Guest Speakers
In order to give students a broader understanding of the music industry, we invite industry-leading artists, professionals, and visiting faculty to give lectures and workshops related to specific challenges and opportunities in the industry. Faculty visiting from the Boston campus frequently come to Valencia for special workshops and presentations. In many cases, students from all masters programs are welcome to attend visiting artist and faculty sessions, regardless of program.
Visiting artists and faculty change each year. Here are some of the visiting professionals who have visited campus in the past on behalf of the global entertainment and music business program:
Scooter Braun
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Artist Management
Scooter Braun is the founder and chairman of Ithaca Holdings LLC, founder of SB Projects, and cofounder of TQ Ventures. He’s one of the major forces and innovators in the entertainment industry.
Sophia Chang
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Artist Management
Sophia Chang is a music business matriarch who has worked with Paul Simon and managed Wu Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, RZA, Raphael Saadiq, and D'Angelo among others. Her record company experience includes marketing at Atlantic, A&R at Jive, running A&R administration and operations at Universal, and acting as general manager of Cinematic Music Group, the label and management company for Joey Bada$$, Pro Era, and Mick Jenkins.
Cliff Fluet
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Managing Director, Eleven Advisory, Lewis Silkin
Cliff Fluet is managing director of Eleven Advisory. He has over two decades of experience in digital strategy and advising, having practiced as in-house counsel and external adviser to some of the world’s biggest names in digital, mobile, and social brands, and music, and live events. In addition, he works with artificial intelligence, blockchain and cryptography, and social and immersive video businesses.
Alex Rivas
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Project Manager and Tour Manager
Although still early in her career, Southern California–based tour and project manager Alex Rivas has already worked with a variety of renowned artists including Ms. Lauryn Hill, Chloe x Halle, Alanis Morissette, Ella Mai, and Jamaican artists such as Chronixx and Koffee. On each project, she has moved tours both domestic and internationally while retaining her individual style.
Claire Mas
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Former Head of Digital at Island Records
Claire Mas has managed the digital strategy of top artists such as Sigrid, Robyn, Mumford & Sons, Ray BLK, and Hozier, among others. She is an influential voice in the digital music ecosystem, having previously headed up digital at Communion, led training for Music Ally, and managed independent artists.
Shawn Barron
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Vice President of A&R at Atlantic Records
Shawn Barron is the man behind the signing of Drake, Diggy Simmons, Wale, Curren$y, and Ty Dolla $ign. He is now senior director at Atlantic Records and has previously worked for Universal Records and Koch Records.
Ekaterina Bazhanova
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Director at Music Development Russia
Ekaterina Bazhanova is the founder of Music Development Russia, a company providing services in different areas of the music business. Its key activities are artist development, music business consulting, publishing, events, and music exports. Bazhanova has worked with artists such as Yuar, Tesla Boy, Poko Cox, On-the-Go, and НААДЯ, among others.
Cherie Hu
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Freelance Writer, Editor, and Podcaster
Cherie Hu defines herself as a citizen of the music tech macrocosm. The main topic of her work is how technology transforms music and culture. Her written work can be found at Billboard, Forbes, Music Business Worldwide, Columbia Journalism Review, Pitchfork, and many other publications.
Stephen Budd
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Music Executive at Stephen Budd Music Management
Stephen Budd Music represents some of the most successful and influential producers, songwriters, mixers, engineers, remixers, and programmers from Europe and the U.S. In addition to his management services, Budd himself is a music cultural commentator and an advisor to music festivals and live events.
Yvette Noel-Schure
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Founder of Schure Media Group and Beyoncé's Publicist
Christine Osazuwa
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Chief Strategy Officer, Shoobs
Founder, Measure of Music
Originally from Baltimore, Christine Osazuwa got her start in music at the age of 15. She holds degrees in music, marketing, and data science and combined those passions into roles in data and marketing at Universal Music Sweden and Warner Music Group in London. Currently, Osazuwa is the chief strategy officer for the ticketing/event-marketing startup Shoobs, where she leads their marketing and brand partnerships strategy. In addition, she sits on the board of the LIVE Association, Indie Venue Week, and Keychange U.S. Osazuwa is also the founder of Measure of Music, an event that's part conference, part hackathon, introducing music and data to participants while highlighting majority-minority attendees and speakers.
Scott Cohen
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Cofounder of the Orchard
Will McKinney-Raphelt
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Senior Product Manager, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Afrobeats Marketing
RCA Records and Gold League team, Sony Music Germany
Will McKinney-Raphelt, a seasoned music industry executive with over 15 years of experience, recently joined the RCA Records and Gold League team at Sony Music Germany. As senior product manager for RCA Germany's international hip-hop, R&B, and Afrobeats lineup, he oversees product releases and marketing campaigns for a superstar roster that includes A$AP Rocky, Wizkid, Chris Brown, and more.
Steve Stoute
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Founder and CEO of Translation, and Author
Steve Stoute is the founder and CEO of the brand development and marketing firm Translation, and author of The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy. For more than a decade, Stoute has worked to identify and activate a new generation of consumers on behalf of iconic brands like State Farm, Jeep, and the National Basketball Association, helping them thrive in the changing cultural climate. He has worked with artists like Will Smith, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Jimmy Iovine, and Solange Knowles. During his special visit to our campus for the Branding and Advertising Music Business seminar, Stoute shared his knowledge about the music and advertising industries with our students and gave them valuable advice on how to succeed in this evolving space.
Rob Dickins
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Former President and Chairman of Warner Music UK
Martin F. Frascogna
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International Entertainment Attorney
Named the official U.S. ambassador for the Global Entertainment and Music Business Program, Martin Frascogna led an extraordinary week of seminars focusing on the U.S. market. Frascogna is an international entertainment attorney who represents clientele in 34 countries spanning six continents. His clients include international musicians, Grammy winners, international labels and tours.
Stef Pascual
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Head of Digital at Crown Talent and Media Group
Stef Pascual handles digital strategy and marketing for a variety of music and live events and media clients like Fusion Festival, Becky Hill, Ella Henderson, and Stacey Solomon. She is also half of Silent Cult Records, an independent label founded in 2017.