2019 Conference Speakers | Between The Waves Madison Music Festival & Conference

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Butch Vig (Skyping live from Los Angeles)
"Artist" is the single word which best describes producer, mixer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist

Born in Viroqua,Wisconsin, his parents Doc and Betty exposed Butch to a variety of music and fine arts culture during his youth. While attending the University of Wisconsin Madison, where he received a degree in filmmaking, Vig focused on experimental music composition – an area that would serve him well into the future. While at the UW, Butch jumped into the local music scene and joined the band Spooner as its drummer. Unlike most drummers, content to bang out the rhythms, Vig pursued music composition with the band and stepped behind the studio glass to shape the recorded sound as a producer.

After graduating from the UW, Butch co-founded Smart Studios and began producing and mixing albums. His perseverance as an independent producer in Madison carried far beyond Wisconsin's borders, as artists from around the country began to hear the clear, edgy, hard rock sound shaped by Butch's productions. His work with Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins and Soul Asylum in the 90s has been hailed by music critics and authors who have placed his work at the top of the decades best recordings.

Additionally, Vig has created many exciting remixes for such prominent artists as U2, Beck, Korn, Alanis Morrissette, Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. In 1995 Vig returned to performing and writing with a band he formed that goes by the name of Garbage. The multi-platinum, Grammy Nominated band has achieved worldwide critical and commercial success as it ushered in yet another new direction for rock music. Recently, Vig has produced critically acclaimed albums for Against Me, Green Day, and The Foo Fighters, winning a Grammy for their album "Wasting Light." He was recently ranked #9 on NME's Top 50 Greatest Producers Ever. In 2014, Butch produced The Foo Fighters acclaimed HBO documentary "Sonic Highways." Last year Garbage released their acclaimed 6th album "Strange Little Birds", and they are currenly recording a new album.

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Michael Boddicker

Michael Boddicker grew up in a music store his parents formed in Cedar Rapids, IA, where his love for music began. Known in Hollywood for his film scores & composing and in demand as a producer, composer, synthesist, sound designer and songwriter, his amazing musical career has covered many areas . Throughout the music industry he is well known as a pioneer of the synthesizer, having recorded on pioneering gear at the birth of the electronic musical instrument revolution in the early 1970s. His work even extends in to the music products industry with his own company, The Lehmann Boddicker Group, and continues in the studio world with his SOL SEVEN Mix & Post. It's with good reason that Michael Boddicker is considered one of the most prolific, innovative and experienced artists in music today. The man is busy and sure has great stories to tell!

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Craig Anderton

Author/musician Craig Anderton is an internationally recognized authority on musical technology. He has authored over 35 books, mastered hundreds of tracks, played on or produced over 20 albums, played Carnegie Hall, written over 1,000 articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound, Electronic Musician, Pro Sound News, Mix, and several international publications, as well as lectured on technology and the arts in 38 US states, 10 countries, and in 3 languages. He co-founded Electronic Musician magazine and has also consulted to leading companies like Gibson, Microsoft, Steinberg, Roland, Acoustica, E-Mu, Peavey, Alesis, Akai Professional, Native Instruments, Cakewalk, Ableton, Avid, and literally dozens more.

His musical career started with appearing on Swiss TV when he was 9 years old, and includes three years of touring and recording with the group Mandrake in the 60s, doing session work in the 70s, producing a string of classical and other instrumental records in the 80s and 90s, and at the turn of the century, playing with German electronic group Rei$$dorf Force and guesting with Air Liquide. A frequent collaborator with Public Enemy bandleader Brian Hardgroove, they've worked on several production projects as well as the "power duo" EV2, with Brian on drums and Craig on Gibson's HD6X digital guitar. He still does rare appearances as an EDM solo artist.

After a 4.5 year stint at Gibson (which was only supposed to last a year, but you know how it is), Craig is back to his former gig of consulting to companies, doing workshops, and writing books. More books in the Musician's Guide to Home Recording series (published by Hal Leonard) will drop in 2019, and he'll be following up his 2018 music video project, Joie De Vivre, with more music and videos on his YouTube channel.

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Roy Elkins

Roy is a well-known music technology entrepreneur who has been leading industry innovations for nearly thirty years. He is also the Founder and CEO of Broadjam Inc., serving independent musicians and industry giants alike. Broadjam.com, the company's popular independent web site now hosting over 180,000 artists and 700,000 songs, has become one of the most influential music sites in the independent music world.

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DJ Bonics

Brandon Glova, better known by his stage name DJ Bonics, is a hip hop DJ for Wiz Khalifa and radio DJ at Go Radio 95.3 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

DJ Bonics worked for seven years as the mixer and afternoon drive DJ for WKST-FM, a Kiss-FM station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After leaving WKST-FM in 2010, he became the official DJ for Wiz Khalifa. He has also done solo shows. Currently DJ's in Minneapolis, MN for 95.3 GO Radio.

DJ Bonics is a Filipino. DJ Bonics is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a member of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity. In December 2010, a few days after returning from his first tour with Wiz Khalifa, DJ Bonics had a heart attack caused by a blocked artery. He underwent surgery, quickly recovered, and began performing with Wiz Khalifa again within a week. After the incident, he participated in a benefit to benefit the American Heart Association in Pittsburgh. In addition, he formed the Bonics Heartbeats Foundation to promote healthy living.

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Martin Atkins

Martin Atkins is the definition of entrepreneurial activity in cultural arts endeavors.

His three decades in the music business spans across genres, borders and industries. Having experience in nearly every aspect of record production and promotion has given Martin a unique perspective not only on where the music industry is currently, but where it is going in the future.

After playing drums in a variety of English bands, Martin auditioned for and subsequently joined Johnny Rotten’s Public Image Limited in 1979. His first contribution to the band was cowriting and performing on the song “Bad Baby” for the revered Metal Box LP. After touring the world with P.i.L and contributing to several more studio albums Martin left the group in 1985. Over the next five years, he played with and managed Killing Joke and toured with Ministry. In 1990, while on tour with Ministry, he formed his own band, Pigface. He also worked with Nine Inch Nails, performing on the Grammy award winning “Wish” and appearing in the “Head like a Hole” video.

Martin began working on the business side of music in 1988 when he formed Invisible Records and then Mattress Factory Studios in 1996. Over two decades Invisible has released over 350 albums and has had placements spanning from the original Miami Vice to Showtime’s Queer as Folk to Robert Altman’s The Company.

Atkins wrote his book Tour:Smart in 2007 and has since spoken around the world at major industry conferences, recognized universities, and nonprofit organizations. His distinguished speaking resume includes: SXSW, Warped Tour, CMJ, New Music Seminar, Unconvention, NAMM, By:Larm, Dfest, USC, Drexel, Virginia Commonwealth University, Full Sail, Weiden + Kennedy, Chicago Cultural Center and many more.

Atkins currently teaches at Millikin University in Decatur, IL and acts as the Music Business Program Coordinator, leading courses on Touring, Advanced Entrepreneurship, Artist and Event Management, and Online Marketing. When he’s not teaching,you can find him on the road, promoting with his third book, Band:Smart, consulting with artists and organizations, or working on his next book, Memories: My Time In and Out of Public Image Ltd.

He is a father of four boys and lives with his wife, Katrina, in Chicago.

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Michael Frondelli

A native of Queens, NY, Michael began his career as a staff engineer at JIMI HENDRIX's, 'ELECTRIC LADY STUDIOS' working with a multitude of artists including, CHICK COREA, STANLEY CLARKE, IAN HUNTER, CHUCK MANGIONE, KISS, THE ROLLING STONES, LED ZEPPELIN, CHIC, IKE & TINA TURNER and

HALL & OATES, then launching his engineering and mixing career with BILLY IDOL'S ferocious, Multi- Platinum album, 'REBEL YELL'.

With demand in LA, Michael then mixed Crowded House's debut release with the smash single, 'DON'T DREAM IT'S OVER', PAT BENATAR, 'DEAD MAN'S PARTY' for OINGO BOINGO, with film score icon, DANNY ELFMAN, THE MOTELS, POISON, BERLIN, to mention a few... Now bi-coastal, Michael expanded his craft to include film and TV, mixing score and co-writing a tune for film director JOHN HUGHES' revolutionary teen movie, 'THE BREAKFAST CLUB'. Back to NYC, engineering and mixing, with KEITH RICHARDS, the CHUCK BERRY Documentary 'HAIL! HAIL! ROCK 'N' ROLL', JOE JACKSON's, 'BIG WORLD', to produce Wisconsin's favorite sons, FIRE TOWN, and the former HANOI ROCKS dynamic front man, MICHAEL MONROE.

After mixing ERIC JOHNSON'S Grammy Award winning 'CLIFFS OF DOVER' from his album, 'AH VIA MUSICOM', Michael was approached to revitalize and become the Director/VP of the famous CAPITOL RECORDS STUDIOS. In 1992 Michael formed the audio network foundation employing EDNet for FRANK SINATRA'S critically acclaimed 'DUETS' I & II', globally linking artists live from international studios to Capitol. Following this Multi-Platinum debut, Capitol Studios was recognized as a world leader in Global Fiber-Optic Digital Recording, adding a new creative technology dimension to the record making process, setting the studio standard for artist and technology integration requirements. Michael launched CAPITOL/EMI into the business of mixing and producing 5.1 Surround DVD Audio titles with major artists including THE EAGLES 'WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER', THE BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB, DIANA KRALL'S 'THE LOOK OF LOVE', QUINCY JONES 'BASIE AND BEYOND” and QUEEN'S 'NIGHT AT THE OPERA' and in 1998, Capitol began its current day relationship with THE ACADEMY AWARDS hosting music pre-records for 'THE OSCARS' telecasts. While continuing as Vice President of Capitol Studios, Michael moved his production career to the next level achieving success as a founding and managing partner of the COOLSVILLE/INTERSCOPE label. COOLSVILLE's first artist BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY became the premier band of the Neo-Swing Movement with their first album following their appearance in the hit movie 'SWINGERS'.

In the fall of 2001 Michael departed Capitol to pursue record production and mixing projects recording THE GRAM PARSON TRIBUTE with KEITH RICHARDS and NORAH JONES, CHICAGO & EARTH, WIND & FIRE (PLATINUM) and co-produce the 13 show series 'ON STAGE AT THE WORLD CAFÉ LIVE' for MARK CUBAN'S - HDNet (AXS-TV), which featured artists including LIVING COLOUR, THE KNACK, JOSHUA REDMAN, RHETT MILLER, RITA COOLIDGE, among many other luminary artists... Michael was a Technical Consultant for the RAY CHARLES biopic 'RAY' directed by TAYLOR HACKFORD and mixed Grammy 2002 Lifetime Achievement recipient AL GREEN'S “Greatest Hits” in 5.1 Surround for DVD-Audio. Michael also engineered Warner Brothers debut artist ANDRA DAY, the legendary BURT BACHARACH, as well as, with film composer, GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA for FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA'S FILM, JACK KEROUAC'S 'ON THE ROAD'.

Since 2013 pursuing philanthropic interests, Michael, along with STEPHEN, KRISTEN AND CHRIS STILLS, has co-produced five 'LIGHT UP THE BLUES CONCERTS' benefiting AUTISM SPEAKS featuring iconic artists including STEPHEN STILLS, NEIL YOUNG, CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, BURT BACHARACH, JUDY COLLINS, SHERYL CROW, BECK, BRANDI CARLISLE, PATTI SMITH, LUCINDA WILLIAMS, THE HEARTBREAKERS and THE WAR ON DRUGS, to mention only a few, with MC JACK BLACK.

Michael, as a life long artist advocate continues to pursue, produce and engineer developing artists.

Michael's latest venture is:
COOLSVILLE MUSIC LICENSING FOR FILM, TV & ADVERTISING -
A Boutique Music Licensing Destination Where Nostalgia Meets Neo-Noir...

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Marla Frank
CFO and Business Manager

Marla Meyer Frank is a Certified Public Accountant who has spent the past 25 years serving as the head financial and administrative guru at Madison-based Frank Productions, Inc., the largest independent concert promoter in the US. Her knowledge of concert touring, love of music, and passion for financial mentoring prompted her to start a side project in artist business management. In her role as founder and principal at Yellow Silo Business Management, she provides professional business management services to three national/international touring acts.

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Travis Brown

Travis Brown is a Sales Rep with Audio Biz and product specialist with Shure Microphones. Travis has sold thousands of records independently, toured the country with the Vans Warped Tour, has over 20 placements on TV/Film, and also runs online businesses that passively generate over six figures a year. Growing Your Audience Through Content Creation is a session to inspire musicians and artists to start leveraging social media to build an audience, gain influence, and monetize themselves all while being creative. Travis shares actionable strategies and tactics to start using on social media platforms immediately to grow your audience using only your phone! If you are looking for new ways to capitalize on content creation, this session is for you.

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Dame Ritter

Damien Ritter is the President of Black & Orange Management, Co-Founder of Still Movin, and former Co-Founder of Funk Volume, a Los Angeles-based record label that has been cited as a leader among independent rap labels with over 250 million YouTube views, 5 million Facebook likes, consistent Top 10 chart placements on Billboard and iTunes and high profile write-ups in media outlets such as Forbes, Billboard, SPIN, LA Weekly, and more.

Prior to starting Funk Volume, he spent over 5 years in the consulting and financial services industries.

He earned his MBA from Stanford University, and B.S in Business Administration from UC Berkeley.

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Tim Sabean

As SVP, Digital Content at Westwood One, Tim Sabean is responsible for talent discovery, content partnership development, and audience growth strategies to engage listenership and drive monetization, particularly in the fast-growing podcast space. Prior to this role, Sabean was at SiriusXM Radio, where he served as SVP for the Howard Stern Channels for 10 years and lead the development and growth of the wildly- successful audio entertainment channels. Tim also held the title of SVP, Comedy and Entertainment, where he was involved in all aspects of SiriusXM Radio's rich offering serving over 30 million subscribers. Tim's extensive radio career includes managing both AM and FM rock, oldies, news/talk, and sports formats. As VP, Rock Programming at Infinity Broadcasting, Tim supervised programming for WYSP-FM/Philadelphia, WBCN-FM/Boston, WRKZ-FM/Pittsburgh, KUFO-FM/Portland, KRSX-FM/San Antonio, WAZU-FM/Columbus, and WXRK-FM/New York.

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Rob Dz

Rob Franklin, also known as Rob Dz, is the Media Projects Bubblerarian for the Madison Public Library. As a Kennedy Center certified teaching artist for the Making Justice program, his primary focus is on creating workshops on Hip Hop, Spoken Word and Personal Branding as positive forms of self-expression. Rob has held residencies with Madison youth in elementary, middle, and high schools, community centers, the Dane County Juvenile Detention Center and Juvenile Shelter Home, Neighborhood Intervention Program, Madison Jazz Consortium and with The Black Star Drum Line. As a musician, he has performed with the likes of Nas, Eminem, Common, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez and others. In 2017, he was inducted to the American Folklife Center at the Library Of Congress and The National Museum of African American History and Culture as a member of The Story Corps program.

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Vic Thomas

Vic Thomas was born and raised in Milwaukee. Attended University School of Milwaukee for high school. Started working at Summerfest to earn money for college. Graduated from Oberlin College in 1978. Spent four years in the USAF in Los Angeles as a 1st Lieutenant. After the Air Force, Vic worked as a salesman for various companies including Abbott Laboratories. Returned to Milwaukee in 1986, and was named the Assistant Entertainment Director for Summerfest on a seasonal basis. Hired to full time position in January 1991. Summerfest is an annual 11-day entertainment event, one of the three largest in the United States. He is responsible for contract and negotiations with artist staff and management; booking of acts; plans, procedures and coordination of entertainment staff.

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Ken Vandevrie

Ken is a recognized leader in complete media production and specifically Music Composition for Film, Television Broadcast and Corporate clientele. Trained as a classical pianist in Royal Conservatory of Music Grade 8 and Grade 2 Practical Theory, he has over 25 years of digital composition and programming experience. He composes and produces music for TV, Libraries and film projects used around the world.

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Bo Deal

Billy Deal born March 8, 1978 also known as Bo deal is an American Rapper who became popular after hit single "Murda." featuring Chief Keef and Waka Flocka Flame. He was signed to Brick Squad Monopoly which gave him a chance to work with top producers like Lex Luger, Young Chop , Metro booming and plenty more giving him a chance to showcase his talent on a mainstream level. Recently, he has focused on artist development, assisting in the success of recent Atlantic-signee "El Hitta."

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Fett
Independent Producer / Engineer

Fett is an independent music producer and engineer, author, music career coach, co-founder of the Azalea Music Group in Nashville, and recording/mixing engineer for the 2015 Australian #1 Country Album: Jason Owen's Friday Night. He helps artists and songwriters reach their fullest sonic and emotional impact with the recordings he produces, and also teaches them how to do it themselves. Fett is the author of the popular book Fett's Mixing Roadmap: A Step-by-step Guide To Mixing Music In The Studio and host of the popular MixingMastery.com online video course. He is the former Technology Editor for Performing Songwriter magazine, and occasional journalist for CMA Close Up, Drum! and Keyboard magazines. His diverse list of clients includes Davy Jones of the Monkees, Grammy-winning songwriter Don Henry, and international guitar virtuosos Tommy Emmanuel and Muriel Anderson.

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Nancy Moran
Artist Development Coach

Nancy Moran is an experienced recording artist, touring singer/songwriter, and artist development coach. The co-founder of Azalea Music Group in Nashville, she teaches artists, writers, composers, and aspiring music moguls how to design, develop, and pursue their own authentic (and profitable) music careers. As an independent artist she released four solo CDs. She also released two CDs and toured nationally as a member of the musical comedy troupe The Four Bitchin' Babes. After playing everything from bars to performing arts centers for over two decades, she created UltimateBookingAndTouring.com where she teaches online to touring musicians worldwide.

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DJ Pain 1

Known for his breakout production on Young Jeezy's platinum-selling album "The Recession," producer DJ Pain 1 stays busy. Since his debut, he has worked with artists ranging from G Herbo to Public Enemy, Mavis Staples to Ludacris. His resume includes several top ten albums, work as an educator in his community, two worldwide tours and a dedication to hip-hop growth and advocacy.

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Lydia Roussos

Lydia Roussos of Bangers 'n' Mash and Tessa Echeverria of Half Stack Sessions will present a workshop on the collective organizing in Madison, WI.

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Tessa Echeverria

Lydia Roussos of Bangers 'n' Mash and Tessa Echeverria of Half Stack Sessions will present a workshop on the collective organizing in Madison, WI.

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Emily White

Emily White's career spans the music industry, carving out a unique path that defines a modern maven. White began her journey at Northeastern University in Boston, with experiences in college at Powerfinger Promotions, WBCN-FM, Q Division and Skope Magazine. Upon seeing The Dresden Dolls play on campus, White introduced herself to frontwoman Amanda Palmer, quickly integrating into a core member of the band's team. White and The Dresden Dolls grew up professionally together beginning at SXSW and continuing through White's graduation day, in which she did graduate, but didn't walk due to the band kicking off a 3 continent tour with Nine Inch Nails at Coachella.

Prior to graduating, White completed work with Boston's local promoter, Don Law Company, while working deep within the live local music scene before becoming a world-class tour manager. An internship at MTV / VH1 UK solidified White's early love for international business and view of a modern global economy.

Retiring from tour managing at age 23 including runs with Imogen Heap and festivals ranging from Glastonbury to Fuji Rock, White accepted a position at Madison House Inc., in New York working with artists such as The Fiery Furnaces, Dinosaur Jr., The Secret Machines, Angelique Kidjo, Taj Mahal as well as members of The String Cheese Incident and Drive-By Truckers. White wrote a pre-Radiohaed In Rainbows "name your own price" distribution model that was passed along to legendary producer Bob Ezrin in 2007. A job offer at Michael Cohl's Live Nation Artists followed with White handling Zac Brown Band when he was signed to the division whose other signees included Madonna, U2 and Jay-Z.

In 2008, White launched Whitesmith Entertainment with Keri Smith Esguia, to oversee the careers of musicians and comedians including Brendan Benson, Margaret Cho, The Hush Sound, Amanda Palmer, Eric Burdon, Family of the Year, Hockey, Pat Sansone of Wilco, Fox Stevenson and W. Kamau Bell. Whitesmith additionally consulted Jay Mohr successfully to his goal of being nominated for Comedy Album of the Year at the 2016 Grammys.

Following the 2012 Olympic games, Whitesmith launched a sports management division with inaugural client Anthony Ervin, an Olympic gold medalist known as the "rock star" of Olympic swimming. In 2016, Whitesmith signed head U.S. Olympic Women's Swim Coach David Marsh and Olympic gold medalist Kaitlin Sandeno, expanding the sports' division further. Upon realizing that sports was underserved in the crowdfunding space, White, a Division I scholarship swimmer herself, launched Dreamfuel based on her work with Anthony Ervin to serve additional athletes by building sustainable tools for the sports' market.

After witnessing slim margins in the 2016 U.S. Election, White was inspired to get out the vote. The result is a new initiative titled #iVoted, in which venues are letting fans in on November 6th, 2018 - the next national Election Day in the United States - who show a photo of themselves outside their local polling station. Confirmed promoters in include C3 in Texas (Stubb's, Emo's, Scoot Inn), Live Nation NYC (Irving Plaza, The Gramercy Theatre, Warsaw), Peter Shapiro's Brooklyn Bowl, as well as Motorco in North Carolina, with more to come.

White is currently an in-demand speaker and consultant due to her expertise within the modern music industry, social media, artist development, and beyond. Whitesmith is called on to consult on everything from Grammy nomination campaigns to handling social media for progressive media outlets and off-Broadway plays. White's name has graced the cover of Billboard Magazine with Dreamfuel additionally profiled in Fast Company, Forbes, Bloomberg, and ESPN. She is a frequent guest blogger for Hypebot as well as Midem in Cannes, France where she is a regular speaker. In addition, White proudly serves on the boards of Future of Music, CASH Music, SXSW, The David Lynch Foundation Live while additionally serving on The Grammys' Education Committee and Pandora's Artist Advisory Council.

In 2017 White released her debut book, Interning 101; a how-to guide for interns in modern business. The book is based on the "intern manifesto" handbook created at Whitesmith Entertainment and is published by 9GiantStepsBooks.

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Nicole Acosta

Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI with roots in Mexico, Nicole is Chicana-first generation Mexican-American. It is her life's mission to preserve cultural practices and traditions. Whether through dance, visual art, written word, DJ'ing or photography-most of Nicole's work reflects the exploration of her identity.

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Management from Alverno College with a minor in Elective Studies and is also a dedicated student of Puerto Rican Bomba dance and Mexica Azteca dance. She studied Bomba at AfriCaribe Cultural Center in Chicago, IL and at Escuela de Bomba in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Additionally she is currently a student of Azteca dance at Itotia Mexica Xi, in Chicago, IL. She is a proud graduate of the Milwaukee High School of The Arts, and prior to her transfer to Alverno, spent years at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and Milwaukee Area Technical College studying photography. As a multi-disciplinary artist, Nicole's work has been exhibited throughout the city of Milwaukee, published locally and nationally and she has performed spoken word and dance abroad.

"I think I was born an artist, and as I grew older, my passion for the arts became so strong that I knew it was my calling in life. The themes in my work took years to shape but I eventually began to focus on the restoration and preservation of my own personal Latinx cultural experience and identity. It was important for me to begin documenting my life as a mother, a Mexican woman, a brown woman who can't seem to get love & relationships right and as someone healing from various life traumas. Women like myself can sometimes go unnoticed and our voices become invisible. So my work is a culmination of my experience and what I witness from day to day."

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No Stress Collective

We will share the origins of No Stress Collective, a Milwaukee based DJ collective that centers the creative expression of women, people of color, trans and queer people. Our dance parties cultivate spaces for people to feel safe, comfortable and free. Nicole and Dao of NSC will discuss the many barriers the collective has encountered, and how we've navigated the Milwaukee scene in order to activate a safer nightlife. Attendees will learn about our business strategies, forming relationships with venues, promoting and booking our events, cultivating our own DJ skills and our continued effort to work towards making our events more accessible, fun and safe for everyone. This will be an interactive panel and we encourage participants to come with questions on how to build the dance spaces they have always wanted.

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Jim Reith

Jim will be talking about "Composing Original/Custom Music for Ads". Ever seen an ad on TV and said "I could write a better music track than that?" Original music for ads can be a very lucrative and fulfilling career. The challenges of breaking into the business, pricing to succeed, keeping musical integrity, and managing production issues will all be discussed.

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Stacktrace

Steve Banik (DJ STACKTRACE) is a Madison-based musician and producer/DJ with over 20 years of experience in studio and live performance.

Originally from South Bend Indiana, Steve began production and DJ work in 1993 crafting songs for rappers Q-Swon and Jae Ellis and gospel recording artist Stephen Day. As a DJ, he was a semi-finalist in the B96 WBBM-FM Mixmaster Search, a leading Rhythmic Top 40 station in Chicago.

From 2003 - 2006, Steve was based in Nashville and was the touring keyboard player for several major label recording artists including Brian McComas (Disney Music Group's Lyric Street Records), Julie Roberts (Mercury Records, a division of UMG) and Chris Cagle (Capitol Records, a division of UMG.) During these tours he opened for multi platinum country music trio Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street.) By 2006, Steve had performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America, the 38th Annual Country Music Awards and The Grand Ole Opry.

In addition to his touring experience, he has produced music for Wiz Khalifa, Do or Die feat. Rick Ross, Emilio Rojas, Ted Park and others. He recently collaborated with platinum producer DJ Pain1 on "All Natural Vol. 1", a sounds.com loop and sample kit made exclusively for Native Instruments. In 2013, with more than 5 million YouTube views, his "90's Hip Hop Mix #1" was the most popular classic hip hop mix on that platform.

Steve is the founder and owner of Stacktrace Music LLC, a music production, performance and licensing company.

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Pelham

Raised in Madison, WI and now based in Minneapolis, MN, this 21-year-old singer-songwriter's music has been described as an acoustic, foot-tapping, soulful blend. Undoubtedly unique and unwavering in his commitment to his artistic vision, Pelham portrays an intellect and maturity that penetrates through his music. After being told by countless authorities and peers that the music industry is a "hopeless" field to enter, Pelham has developed a thick skin and confidence that seeps through his voice and into his music.

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ShaH Evans
Social Media Marketeer, Artist Manager, Blog Owner, Founder and V.P. Non For Profit, Social Entrepreneur

ShaH Evans, aka Mr Get Your Buzz Up, is an artist manager and social media influencer who manages I-20 and DJ Pain 1. He has worked with Wiz Khalifa, Waka Flocka, Curren$y, and many more. ShaH is also a community activist and has co-founded a non-profit organization that utilizes hip hop to educate within schools.

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Dexter Patterson
Social and Digital Media Specialist

As an artist, Dexter "Tefman" Patterson has been featured in major publications such as XXL Magazine, Hip-Hop Weekly, All Hip-Hop.com, The Source.com, Yo Raps!, and Shade 45. Tef has shared stages with a stellar list of major artists including T.I., Wiz Khalifa, Ludacris, Wale, Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, Super Bob, Gorilla Zoe, Three 6 Mafia, Nelly, Twista, Mac Lethal, Chris Webby, Zion I, and Devin, the Dude. He's also had the privilege of recording records with industry heavyweights such as Academy Award winner Juicy J, Bizzy Bone and I-20 of DTP.

Currently, Tefman plays in the award-winning Rap/Rock band Dogs of War. Outside of music, Tefman loves working with people, digital technology, and social media. His hands-on experience working as an entrepreneur in the music industry and as the Social and Digital Media Specialist for a 3 billion dollar company in the corporate world will offer insights that will help take your music career to the next level.

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Jim Brandmeier

Jimmy Brandmeier's deep-rooted music industry experience combined, with his passion for guiding students in music and life, make him a different, and inspiring teacher. His credo is simple, empowering and rare; be who you are—inside and out—no matter what, no matter how far!

Brandmeier has early beginnings as a highly talented musician. He's worked with artists ranging from Jason Mraz, Avril Lavign, Joss Stone, Ky-Mani Marley, Jamie Cullum, Ivan Neville, Dave Mathews and Sara McLachlan to Chynna Phillips, Eric Clapton, Wynonna Judd, Carole King, Kenny Loggins, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Adam Cohen, Stephen Bishop, Kris Kristofferson, Phil Ramone, David Cassidy, Carlos Santana, Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach. Along the way he has created an army chest of connections and networks.

Mr. Brandmeier was President of Monarch Records, a division of Tambourine Inc. in San Francisco. As President of Monarch he's led teams that set the standard for special markets in music—generating millions of dollars through Brands and Bands Campaigns. He also served as Director of Artist and Repertoire for Tambourine's three labels (Unison Records in Nashville and Sugo and Monarch Records in San Francisco.) As Director of A&R, he was responsible for product development, artists and music production on all three labels.

Brandmeier has an unrelenting persistence to convert ideas into actions that produce results. He's a Summit Award winning marketer who's garnered acclaimed media attention for his music and marketing company 180 Music—landed an exclusive brands and bands alliance with Target Stores nationwide—distribution deal with Universal North America and Sony music in Japan—developed credibility within the industry for having a reputation as an innovative thinker.

He's a Telly Award winning writer, who has produced and performed on a wide variety of Branded CDs found in major specialty market outlets, (Sharper Image, Brookstones, Bed Bath & Beyond, W.H Smith, American Greetings). In an eclectic range of styles, Brandmeier has developed concepts, composed and produced CD's that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.

Jimmy Brandmeier's philosophy in business and in life is very simple "Be Who You Are. Use your talent to serve"

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Bill Collins

Bill Collins is a Chicago-based music producer, educator and product specialist for MAGIX Software who has been actively performing and producing music for over 20 years. His music can be heard on several major television networks and is published by Sony/ATV and Universal Music Publishing Group. Bill is also the Editor for The Pro Audio Files, and served as Course Director for the Los Angeles Film School from 2010-2017.

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Kennita Hickman

Kennita Hickman is Chief Culture Curator for Catera (formerly KIS Communications LLC), a brand strategy and management firm where she helps musicians, creative and electeds be seen and heard. Catera is also home to "Artist Eats", a music and food column for Edible Milwaukee and Our City, Your Vote; a music and civic engagement initiative.

Artists managed under KIS Communications include The Cranberry Show, Tapebenders, and B ALXNDR. Prior to her work at Catera, she wrote for various music publications including Urbanology, Relevant and The Source. She currently serves as a board member for Above the Clouds, a faith-based arts and youth organization. She also served as Vice President for Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) and committee member at Repairers of the Breach.

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Bill Collins

Bill Collins is a Chicago-based music producer, educator and product specialist for MAGIX Software who has been actively performing and producing music for over 20 years. His music can be heard on several major television networks and is published by Sony/ATV and Universal Music Publishing Group. Bill is also the Editor for The Pro Audio Files, and served as Course Director for the Los Angeles Film School from 2010-2017.

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Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets

Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets is a Madison, WI -based trio comprised of Beth Kille, Shawndell Marks and Jen Farley that was founded in 2014. This acoustic-pop group features tight 3-part harmonies, combined with straight-from-the heart songwriting. They won the Madison Area Music Association award for Ensemble Vocalists of the Year in 2015, were runner-up for Madison's Favorite Rock Band in the 2016 Isthmus poll and received a nomination for a 2019 Wisconsin Area Music Industry award for Pop Artist of the Year. As motivational speakers, they combine their musical talents with powerful life lessons to help their audiences discover the secrets to Living in Harmony.

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Julie Moriva

Julie Moriva is a professional songwriter, workshop presenter, author, inspirational speaker, artist manager and head of Creative for Bold Music Group. Her songs have been recorded by major and independent artists, placed in film and television worldwide and in the top of the billboard and iTunes charts. Her work has been lauded by Rolling Stone, The Daily Mail, US Weekly, Perez Hilton, and E! News.

Moriva's first publishing deal was with the publishing arm of Scott Borchetta's Big Machine Record Label where she wrote and landed cuts with Billboard chart- topping country duo, Steel Magnolia. Moriva's song, Change My Mind, was the first song to be co-written with a finalist and performed on the season finale of NBC's The Voice. She has worked with artists from American Idol, The Voice, America's Got Talent and The X-Factor and collaborated on writing projects with Grammy nominee, Aloe Blacc and the legendary Fred Schneider of the B-52's. Moriva has written treatments for video, film and television and has been the creative director and production coordinator on many videos. She has served as the head of Creative for BOLD Music Group since it's inception in 2015, and has managed their major artist along with a band for many years. Moriva authored a #1 New Release on Amazon, Dream Big Why Not?! One Women's Journey To Success, an inspirational memoir chronicling her journey from wife, mother and teacher in a small northern Wisconsin town to signing a publishing deal with one of the most successful record labels in the music industry. She's shared her Dream Big Why Not?! presentation with National Songwriters Association International, Girl Scouts of America, Women in Business and other corporate and private groups.

Moriva splits her time between Nashville and northern Wisconsin with her husband, daughter, who is a performing artist and songwriter, a large Chesapeake Bay retriever and a small tomcat.

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Andy Wallman

President and Co-Owner of KW2

Andy drives creative innovation at KW2, using his wide-ranging experiences in advertising, comedy and music to inspire disruptive solutions and groom a new generation of creative thinkers. His award-winning campaigns—for Lava Lamp, Coca-Cola, Kimberly-Clark, Famous Footwear, Pepsi and The Green Bay Packers—have been featured in Communication Arts, Archive, AdWeek, AdAge and Creative Review. When he's not speaking on the intersections of creativity, business and behavior change, Andy can be found streaming documentaries.

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Audrey Martinovich

Audrey's interest in recording was sparked from her years spent training as an opera singer who tried (unsuccessfully) to record herself. Eventually she became more interested in the quality of the recordings and less interested in perfecting classical singing techniques. A graduate of Madison Media Institute, Audrey now co-owns Audio for the Arts and is one of the chief recording engineers. In 2017 she became the first female contributor to Pro Tools Expert, one of the most visited music and post production websites in the world.

In addition to her passion for helping musicians realize their dream recordings, she produces several weekly podcasts and radio shows on a range of topics from radiology to what apps are best for children. Current podcasts Audrey works on include Big Wild Radio Show with over 100,000 weekly listeners and Free Thought Radio which has been downloaded over 7 million times.

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Gender Confetti

Sylvia Johnson and Elyse Clouthier of the Madison, WI punk band, Gender Confetti!!! discuss being queer and trans musicians. They will touch on actions they take in creating LGBTQ friendly show spaces and promoting women and LGBTQ artists.

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Michael Penn II

Michael Penn II - a.k.a. CRASHprez - is a rapper who writes about rappers: both functions of his craft are equally-marketable as they are discouraging. Why? No matter which arm of the music industry machine one subjects themself to, the frameworks for success remain in perpetual flux. In 45 minutes or less, Penn aims to enlighten his audience on how he's come to operate from this crossroads while offering potential strategies to navigate brand-building, creative output, and sustainability in a field with infinite avenues and minimal financial gain.

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Jessica Fortune

Fortune, Jessica Fortune Fenner, is a Milwaukee DJ, event producer, and founder of Apart. She will lead a workshop and question & answer session. Apart began as For U Events in 2005, when Jessica Fenner (aka Fortune), left the non-profit sector to pursue full time promotion of electronic music in Milwaukee. Originally providing small gatherings for friends, For U Events grew into the city's leading provider of underground dance music. Leveraging a sharp awareness of the local and international music landscape, a non-stop calendar of weekly, monthly and special events emerged, and continued year after year.

Rebranded in 2011, Apart remains at the forefront of house and techno event production. Creating top notch music programming in diverse venues, from Milwaukee's leading nightclubs to off the radar alternative spaces, we continue to fulfill our goal of making quality music events accessible for all.

Our success is inextricably tied to the success of our community. Nurturing a healthy regional music industry is a priority, supported by our programs focused on cultivating strong new talent. Apart Artists provides development and support for emerging dj/producers focused on creating music as a profession, while the Apart Internship and Mentoring program provides an immersive springboard experience for those seeking a career in the electronic music industry.

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Matt Jacoby

I have been a drummer for 24 years (with 3 bands and 2 albums under my belt) and a member of the Madison Area Music Awards for 14 years, as a board member, a volunteer, and the Front of House and Red Carpet coordinator for 10 years. I am a web developer (20 years), digital marketing strategist (6 years), and a podcast host (1 year) operating as Octave Media, where I help brands in the musical instrument, pro audio and event technology industries use digital marketing more effectively. I have a strong passion at the intersection of technology and the future of the music industry, and for helping musicians and bands succeed in making their passion a true career.

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Nick Venturella

I have been a gigging singer/songwriter/guitar player since 1994. I have a strong DIY ethos, which so far has resulted in 10 self produced and released solo albums, 3 additional albums with previous bands, and a music marketing & mindset book, "The Local Music Journey." I'm a certified professional coach, armed with years of marketing experience spanning small businesses, higher education and publicly traded tech corporations, I consistently feel energized by helping others explore the crossroads where art and commerce meet.

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Steve Banik

I lived in Nashville and worked as the touring keyboard player for several major label recording artists. Following my move to Madison, I formed a music production, performance and licensing company where I continue to build my catalog of songs and DJ/production work. Since 1993 I've played in nearly 30 bands, so I have a keen understanding of what makes groups succeed. I'm committed to helping musicians thrive and build a career doing the work they love.

BTW 2019 CONFERENCE SPEAKERS