In the music industry, there’s not a lot of attention brought to the people behind the scenes. Without the people behind the scenes, there would be no artists. Many of these professionals will make several appearances at A3C and although you may not recognize their face, you should definitely recognize their work.
1. Troy Carter, Founder and CEO of Atom Factory. Troy Carter has been in the game for over 20 years and has helped guide the careers of many notable artists in the Hip-hop industry and beyond. Early in his career, Carter oversaw the career of Will Smith at James Lassiter’s Overbrook Entertainment and soon began helping to develop the career of Notorious B.I.G at Bad Boy Records. Four years later, Carter formed his first talent management company, Erving Wonder, which featured clients such as Jadakiss, Sleepy Brown, Eve and Floetry. In 2010, Carter founded the Atom Factory, which not only helps manage artists, but also gives attention to many other creative entities. From 2010 and beyond, Carter continued to build up his brand and has since founded the Backplane, a social media platform that allows celebrities and fans to interact in a meaningful community. He currently serves as the Global Head of Creator Services at Spotify and continues to lead other companies such as A \ IDEA and AF Square.
Appearances:
SMASHD Presents Code + Culture with Troy Carter, Marlon Nichols & James Andrews
Wednesday October 5th @ 4:30 PM
Ballroom (Loudermilk Center)
2. Al "Butter" McLean, Senior VP of Creative at Kobalt Music Publishing America Inc. With over 15 years in the game, Al “Butter” McLean has always had a great ear for finding talent as a publisher. He’s worked with Grammy-Award winning artists such as Mariah Carey, Brandy, Whitney Houston, Jay-Z, and Michael Jackson just to name a few. He was the first to discover the raw talent who we now know as 15-time Grammy winner, Alicia Keys. He now works as the VP of Creative at Kobalt Music Publishing America Inc. and is helping to administer deals with countless Hip-hop artists and publishers.
Appearances:
Publishing, Licensing & Sync Mentor Session
Wednesday October 5th @ 4:00 PM
The Lab presented by Tunecore (Loudermilk Center)
3. Dan Resnick, Marketing Talent Manager at Complex
Dan Resnick got his start in the music business in management and has worked his way up through the marketing world to become Complex’s Marketing Talent Manager. He worked in marketing for years with Maybach Music Group, Atlantic Records, Warner Brothers, Revolt TV and more. Resnick helps drive the company’s marketing campaigns and helps guide selected brands and companies in the right direction. In addition to working and writing for Complex, Resnick presides over his own company, Res Entertainment, Inc. Res Entertainment, Inc. is a management, marketing and brand integration company that serves clients such as rapper Stalley and Pell & Nuex.
Appearances:
Brands Break Artists
Thursday October 6th @ 2:00 PM
Room One (Loudermilk Center)
4. Richard Dunn, founder of Muddy Water Entertainment and co-founder Groovement, Inc.
Richard Dunn grew up around the music business his entire life, his grandfather being a publisher and his father a radio personality. In college, he served as a coordinator of booking artists for the school’s concerts. There, he discovered his love for management and in 1994 he founded his own company managing artists such as Anthony David. Four years later, Dunn co-founded an independent management company dedicated to highlighting soul music in Atlanta, Groovement Inc. Now, Dunn is starting to dabble in other industries, such as the restaurant business to further his entrepreneurship in Atlanta.
Appearances:
Packing the House: Promoting Shows & Tours Effectively
Friday October 7th @ 5:00 PM
Room One (Loudermilk Center)
Booking Agents & Talent Buyers Meetup
Wednesday October 5th @ 6:00 PM
The Lab presented by Tunecore (Loudermilk Center)
5. Osmic Menoe, founder of Back to the City Hip-hop Festival
Menoe is making waves overseas as the founder of Ritual Media Group, a multi-media company. The company based in Africa and is responsible for the largest Hip-hop festival on the continent. He’s an old school Hip-hop head and a very influential figure in African Hip-hop. His company not only runs Back to The City Hip-hop Festival, but also hosts the South African Hip-hop Awards. Menoe is dedicated to uplifting the South African youth and is working to expand the impact and culture of Hip-hop in South Africa and beyond.
Appearances:
International Meetup
Friday October 7th @ 5:30 PM
The Lab presented by Tunecore (Loudermilk Center)
