Artists and Speakers

Mia Barnes is a director and photographer based in Los Angeles, known for her work in music videos, commercials, and artist photography. A Columbus native and an OU graduate with a degree in Commercial Photography, Mia moved to LA to expand her creative horizons, quickly transitioning from stills to the world of film and directing. Since stepping into directing in 2021, she’s already built an impressive portfolio, working with some of the biggest names in music, including Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, Megan Thee Stallion, Camila Cabello, and Ciara, to name just a few. Mia’s directing talents extend into the commercial world, where she’s crafted visually captivating spots for major brands like Pepsi, Samsung, Toyota, Walmart, and Amazon. But her eye for storytelling doesn’t stop there. Her still photography has also captured icons like Drake, Saweetie, Bad Bunny, and Chris Martin. In her spare time, Mia works on ongoing personal photography and film projects that explore themes close to her heart.

Tommy Boone is an Associate Director at Universal Music Group with over 10 years of experience in Royalties & Copyright, overseeing the Special Projects and Vendor Management teams. His expertise spans financial and data analysis, process automation, and project management. He is proficient in tools like SAP/Business Objects, Power Automate, Power BI, and RDW, along with various other business software platforms. Tommy manages recording agreement applications for royalties, streamlines business processes, and supports royalty audits. Additionally, he provides crucial analytical support to business affairs, artist relations, and copyright clients.

Tommy holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication and Media Studies from Ohio University. During his time at OU, he was actively involved in multiple organizations, serving as the Communications Executive for the Hip Hop Congress and hosting two shows, “Mic Club” and “Beat Oracle,” on the student-run radio station, ACRN. After college, he co-founded an online e-zine, “The Cypher Columbus.”

Faith Caplinger is an Ohio University alumni and Analyst on the Reporting Administration team with Warner Music Group. Her involvement in university clubs and opportunities such as Brick City and SXSW helped her to break into the Music Industry. Faith’s role is centered on accurate data analyzation and entry. She currently works to receive, interpret and setup artist recording & distribution agreements and oversees WMG royalty account creation. 

James Cartwright is a Los Angeles-based music supervisor and music industry professional of more than 15 years. After working on Grammy Award-winning records at indie rock stalwart Merge Records, James moved to the TV and film space to work under Kier Lehman.

Learning the ropes music coordinating on projects like HBO’s Insecure, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Lego Movie 2, and The Mitchells vs The Machines, James has now supervised a wide breadth of projects like It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Good Burger 2, Mythic Quest and I Want You Back. James has two Guild of Music Supervisors nominations for his work on HBO's The Lady and The Dale and Netflix's Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators. 

Drew de Leon is the Co-Founder and Chief Community Officer for a global music and tech community called The Digilogue. He also heads strategy for the digital marketing arm of The Digilogue called DigiLabs.

He's also a partner of an indie music distribution company called MPR Global recently known for breaking the artist Muni Long and receiving a Grammy for "Best R&B Performance".

He's formally the Head of Digital Marketing at Def Jam and Alamo Records. With over 15 years of experience in the music industry, he's led digital for artists such as Rod Wave, Lil Durk, Nas, Teyana Taylor, Pusha T, Danileigh, Alessia Cara, and more.

In 2010, Drew started the music agency Blank Label, where he developed artists through digital marketing and brand partnerships. Starting in 2016, he co-founded the global music and tech community, The Digilogue, with a belief of paying it forward for indie artists, music professionals, and students. The Digilogue programs music educational conversations, career resources, and artist discovery content. 
Outside of music, Drew is also a basketball and soccer enthusiast. He loves the Knicks and Liverpool FC. He also actively embraces his Filipino heritage and enjoys spending quality time with family and friends.

Hunter Evans is a 2020 graduate of Ohio University’s College of Business and an A&R at RCA Records. She began her career in A&R Research at Columbia Records, where she played a key role in discovering talents such as CMA award-winner Megan Moroney, rising country artist Ty Myers, and alternative artist Malcolm Todd. Now transitioning into traditional A&R, Hunter is focused on building a diverse roster and developing artists, drawing on insights from her research background.

Kevin Fagan is the Senior Director of Recorded Administration at BMG Rights Management in Nashville, TN. Originally from Beavercreek, Ohio, Kevin graduated from Ohio University in 2017 with a Media Arts & Studies degree specializing in the Recording Industry. He started his career at peermusic in 2018 processing publishing royalties. In 2019 he was brought in as the Mechanical Royalties Manager for BMG Rights Management's growing recorded music business. He now directly manages and supports the entire US Recorded Administration team.  

Kevin is passionate about fostering an environment of collaboration, trust, and transparency that allows his team to provide the best possible service to artists and key business stakeholders.

Music industry consultant, major label alum, indie music marketing and label services provider, and a journalist. Curator of Your Morning Coffee Newsletter :: Weekly Music News for the New Music Business

Co-host of the Your Morning Coffee Podcast (with Michel Etchart)

Co-host of the Behind The Setlist podcast (with Glenn Peoples / Billboard)

Co-host of the Music Biz Weekly Podcast (with Mike Brandvold)

Co-founder, Digital Strategy and Analytics at Label Logic 

For her entire adult life Ariel has been a cheerleader for independent artists. She adores the challenges that today’s music business presents and she leads her team to help clients come out ahead. She is known throughout the industry for her books, and dedication to education, and she loves teaching artists, which she has done in 12 countries for over 100,000 creatives, helping them take control of their marketing. She’s the author of 6 books on marketing, crowdfunding, social media, and publicity for artists.   She enjoys her toddler her cat, cooking, and looking at art.

Abbey began her career interning at a local recording studio while attending FGCU. She then went on to the University of Miami to complete the Frost School of Music master’s program. 
Abbey then moved to NYC and started at Columbia Records, working with artists like Polo G, Joey Bada$$, and Fivio Foreign.

Yuri Lysoivanov is a Chicago-based audio engineer and educator who is thrilled to be sharing his knowledge as a product expert at Shure. His exciting career takes him across the country to share his expertise, while also regularly working with musicians and influencers to raise awareness of Shure products and audio engineering concepts. As a recording professional, Yuri specializes in acoustic instruments, singer/songwriters and classical ensembles. His recent recording work includes the American Composers Orchestra, Joshua Bell, Artemisia Trio, Fifth House Ensemble, Kontras Quartet, and many others. Yuri is also currently working towards his Masters degree in Acoustical Engineering at Penn State University.

LJ Malberg is a 30-year Music & Entertainment Industry Vet most notable for her work with Chuck D/SlamJamz, Eventbrite Music N.A, TicketWeb/Ticketmaster US, IndieGOGO Music Lead, Warner Music web3 collaboration. She is a PCC-level (ICF active member) Professional Coach, Workplace Culture Strategist and Speaker specializing in Compassionate Communication and Emotional Fitness.  She serves as the CEO of Compassionate Muse and is the Founder of CoMuse, the Mindful Business Community for Creative Entrepreneurs, leveraging the practical applications of compassion for better work for music, media, the arts & entertainment.  LJ also serves as Chief People Officer to web3 data indexing company, Blockparty, as head of People & Culture.  

A student of Buddhism for over 25 years, LJ has spoken out on behalf of compassion-based work strategies at numerous music industry conferences including SXSW, Fest Forums, Northside Fest, Midem, TicketWeb, New Colossus Festival, Winter Jazz Festival, NFTSpeaks, MondoNYC, Ohio Music Industry Summit, 320 Festival, The Digilogue, jump.global and more.  Her published work on Zenful Dance, compassion-based movement, can be found in Dancing with Dharma, Essays on Movement and Dance in Western Buddhism, Harrison Blum (McFarland).  She is a well-respected leader, coach, mentor and teacher, sparking intuitive, authentic and empathetic human interaction that leads to compassionate solutions.

Jill Mapes is one of the founders of the worker-owned music publication Hearing Things, as well as the host of HT's flagship podcast Waste or Taste. From 2016 to 2024, she was a features editor at Pitchfork, where she edited deep dives on everything from TikTok hits to queer nightlife to big ticketing, and penned reviews and profiles of personal favorites like Angel Olsen, Beach House, Mitski, and Caroline Polachek. An Ohio-born culture writer and editor, Jill also has past lives at Vulture, Billboard, CBS, and Flavorwire. The best thing that ever happened to her on assignment was getting unsolicited life advice from Cher (“Always wear black eyeliner and ‘do you’”); the worst thing was getting doxxed by Swifties after giving folklore an 8.0.

Chris is a multi-time Grammy-nominated producer, engineer, mixer, and songwriter. He is most notably known for his work with Bon Iver since 2011, both in the studio and on stage. Chris also has extensive knowledge in live production having spent more than a decade as a touring audio engineer with A list artists.

Marcus J. Moore is an esteemed music journalist, editor, event curator, professor, and author of two books: "The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America" (2020), and "High and Rising (A Book About De La Soul)" (2024), a blend of cultural biography, memoir, and critical analysis. Marcus has been a contributing writer with The Nation and a senior editor with Bandcamp Daily, a platform he helped launch. He co-leads the jazz-focused "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love..." series at The New York Times.

Mads Murphy is a dedicated music industry professional with a deep passion for supporting artists and cultivating creative projects. A 2016 graduate of Ohio University with a degree in Media, Arts, and Studies, Mads began their career as an intern at the Nelsonville Music Festival, gaining valuable hands-on experience in the music world.

Right after graduation, Mads joined the City of Denver as a "Base Operator" at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, contributing to the operations of one of the most celebrated music venues in the world. This role paved the way for a five-year tenure with AEG’s Rocky Mountain Region, where Mads worked as a Booking Assistant and Executive Assistant to CEO Chuck Morris, sharpening their expertise in the music industry.

In 2022, Mads achieved a career milestone by joining Panache Booking & Management as a Booking & Management Coordinator under Michelle Cable, working with acclaimed artists like Bikini Kill, Ezra Furman, Ty Segall, Mac DeMarco, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and more.

Mason is an audio technician and multi-instrumentalist from Cleveland, OH. His early love for writing and performing music led him to his high school A/V department, where he became the head audio technician for all school events. Mason then completed the Recording Arts & Technology program at Tri-C to receive an associates degree for audio engineering and music production, and found a career in the live events industry. He has been an audio technician at NPi for almost 6 years, allowing him to run sound at music festivals, large corporate events, the professional bull riding tour, and anything in between. In his free time he makes music on his own and releases it under the name Lone Thunder.

Ohio University alumna, Semajah Parker is Gen-Z creative and professional who is passionate about using music and social media to empower the world around her. She believes there is true power in showing up as your authentic self no matter the room you’re in. This ideology has led her to partner with major companies like TikTok, Pinterest, Meta, and more.

Currently, she works on the Audience Development team at Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music. In this role, she and her team co-manage various artist/label social media channels, websites, newsletters, etc.

When she's not working, you’ll probably catch her solo-traveling to her next adventure, at a concert, in spin class, or glued to her PS5 trying to become the next greatest Fortnite player.

Dave Polster is a Senior Mastering Engineer at Well Made Music in Bristol, VA, and an OU alum (2013). 2025 will mark the 3rd year that Dave has hosted a Mastering Masterclass Session at MIS. In 2014, Dave jumped at the opportunity to learn how to cut master lacquers for the vinyl manufacturing industry and has since spearheaded the Digital Mastering services at Well Made Music. He has worked on several GRAMMY-Award winning albums as the lacquer cutting engineer for artists including Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and Béla Fleck. Dave has also appeared as a panelist for the Audio Engineering Society’s International Convention in New York City. In his spare time, Dave enjoys live music performances, hiking outdoors, and reading instruction manuals for new gear! One of Dave’s favorite aspects of his job is the unifying power of music and the timelessness of the recording and mastering process.

Known for his music production work with artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Domo Genesis (Odd Future), Capital Steez (Pro Era), Beastie Boys, Del tha Funky Homosapien, Aloe Blacc and more, Dr. Jason Rawls is an educator with over two decades of teaching experience. A leader of the #HipHopEd movement, Dr. Rawls is an Assistant Professor of Hip Hop at THE Ohio State University. He is a part of the team that is creating a trailblazing Hip Hop curriculum program in the School of Music and African American & African Studies department. Before this, at Ohio University, Dr. Rawls helped develop the first Hip-Hop Based Education program in a College of Education. The program called H.O.P.E. is a series of four courses rooted in Hip-Hop Based Education using both Culturally Relevant and Relational Pedagogy and he was the coordinator of the Brothers R.I.S.E. program at Ohio University. Dr. Rawls is also co-author of a book entitled, Youth Culture Power: A #HipHopEd Guide to Building Teacher-Student Relationships and Increasing Student Engagement. Rawls is also featured in an exhibit on Hip Hop at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Sellers is an established events producer and project leader, with 15+ years of experience producing live content.  Jen has worked with independent promoters and venues, trade organizations, non-profit initiatives and community development groups. She champions the voices and talent within the community and values the art of conversation and connection.

Jen has worked with or partnered with the National Independent Venue Association [NIVA], CoMuse, Queens Rising, Central Astoria Local Business Coalition, CEG Presents, Mondo.NYC, School of Rock, Marauder, Sonicbids and sits on the board of the Astoria Park Alliance where she brings art and music events to the Queens community.  She has also been a guest speaker at New York University and Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment.

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, De Aundre Slater, is an artist manager, digital marketing genius, and music business professional. He has always had a burning passion for discovering & developing talent, strategic marketing, production, and building music communities. As The Digilogue's Head of Artist Discovery, his focus is to help build infrastructures that would create a plethora of opportunities for artists to be discovered and hopes to positively impact the global music & entertainment industry.

I have been running sound in the Cleveland, Ohio area for 10 years, 5 of those years with NPi Audio Visual Solutions. I started with the company as an AV technician and worked my way to my current role as Audio and Staging Production Manager. In that time, I have been lucky to run sound for large scale Music Festivals, Corporate Events and recently getting to work with The Cleveland Orchestra with their summer concert series at Blossom Music Center. While most of my live sound knowledge is self-taught, I graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in Audio for Digital Film in 2019.

Joshua Thompson has been in the AV production industry for 13 years. Starting off with NPi AV by cleaning projection screens and selling old inventory on eBay. Joshua has spent many days learning the ins and outs of live production. When he's not being the Director of Production for NPi AV, you can find him defending the galaxy in StarCraft or spending time with his 14 year old wiener dog, Oscar. His biggest piece of advice to anyone interested in live event production would be to master the art of troubleshooting and to always ask questions.

Ted Van Hyning, a 2000 graduate of Ohio University, is Vice President of NPi Audio Visual Solutions, a full-service event production and systems integration company based in Cleveland, Ohio. Ted works on concerts, festivals and special events across a diverse cross-section of the entertainment, corporate and special event industries. Notable clients include The Cleveland Orchestra, Live Nation, AEG and the Professional Bull Riders Velocity Tour. When he's not designing or executing a show, Ted enjoys producing music and spending time with his wife Jenny and their horses, dogs and cat.

Mike Warner may be your new best friend. With 20+ years experience in the music industry in various roles from DJ to Producer to Music Executive, he’s learned a lot along the way and loves to share how artists can grow their presence and audience on music streaming platforms. Mike wrote the book Work Hard Playlist Hard and most recently was the Head of Editorial Marketing Partnerships for North America with Believe. Now, striking out on his own he's not holding back and has a lot to share with artists!

Jon never had a “plan B.” After meeting Wolfman Jack on the NBC Tour at the age of 8, he knew he wanted to work in the radio industry. Jon’s first time on the air was six years later at WRRH, his high school radio station in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Now, with 40 years in the media industry, Jon has worked with hundreds of radio stations across 100+ markets in the United States, specializing in ratings and revenue growth through brand development, strategic and financial planning and the coaching and mentoring of programmers and talent. Jon's experience includes broadcast and digital programming, operations, marketing, mergers & acquisitions and product start-ups & turnarounds from his senior management positions at iHeartMedia, Sirius XM and CBS Radio.

Jon currently serves as President of Programming Operations and Digital Music for iHeartMedia, the #1 audio company in America, overseeing national programming and strategy for the iHeartMedia Custom and Format Center stations, thousands of digital channels, playlists and artist stations on the iHeartRadio app, Partner and Client integration, the Commercial Production, Imaging and Audio Distribution Centers, the Talent Management Center, the Technical Operations team, Event Broadcast Operations and communication to all 850+ iHeartRadio stations in 156 markets serving 275 million monthly listeners. As a Regional EVP, Jon oversaw programming for dozens of markets of all sizes from coast to coast.

Before joining iHeartMedia, Jon was EVP of Programming for Sirius XM overseeing programming operations and strategy for 100+ channels and helping grow the subscriber base from 1m to over 20m. Jon spent nine years as VP of CHR and Hot AC programming for CBS Radio, WBMX & WODS Boston VP of Programming and KMXV, KSRC, KFKF & KBEQ Kansas City VP of Programming. Jon also worked as an OM, PD and On-Air Talent in Phoenix, Columbus, Greensboro, Oklahoma City and Fresno.

A recent Senior Programmer of the Year winner at the Worldwide Radio Summit, Jon has also been recognized by Billboard, Radio & Records, Friday Morning Quarterback, Gavin and the Kansas City Media Professionals as OM/PD of the Year and five times as one of Radio Ink's Best PDs in America. He has served on the Board of Governors and the Media Advisory Council for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, the board for the National Radio Hall of Fame and the faculty for the Conclave, the HD Radio Leadership Team and the National Talent Radio System.

Jon and his wife Patty have three children and live in New York City.

Xander Zellner is a Senior Charts and Data Analyst/Social Manager at Billboard. Since joining the Billboard staff in 2016, he has launched and managed many of the publication’s weekly music charts, including the Artist 100 and Emerging Artists, as well as the company’s first charts ranking the top songwriters and producers. In addition, he writes about new No. 1s and implements strategies to amplify and elevate historical chart achievements, while also highlighting key music trends around the world. Xander is also a social manager, leading the day-to-day operations of @billboardcharts across various social media platforms. His work has previously appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, Vibe, Stereogum, USA Today, and National Geographic, among others. Xander graduated from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and is now based in Brooklyn.

TORRES is the pseudonym of Mackenzie Scott. She was born January 23, 1991, and lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her wife Jenna, stepson Silas, and puppy Sylvia. She has been releasing albums and performing as TORRES since 2013.

What an enormous room is TORRES’ sixth studio album (her third with Merge). It was recorded in September and October 2022 at Stadium Heights Sound in Durham, North Carolina. It was engineered by Ryan Pickett, produced by Mackenzie Scott and Sarah Jaffe, mixed by TJ Allen in Bristol, UK, and mastered by Heba Kadry in NYC. The album contains 10 songs. Mackenzie wrote all of them. Sarah played bass guitar, synths, drums, organ, and piano. Mackenzie sang vocals, played guitar, bass, synths, organ, piano, and programmed drums. Additional synth bass, tambourine, and shakers were played by TJ Allen.