasure of seeing his signings
Maddie Zahm and
Fly by Midnight play not only across the U.S. but in Asia, and last year he contributed to
Joy Oladokun’s
Proof of Life, weaving talents like
Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan,
Mt. Joy and others into its fabric. He’s likewise working alongside such genre-bending writers and producers as
Lauren LaRue,
Nick Bailey and new signing
Ryder Johnson. Aside from his musical passions, Conant relates, “I have an undying loyalty to an obscure off-brand soda called Dr. Bob.” If only he felt the same about us.
Brooke Marcimo
Senior Director, Commercial Partnerships, Epic Records
Brooke once had the honor of dancing onstage with
Jennifer Hudson during a casino company retreat while the star sang
Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).” More recently, Marcimo oversaw the launch of
Future and
Metro Boomin’s record-breaking album,
WE DON’T TRUST YOU, and cheered on
Tyla’s debut project. Next up:
Meghan Trainor’s new album,
Timeless, due 6/7. This partnership pro is a former lacrosse co-captain who can now often be found in a bowling alley. We’re pie throwers at best, but we sure look snazzy in those shoes.
César Figueiredo
Artist Manager, WK Entertainment
CEO, Central Sonora
Among other career highlights, Figueiredo has reveled in seeing acts like
Latin Grammy winner
LUDMILLA and
MANEVA headline major festivals, from
Rock in Rio to
Lollapalooza Brazil. He’s currently focused on an upcoming album by MANEVA, aiming to crown them as Brazil’s top reggae band, while also celebrating
Jorge Vercillo’s 30-year career with the sold-out
JV30 Tour. He also recently watched LUDMILLA make her
Coachella debut last month. In other news, Figueiredo says, “I take sparkling water with me everywhere I go. If it were an artist, I’d become its #1 sponsor.”
We’re more flat than fizzy.
Cara Moser
Senior Brand Manager, Live Event Merch, Amazon Music
Moser fondly recalls managing client
Daniel Caesar during his 2022
Coachella performances and
Grammys turn onstage with
Justin Bieber and
Giveon on the Biebs song “Peaches.” At Amazon, she’s developing exclusive merch for stars like
Mariah Carey,
Doja Cat and
Romeo Santos, available at venues and on Amazon.com and artists’ own D2C sites. Moser started her entertainment career in film and TV with ambitions of becoming a talent agent prior to falling in love with the live-music biz. We had
our hearts set on becoming gazillionaires, but that didn’t work out.
Christian Redl
General Manager, TRIBL Records
From dining with
Harry Connick, Jr. and getting style compliments from
Lou Adler, Redl’s come a long way since first cracking
Don Passman’s essential
All You Need to Know About the Music Business. He’s especially proud to have gone from watching
Tasha Cobbs Leonard record to helping her earn 3b+ streams, six
RIAA certifications and a
Grammy win for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance, in 2014 for “Break Every Chain (Live).” The son of a mechanic, Redl’s been working on cars since he could reach the pedal, something
we still can’t do.
