BIO COMING SOON

BIO COMING SOON

Max Burgos is one of the lead talent managers at The Collective, overseeing several clients’ careers including Eddie Izzard, Andy Dick, Greg Giraldo, Andy Milonakis, Dean Edwards and Johnny Sanchez amongst others, including film and television writers and directors. While assisting in the overall management efforts at The Collective, Max’s primary focus is to help build and support the company’s comedy roster of talent.

Prior to joining The Collective, Max was at United Talent Agency (UTA), where he worked in the Motion Picture Literary and Independent Film Packaging Departments. He began his career in the entertainment industry while attending the University of California Riverside, where Max successfully ran the college radio station. After interviewing the Beastie Boys for the radio station and college newspaper he quickly found himself accepting the Boys’ offer to launch and oversee their independent label, Grand Royal Records. Max became the Senior Director of A&R for London/Polygram Records, which eventually led to being appointed to Senior VP/General Manager for Breaking Records, Hootie and the Blowfish’s boutique label through Atlantic Records

BIO COMING SOON

In December 2008, Todd Diener joined The Collective as a lead talent manager. In this role, Todd has aggressively focused on building the company’s roster of clients by identifying and supporting both new and experienced talent.

From 2003 until joining The Collective, Todd was a manager at Brillstein-Grey Entertainment. While there, Todd’s innate desire to work more closely with his clients in a creative and personal capacity positioned him to manage and support A-list clients including, Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Orlando Bloom and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others. Prior to working at Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, Todd worked at The Firm, under the guidance of Aleen Keshishian, former Head of Talent. Before transitioning into talent management, Todd began his career at ICM, having worked within the agency arena, first as an assistant to the Head of Motion Picture Development, and soon to follow in the Television Literary Department.

In January 2007, Ashley Franklin joined The Collective as a lead talent manager within the company.

Upon graduating from the USC School of Cinema-Television and prior to joining The Collective, Ashley entered the William Morris Agency’s Trainee Program. While in the program, she learned the industry under the guidance of Senior Agent George Freeman, who represented such talent as Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott and Catherine Zeta-Jones. After four years of working within the Trainee Program, Ashley became an agent with WMA and represented numerous clients within the agency’s diverse and prominent talent department. In an ongoing effort to become more heavily involved with her clients’ professional endeavors, Ashley found herself leaning closer to operating in the role of a manager. When she joined The Collective, the transition from agent to manager was seamless as Ashley found her experience, dedication to the client and team spirit to be an asset that fit appropriately into The Collective ideology. Since being with The Collective, Ashley has found the operational pulse of everyone working together to be an incomparable advantage, which affords the opportunity to expand and grow without limitation and with unreserved support.

Jeff Golenberg is a Partner and Co-Founder of The Collective. With a vision of providing the artist with unprecedented opportunities within a variety of media, Jeff’s commitment with The Collective was to deliver a team of experts in the areas of management, finance, music, multi-media, production and distribution - all within a single company. Jeff’s primary initiatives within The Collective is to oversee the management of talent, continue the evolution of The Collective Music Group and to forge new relationships that will support the ongoing expansion of the company’s infrastructure.

Jeff has always played an integral role in the development and sustainability of talent. With an extensive amount of experience in public relations, Jeff has built a highly regarded reputation for applying his expertise when managing and maximizing his clients’ career. As a leading creative force within The Collective’s integrated approach, Jeff works directly with a multitude of artists in all forms of media. He has advanced the careers of some of the entertainment industry’s most acclaimed talent, including Eddie Izzard, Martin Lawrence, John Leguizamo, Katt Williams, Baltazaar Getty, Greg Giraldo, director Steve Carr and singer/songwriter Josh Kelley, among many others.

Prior to Co-Founding The Collective in 2005, Jeff was the Head of Talent for 3 Arts Entertainment. While at 3 Arts Entertainment, Jeff produced several projects including, John Leguizamo’s HBO special Sexaholix, which garnered great critical acclaim and played to sold-out theaters on Broadway, in addition to being nominated for both Tony® and Emmy® Awards. Jeff also produced the coming of age comedy, Sol Goode, starring client Baltazaar Getty, Jamie Kennedy and Jared Leto. In 1997, before his move to 3 Arts Entertainment, Jeff was a partner and Head of Talent at the prestigious Public Relations firm, Bragman, Nyman, Cafarelli. While heavily immersed in PR, Jeff recognized the importance of efficiently architecting an accurate portrayal and perception of an artist. While developing and implementing his proficiency in this space at Bragman, Nyman, Cafarelli, Jeff was responsible for creating and implementing strategic publicity campaigns for many of today’s most celebrated talent including Charlize Theron, Chris Tucker, musical group Hanson, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jennifer Connelly, LL Cool J, David Schwimmer and Jamie Foxx. In the early 1990s, Jeff began his career as a publicist at Hanson and Schwam. After representing music acts like MÖtley Crüe, The Stray Cats and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jeff left Hanson and Schwam and moved to Levine/Schneider where he headed the Breakout Talent Department and introduced Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez to the industry.

Michael Green founded The Collective with a vision of creating a true 21st century management and production company. His model: a collaborative approach to generating unmatched opportunities for clients, creating a diverse and dynamic portfolio of assets and cultivating new avenues for the distribution of content. Ultimately, clients would be empowered to control how their artistry and content are distributed.

Since it’s founding in 2005, The Collective has grown to a staff of forty employees and several top industry executives who all support the company’s primary objective – to provide the client with a single full-service, multi-media management and production company. As The Collective’s CEO, Michael’s leadership has influenced the formation of five divisions comprising of feature film packaging, digital media, home entertainment, music, live entertainment, television production and the representation of clients including Martin Lawrence, Katt Williams, John Leguizamo, Eddie Izzard, Emile Hirsch, Linkin Park, and The All-American Rejects, amongst others.

In a vast career that includes managing talent and packaging multi-media projects, Michael, along with partner Jeff Kwatinetz, started The Firm in 1997. Under Michael’s direction, The Firm would become one of the most successful and recognizable management companies in the entertainment industry. Michael would continue to oversee blockbuster projects that included Martin Lawrence, Vin Diesel and Ice Cube. In 1999, after signing The Backstreet Boys, one of the biggest selling music groups of all time, The Firm solidified its place in the industry as a pop-culture management powerhouse. In addition, The Firm represented a diverse roster of music clients including Korn, Enrique Iglesias, Limp Bizkit and Michael Jackson. In an unprecedented achievement, Michael expanded The Firm into other divisions of media, including licensing, animation and apparel. During this period, Michael engineered the acquisition of Pony, which upon its successful resurgence, was sold for a substantial multiple of its original value. In 2002, Michael sold his interests in The Firm and devoted his time to starting a family.

Michael began his management career at Gallin-Morey Associates, where he quickly rose to Senior Manager. Michael’s experience, strength and influence solidified him as one of the top players in the industry, representing some of the biggest names in show business including Jim Carrey, Martin Lawrence, Ellen DeGeneres, and Roseanne Barr.

BIO COMING SOON

BIO COMING SOON

Al Hassas and Reza Izad partnered with The Collective in 2007 and formed Collective Media. Collective Media’s focus is to expand and maximize the company’s continued growth by producing and packaging non-scripted programming, while also creating and packaging live entertainment projects. Additionally, Al and Reza assist in helping grow The Collective’s music, management and marketing practice. Al and Reza have over 12 years of experience in packaging and producing entertainment projects.

Currently, Al and Reza are Executive Producing: Rouletter – a game show with Mark Burnett Productions (Survivor, The Apprentice) and FOX Television Studios; Street Customs – a reality show with Pilgrim Films (American Chopper, Ultimate Fighting Championship) and Discovery, which follows the day to day operations of West Coast Customs, the famous shop behind MTV’s Pimp My Ride, as they build state of the art automobiles for celebrities and brands such as Ford and General Motors, and; The Greatest Show On Earth - a reality show which takes viewers inside the famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' mile-long train, as it whisks the circus to cities and towns across the country.

Prior to forming Collective Media in 2002, Al and Reza started BOX Entertainment, a production company focused on Television and Live Event production. At BOX Entertainment Al and Reza produced and packaged a number of series including The Real Roseanne (ABC); Caesars 24/7 (A&E); Who’s Got Game? (MTV); Gloria Estefan Live and Unwrapped at Caesars Palace (Telemundo), and; a seven-part DVD instructional program with Magic Johnson entitled, Magic Johnson Presents: The Fundamentals Of Basketball. BOX Entertainment also had a boutique entertainment consulting division that represented Brand Jordan (a division of Nike); represented clients such as Muhammad Ali and Magic Johnson; negotiated integration deals on behalf of Showtime Networks, and; advised global production company and international distributor RDF USA.

Al and Reza started their careers as agents at United Talent Agency (UTA) where they created and formed two divisions within the agency: the music division and the branded entertainment division. UTA’s Music Department was formed in the late 1990s when Al and Reza signed the agency’s first recording artist, Eminem. Shortly thereafter, Al and Reza were presented with the Coen Brothers’ crossover bluegrass project, the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou. Working directly with the album’s producer, T-Bone Burnett, the soundtrack went on to win three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. In the wake of the soundtrack selling more than 7 million copies, Al and Reza went on to manage the Down From The Mountain Summer Tour, which featured many of the soundtrack’s performers live in concert. Al and Reza continued to drive UTA’s Music Department by representing top artists such as Justin Timberlake and Prince. Their packaging abilities assisted in spanning these and other artists across several multi-media channels, including film, television, live performance, merchandising and home video. Using their integrated view of representation, Al and Reza also founded UTA’s New Ventures/Entertainment Marketing division and represented Fortune 500 corporate clients, including Ammirati Puris Lintas, Kenneth Cole, Bausch & Lomb, Loews Theatres and Magic Johnson Enterprises. Their track record of award-winning integration campaigns includes The Cingular Wireless/Loews Theatre pre-show campaign, Frito Lay Presents Drew Carey Improv All-Stars events and The Blockbuster Hollywood Spectacular for NBC.

Sam Maydew is a Partner and Co-Founder of The Collective. Having always played an integral role in advancing the creative vision of the artist with great attention to quality, Sam’s forward thinking in expanding the scope of traditional representation has led to establishing an environment where an artist’s creative endeavors are truly unlimited.

Based on The Collective’s collaborative culture, Sam plays an instrumental role in many facets of the company’s initiatives. His primary focus ranges from overseeing the management of a diverse roster of clients to the overall operation of Collective Films. As is indicative of The Collective’s practice, it was through Sam’s representation of multi-talented client, Joe Hahn that led to the formation of The Collective Music Group and the subsequent signing of the company’s first music act, Linkin Park.

Within Sam’s diverse clientele, he manages the careers of some of the industry’s most established and celebrated artists as well as the blossoming careers of the next generation. His clients include, Martin Lawrence, Emile Hirsch, Dennis Hopper, Josh Peck, Michelle Rodriguez Taylor Momsen, Chris Marquette and Chi McBride. Sam has always had a keen eye for undiscovered talent like Hirsch, who Sam met at fourteen years old, prior to his first film role. Committing to a strategy that would place Emile in a category of the most respected actors of his generation, Sam has successfully guided Emile’s career, having landed him roles in highly revered and versatile projects, including the lead role in Sean Penn’s Into The Wild. Sam's approach is to put real focus on the individual development and growth of each client, as is demonstrated while transitioning one of the biggest kid stars in television, Josh Peck, from his leading role in Nickelodeon’s Drake and Josh, to becoming a respected dramatic actor in his latest film where Peck stars opposite Sir Ben Kingsly in The Wackness. Taylor Momsen (Gossip Girl) and Ramon Rodriguez (Transformers 2, Taking of Pelham 1,2,3) are also on track for break out status.

Prior to founding The Collective in 2005, Sam was the Founder and President of Pop Art Films & Management Company. In 1998, Sam produced the acclaimed Sundance cult film, SLC Punk!. In addition to developing the script, raising the financing and producing the film, Sam also supervised the film’s classic punk soundtrack, which included music from Blondie, the Velvet Underground, the Ramones, Stooges, and The Dead Kennedy's to name a few. It was this experience that built the foundation for Sam’s larger vision of creating a full-service multi-media company that offered an unparalleled and widely extended opportunity for the artist. In a career spanning more than twenty years, Sam began his journey at NBC in Development for the comedy writing team, Steve Zacharias and Jeff Buhai.

BIO COMING SOON

Evan Weiss joined the Collective in 2009, with an emphasis on overseeing the company’s television operations and development. Blending seamlessly with The Collective’s culture, Evan has a keen eye for identifying rich television product, in addition to discovering and nurturing talent. Additionally, Evan focuses on packaging projects for both scripted and non-scripted television, while also creating credible and viable opportunities for The Collective’s clients.

Prior to joining The Collective, Evan was the Head of Television at the Los Angeles-based management/production company, Handprint. While at Handprint, he was the Executive Producer of several television shows and programs, including The Tyra Banks Show; E! Channel’s Pam Anderson: Girl on the Run; Various Nicole Ritchie projects; CW’s The Show with A.J. Colloway; and, the new Showtime series, Way Out.

Before overseeing the television and management divisions at Handprint, Evan was an agent at United Talent Agency. While predominantly representing television actors, writers and directors, Evan also placed significant attention on packaging television shows for his clients. Finding integration with both his writing and acting clients in particular, he soon found himself creating a new division of the agency, in which he also became the Head of Television Packaging for UTA. Evan represented and packaged several television projects for leading television clients, including Ben Stiller, Drew Carrey and Andy Dick, in addition to television writers and directors including Linwood Boomer, Eileen Conn, Andrew Gordon, Jon Beckerman, Don Foster and Gary Halvorson, among others.

Prior to working at UTA, Evan worked as the Senior VP of Business Affairs within the network television division at The Walt Disney Company. While there, he supervised and negotiated budgets, network licensing and other business deals for every television project The Walt Disney Company was involved with, including Home Improvement, Golden Girls and Empty Nest, among others. Evan joined The Walt Disney Company following his two years at The Gersh Agency, where he was the Head of Business Affairs. Before moving to Los Angeles and joining The Gersh Agency, he was an associate attorney at Blumenthal and Lynne in New York, working directly under the guidance of Michael Lynne.

Other clients joining Evan at The Collective include; Gary Halvorson, Chuck Tatham, Don Foster, Eugene Pack, Mike Martineau, Doug (Mr.) Lawrence, and Big Boy

Chris Allen joined The Collective Music Group as a Partner in July 2008. His career has penetrated nearly every facet of the music industry, including launching and growing an independent record label, successfully founding an audio duplication company, and discovering and managing the careers of multi-platinum bands such as The All-American Rejects and Plain White T’s. Chris’ diversified experience and methodology has contributed to the establishment and continued success of The Collective Music Group’s presence in the industry.

A native of Chicago, Chris’ music industry career began more than 10 years ago with the founding of Throwrug Records and the start up audio duplication business Breakthrough Audio (www.breakthroughaudio.com). Breakthrough Audio forged relationships with the strong Chicago Independent Label community including, Victory Records; Touch and Go Records; Drag City, and; Thrill Jockey. In addition, another key alliance was formed with National Radio Promotion powerhouse, Jeff McClusky & Associates. Resulting from the fertile Chicago Rock scene that had begun to emerge, Breakthrough Audio became the initial source for early ‘pre-album’/cassette demo recordings for artists such as Veruca Salt, Disturbed, Smashing Pumpkins, Plain White T’s and Smoking Popes. As a result, many of these bands went on to land significant deals with major record labels and became hugely successful. Soon to follow, Chris was approached to run Doctor Dream Records in Huntington Beach, CA, a label under Polygram Records.

In 2002, Chris made the transition into Artist Management. Tapping once again into his talent for discovering and developing bands, this appropriate changeover occurred upon meeting veteran music manager, Pat Magnarella. Upon Chris being brought in to oversee the development of new talent for Pat Magnarella Management, Chris soon discovered and signed The All-American Rejects and a few years later the Plain White T’s (who’s first demo tape Chris made nearly 10 years prior!). Identifying multiple competencies within The Collective, Chris joined the team and brought with him his established and diversified roster of clients.

In 2008, Jordan Berliant joined as a partner in The Collective Music Group. He has always believed that a content creator should be associated with representatives who don’t distinguish between the different forms of entertainment, but can rather leverage an artists’ talent across all forms of entertainment. With over 20 years experience in the music and entertainment industry, including 15 years as an artist manager, Jordan recognized an opportunity to apply his skill set at a company that had the resources in all forms of media, inclusive of music, film, television and branded entertainment.

Prior to joining The Collective, Jordan ran the day-to-day operations for Allen Kovac’s management company, Left Bank, which later become Tenth Street Entertainment. Among Left Bank’s/Tenth Street’s client list were some of the biggest names in music, including Blondie, MÖtley CrÜe, The Cranberries, Clint Black, The Bee Gees, Luther Vandross, Meat Loaf, Duran Duran, Buckcherry and Papa Roach, among many others. Sensitive to maximizing an artists’ expansion of their talent, Jordan played an instrumental role in positioning several key marketing strategies that combined performance and media with a variety of other ancillary marketing partners.

Jordan has executed many groundbreaking and successful projects, including The Bee Gees One Night Only franchise (HBO, PBS, BBC), and; Meat Loaf’s Storytellers Tour, CD & DVD, which was the first tour ever to evolve from the celebrated VH-1 music franchise, Storytellers. Jordan was widely praised for his vision in packaging The Dirt, MÖtley CrÜe’s New York Times’ Best-Selling autobiography, which also reinvigorated the band’s career (and, is soon to be a motion picture, on which Jordan serves as a Producer). Jordan has played an instrumental role in several high-profile projects that have crossed over many different forms of media. Inclusive of this was Jordan’s principal role in putting together Nikki Sixx’s New York Times’ Best Selling memoir The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, in conjunction with the first soundtrack to a literary work, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack. Additionally, Jordan is directly responsible for packaging and executing a number of television projects including Hanson’s series on A&E and various best selling concert DVDs and programming.

BIO COMING SOON

In 2009, Fernando joined The Collective Music Group. With almost 20 years of experience, Fernando has worked with multi-platinum artists such as Kelly Clarkson, The Backstreet Boys, Molotov, Audioslave, Limp Bizkit, Snoop Dogg and many others. Most notably, Fernando is the manager for the global pop sensation Enrique Iglesias, with whom he has been involved since the beginning of his longstanding career.

Enrique Iglesias has sold over 40 million albums worldwide achieving multi-platinum status on every single continent. As a performing and songwriting artist, Enrique has won awards and recognition such as two Grammy Awards, MTV Music Video Awards, ASCAP Awards, five American Music Awards, several Premios Lo Nuestro as well as Premios Juventud. His concerts have taken him from America to Egypt, Syria to Argentina, South Africa to Latvia and everywhere in between.

In 2000, Fernando moved into management joining The Firm to work with multi-platinum artists and be directly involved with DVD production, producing such DVDs as The Backstreet Boys’ Black and Blue Around the World and Audioslave’s Live in Cuba.

Fernando Giaccardi began his career in the music industry at Televisa/Mexico in 1990 where he held several positions in their radio, concert and label divisions. Fernando was the product manager for Enrique Iglesias’ debut release in 1995 at Fonovia and ended his career there as the Senior VP of Marketing and Promotion for the label after also running their international division. While working for Televisa/Fonovisa, Fernando became an expert in Latin Marketing both internationally and in domestic markets. The experience also provided him the opportunity to work with Latin music legends such as Marco Antonio, Solis, Los Tigres del Norte, Cristian, Banda El Recodo and many others.

BIO COMING SOON

Marcus Grant is one of the lead talent managers for The Collective Music Group. In a music management career that spans more than ten years, Marcus recently joined The Collective, with an emphasis on developing, overseeing and expanding the company’s Urban music division.

Prior to joining The Collective, Marcus owned and operated his own company, Oralee Management. There, he independently managed a number of Grammy Award winning music acts, including Chamillionaire and 112, while also developing such up and coming acts as Brick & Lace. In addition, Marcus worked directly with legendary music manager Johnny Wright on a project for R&B artist, Ciara. Before forming Oralee Management, Marcus worked at The Firm from 2001 to 2006. Working side-by-side with music manager Kenneth Crear, Marcus focused on the operations for the company’s Urban music department. While at The Firm, Marcus was a member of the management teams for clients such as 112, Maxwell, Lionel Richie, Drew Hill, Mary Mary and Sisqó, among others.

Marcus began his career in the music business in 1999, when he started as an intern at Sony Music, while also studying at California State Dominguez Hills. Eight months into his internship, Marcus was chosen as one of the fortunate few to participate in Sony Music’s Junior Executive Program, where he learned the ‘business’ under the tutelage of then Sony Music Chairman, Tommy Mottola. Shortly thereafter, Marcus met music manager, Kenneth Crear, and together they formed an independent management company, whose clients included the then unknown music artists Sisqo and Mary Mary. With Mary Mary being Marcus’ first managerial effort, the duo went on to take their first album platinum, while also winning a number of prestigious awards, including the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Album. In 2001, Marcus and Kenneth sold their management company to The Firm.

Larry Jacobson joined The Collective Music Group in 2008. Larry’s career in the music industry has represented a unique blend of creative successes and complex business experience. Larry has a keen talent for identifying and developing uniquely talented artists and establishing a strong and sustainable sense of brand identity across international, corporate and multi-media platforms. As such, his expansive experience heading a major record label as well as in talent management, new media initiatives and marketing innovation has led to a powerful and complementary relationship within The Collective’s objectives and multiple competencies.

Labeled one of the music industry’s ‘Super-Managers’ by Billboard Magazine, Larry has applied and executed his diversified expertise in several facets of the music industry, including operating as the Head of a major record label; financing, producing, promoting and distributing A-level artists; and, developing innovative global merchandising initiatives, among other skills. Additionally, as is correlated to The Collective’s new media initiatives, Larry created a venture financed innovative media sharing software platform offering a patented consumer internet service for sharing, trading and publishing user generated content for entertainment-based affinity groups.

Since 2002, Larry was President and CEO of World Audience Media Group, a global talent management agency representing various international talents in both music and mixed martial arts. World Audience clients include multi platinum recording artist Avenged Sevenfold.

Prior to forming World Audience Media Group, Larry was Senior Vice President of Capitol Records where he was responsible for various creative and business operations of the label. Larry was also a principal in the substantial restructuring of the label, which accompanied the change in management at both Capitol Records and its parent company, EMI.

Before his involvement with Capitol Records, Larry was a partner in and General Manager of Giant Records, having led the label in all of its operations, including A&R, marketing, radio promotion, publicity and finance. Among his many accomplishments at Giant Records, Larry directly oversaw the highly successful campaign for Steely Dan’s first studio album in 20 years and Grammy Award winning, Two Against Nature. Additionally, Larry discovered and launched the career of multi-platinum rock band, Disturbed, while also having signed and A&R’d the double platinum soundtrack, Dazed and Confused.

Unique in his experience, Larry is also active in Washington politics, as it pertains to the music industry. He consults with United States legislators, including Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, among others as his non-partisan focus advises government leaders on the real world challenges artists face in the current climate of the industry.

Lucas Keller joined The Collective in 2009. As a manager, Keller is known for his grassroots marketing skills and entrepreneurial vision to develop acts from the ground up. One of his most recent developments, TVTV, signed with The Collective alongside Keller and have a 2010 release ahead. In recent years, he has had success with creative ventures that involve co-branding tours, launching major music campaigns in television and film and building, developing, and signing young acts to major record / publishing deals.

Keller has the unique position of representing bands at The Collective while simultaneously representing producers and songwriters for the company’s new publishing venture, The Collective Songs. With over eight years of experience as a promoter, agent, label consultant, and artist manager — Keller has a rare benefit of having seen all sides of the music industry. Early in Keller’s career, he was responsible for creating, programming, and selling one the most important software systems implemented by agencies globally.

Prior to joining the company, he spent the last five years at Uppercut Management in Chicago where he worked with a variety of acts ranging from Better Than Ezra to All That Remains as well as representing a power list of top songwriters. Keller is currently working on the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, multiplatinum Grammy award winning producer / writer David Hodges, and a number of other talented clients. His ability to be proactively involved in both artist management and music publishing, while developing new talent, makes him a rare asset to The Collective.

BIO COMING SOON

In 2008, Rob McDermott became one of the founding partners of The Collective Music Group, a newly formed division of The Collective. In a career spanning almost twenty-years, Rob has worked directly with multi-platinum artists such as Rob Zombie, Pantera, Staind and Static-X. Most notably, Rob is the manager for the global mega-group, Linkin Park. Since managing the act in 2000, his collaborative efforts have led Linkin Park to sell over 50 million albums worldwide and achieve multi-platinum status in 34 countries, while garnering 2 Grammy® Awards, 3 MTV Video Music Awards and countless international awards and recognition. In addition to his extensive knowledge of management and marketing, Rob’s understanding of the online, mobile and technological platforms has also helped Linkin Park reach the unique status of maintaining over 3 million unique visitors a month during their album cycles.

Known as an ‘artist-friendly’ manager, Rob has the exceptional ability to ensure that his clients are always capable of attaining their goals. Creatively, he has been a major force in coordinating and marketing such groundbreaking projects as Collision Course, the mash-up record with Linkin Park and Jay-Z, as well as the subsequent 2006 Grammy performance between Linkin Park, Jay -Z and Sir Paul McCartney. Throughout the years, Rob’s strategic marketing skills have helped some of the largest musical acts in music history achieve insurmountable success.

Rob began his career in the music industry at Columbia Records in 1990. By 1992, he moved into management, working with multi-platinum rock artists White Zombie/Rob Zombie and Pantera while at Concrete Management. After several years with Concrete Management, Rob then helped form and subsequently became a partner in Andy Gould Management (AGM). When AGM was sold to The Firm in 2001, Rob remained with The Firm as a Senior Manager until 2006, where he played an instrumental role in the careers of musical acts such as The Backstreet Boys, The Dixie Chicks, Michelle Branch, Korn, Enrique Iglesias, Limp Bizkit and Snoop Dogg, among others. Prior to joining The Collective and following his years at The Firm, Rob formed his own management company in 2006, Mad Mac Entertainment. For more than two years, he independently managed Linkin Park, while also developing such up and coming acts as Meriwether and Resident Hero.

With over 15 years of experience in the Recording Industry as a top manager and marketing executive, Jeff Varner has worked with numerous multi platinum recording artists and has created and implemented multiple integrated marketing campaigns for recording albums, tours, television shows, apparel lines, retail outlets, corporate sponsorships and many other entertainment based events.

Jeff has worked with such legendary artists as Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), Motley Crue, Buckcherry, Orgy, Cranberries, Duran Duran, John Mellencamp, Luther Vandross, Bee Gees, YES, Coal Chamber, Meat Loaf, Stevie Nicks, En Vogue, Heart, Blondie, The Go Go’s and many more.

In addition to Recording Artist management and marketing, Jeff Varner has also created various cross-marketing campaigns for sponsors and artists alike including companies such as JVC Electronics, Philips Electronics, National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), NASCAR, Cart/IRL, H&R Block, Apple, Fender Guitar Co., Gibson Guitar Co.Pepsi Co., Regal Cinemas, Sandisk, Myspace, Jagermeister, Monster Energy Drink, Rockstar Energy Drink, Red Bull Energy Drink and many more.

His experience and contacts within the Entertainment Industry and Corporate America provide a unique insight into creating and implementing diverse entertainment based marketing plans and promotions.

Nate Auerbach specializes in digital marketing and strategy for The Collective’s thriving roster of music talent. He works closely with the artists to maximize their reach in this limitless area of the industry. With a strong new media department under Aaron Ray, The Collective is able to service its artists with an aggressive strategy across the online, mobile and gaming sectors. The focus is to execute on initiatives that will help clients continue to reach their evolving fan base in a global market.

Nate joined The Collective in September 2008 to help oversee its social networking communities that bring in over 20 million users daily. He directs some of the largest artist networks in the world. In addition to marketing, Nate works hands-on with the clients to broaden their digital presence as the role of “manager” changes within the industry. He facilitates the artist-to-fan relationship that new media encourages, recognizing that communication with the audience in real time is essential.

Nate spent three years at MySpace and MySpace Music, where he established a strong foothold in event sponsorship while developing and marketing MySpace original programs. These programs include Rock for Darfur, MySpace Music’s only annual worldwide program which, under Nate’s direction in 2007, had 46 benefit shows taking place across five continents in one night. He is best known for being part of the small team that conceived, built and executed such tentpole franchises as MySpace Secret Shows,Artist on Artist and MySpace Transmissions, as well as Hey, Play This. . . !, an all-request live stream in which bands took requests from their fans in real time via MySpaceIM.

Nate has worked deeply with all of the major and independent labels in designing digital strategies for their artists. While at MySpace he expanded the company across the border to start MySpace Canada. In eight months, he established a unique brand infused with local flavor and built Canadian-centric programming that immediately impacted the country’s small music community. Nate later brokered a partnership with SPIN in the US that established MySpace as the exclusive distributer for their digital magazine. He wrote the marketing plan that distributed the Pennywise album, Reason to Believe, for free to more than 500,000 users, courtesy of a sponsor. Nate also oversaw MySpace Music’s advertising during his tenure at the company.

Nate got his start in the industry as a tour manager while he was finishing college at Syracuse University. Traveling the world for two years with multi-Grammy Award winning artist Ozomatli, he quickly picked up on the intricacies of the business from deep inside its trenches.

Bringing his experience in artist management from the road, and his grasp for online marketing and programming, Nate’s background complements the vision of The Collective and helps to offer a valuable and unparalleled service to its clients.

BIO COMING SOON

BIO COMING SOON

Aaron Ray is a Partner in The Collective. He has worked at the highest levels in many different sectors of the entertainment industry. His experience includes the representation of film, television and music talent, Executive Producing, multi-media licensing, international media development, financing and sales, Producing, creation and exploitation of film franchises and intellectual property management. Aaron has successfully implemented all of his experience and knowledge into the digital space and is also leading The Collective‘s New Media efforts.

Aaron came to The Collective in 2005 to create and maximize systems that would generate true assets within the company. Per The Collective’s vision, Aaron is also involved in strategies and platforms that leverage clients’ creative influence while maintaining ownership of their own content. Understanding and identifying the relationship between the consumer and the artist is a key to this success.

In addition to traditional client management, Ray oversees some of the largest and most powerful digital assets in the world including those of clients Linkin Park, All American Rejects, Enrique Iglesias, Katt Williams, Avenged Sevenfold, Eddie Izzard, Slash and Staind. Not limited to existing communities or technologies, he is constantly developing new agendas in other areas of media consumption. Aaron continues his leadership and supervision as Chief Operating Officer of the world’s largest Horror destination, www.BloodyDisgusting.com - which was purchased as part of an ongoing acquisition strategy and is growing rapidly.

Some of the film projects Aaron is currently involved with include: Are We Done Yet? (Executive Producer, 2007); Beyond A Reasonable Doubt with Michael Douglas (Executive Producer, 2009 release); I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell (Producer, 2009 release), based on Tucker Max’s New York Times best selling book, and Breaking The Bank (Producer) based off the popular article from Sports Illustrated Magazine. Ray is also Producing the Broadway Musical version of the classic Bret Easton Ellis novel (and film) American Psycho, slated for 2011.

In addition, Aaron also operates as the Chief Strategy Officer for RKO Pictures and oversees all development and operations of the company’s library and underlining intellectual properties. Packaging together creative elements and structuring complex financial deals are among Aaron’s many strengths, as evidenced by the deal to re-launch the world’s largest story library, Time Inc. Studios.

Prior to joining The Collective, Aaron was the Founder and CEO of Nine Yards Entertainment, a production and management company that focused primarily on film and television development and managed the careers of notable actors and various award-winning writers and directors. Before launching Nine Yards Entertainment in 2001, Aaron served as Senior VP at The Firm. While at The Firm, Aaron managed clients ranging from multi platinum music clients, film, television and sports stars, while packaging and producing several projects including top-grossing franchise hits such as Big Momma’s House and Next Friday. Additionally, Aaron played a fundamental role with Michael Green in the identification, purchasing, repositioning and sale of the Pony apparel brand. Before joining The Firm, Aaron was Director of Development for Lynda Obst Productions, at FOX Studios. Aaron started his career at Gallin-Morey Associates.

Al Hassas and Reza Izad partnered with The Collective in 2007 and formed Collective Media. Collective Media’s focus is to expand and maximize the company’s continued growth by producing and packaging non-scripted programming, while also creating and packaging live entertainment projects. Additionally, Al and Reza assist in helping grow The Collective’s music, management and marketing practice. Al and Reza have over 12 years of experience in packaging and producing entertainment projects.

Currently, Al and Reza are Executive Producing: Rouletter – a game show with Mark Burnett Productions (Survivor, The Apprentice) and FOX Television Studios; Street Customs – a reality show with Pilgrim Films (American Chopper, Ultimate Fighting Championship) and Discovery, which follows the day to day operations of West Coast Customs, the famous shop behind MTV’s Pimp My Ride, as they build state of the art automobiles for celebrities and brands such as Ford and General Motors, and; The Greatest Show On Earth - a reality show which takes viewers inside the famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' mile-long train, as it whisks the circus to cities and towns across the country.

Prior to forming Collective Media in 2002, Al and Reza started BOX Entertainment, a production company focused on Television and Live Event production. At BOX Entertainment Al and Reza produced and packaged a number of series including The Real Roseanne (ABC); Caesars 24/7 (A&E); Who’s Got Game? (MTV); Gloria Estefan Live and Unwrapped at Caesars Palace (Telemundo), and; a seven-part DVD instructional program with Magic Johnson entitled, Magic Johnson Presents: The Fundamentals Of Basketball. BOX Entertainment also had a boutique entertainment consulting division that represented Brand Jordan (a division of Nike); represented clients such as Muhammad Ali and Magic Johnson; negotiated integration deals on behalf of Showtime Networks, and; advised global production company and international distributor RDF USA.

Al and Reza started their careers as agents at United Talent Agency (UTA) where they created and formed two divisions within the agency: the music division and the branded entertainment division. UTA’s Music Department was formed in the late 1990s when Al and Reza signed the agency’s first recording artist, Eminem. Shortly thereafter, Al and Reza were presented with the Coen Brothers’ crossover bluegrass project, the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou. Working directly with the album’s producer, T-Bone Burnett, the soundtrack went on to win three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. In the wake of the soundtrack selling more than 7 million copies, Al and Reza went on to manage the Down From The Mountain Summer Tour, which featured many of the soundtrack’s performers live in concert. Al and Reza continued to drive UTA’s Music Department by representing top artists such as Justin Timberlake and Prince. Their packaging abilities assisted in spanning these and other artists across several multi-media channels, including film, television, live performance, merchandising and home video. Using their integrated view of representation, Al and Reza also founded UTA’s New Ventures/Entertainment Marketing division and represented Fortune 500 corporate clients, including Ammirati Puris Lintas, Kenneth Cole, Bausch & Lomb, Loews Theatres and Magic Johnson Enterprises. Their track record of award-winning integration campaigns includes The Cingular Wireless/Loews Theatre pre-show campaign, Frito Lay Presents Drew Carey Improv All-Stars events and The Blockbuster Hollywood Spectacular for NBC.

BIO COMING SOON

Gary Binkow is the founding partner and CEO of Salient Media. He has created a niche specific multimedia company that takes an innovative approach to building and disseminating content. Salient Media’s mission is to empower artists and content creators with their own production, marketing, distribution and financing solutions.

Since 2006, Salient Media has become a leading provider of home entertainment product, with an emphasis in comedy. Gary and his team have produced some of the highest rated TV comedy specials for HBO, Showtime and Comedy Central. The company was recently recognized with two Emmy® nominations for its critically acclaimed HBO documentary, Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Story. Salient Media has successfully engineered the marketing and distribution sales strategies for projects that include multi-platinum selling DVD successes Katt Williams’ Pimp Chronicles and America Hustle. In addition, other widely successful titles include: Mo’Nique: I Coulda Been Your Cellmate, National Lampoon’s Spring Break and Totally Baked.

While working with various brand entities, Gary recognized a shift in the distribution models and began marketing directly to consumers. As this proved successful, comedy-based entertainment quickly became a dominant concentration, as comedy continued to be a consistent and widely accepted medium in several distribution channels, including the internet. Soon to follow, the home video distribution division was launched within the company and quickly became mainstream. This new direction led Gary and his team to position their content into major retailers, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target.

With more than twenty years of experience in the entertainment industry, Gary served as Senior Vice President and Manager of operations at Film Colony Ltd., a Miramax-based feature film production entity. Some of the productions produced during his tenure include: The Bourne Identity, Cider House Rules, The Duplex, She’s All That, Levity and Hurly Burly. In addition, Gary was directly responsible for the realization and execution of Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet and Dustin Hoffman, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards® including Best Picture, on which Gary was Executive Producer. Throughout his extensive career, Gary has Produced/Executive Produced over fifteen independent films and over 100 hours of live television. In addition, he has worked in various capacities for a variety of media companies including: MTV, 20th Century Fox, Lorimar Television and K2 Sports amongst others. Adding to his widespread media involvement, he also served as a brand consultant for numerous companies and has implemented specifically targeted integrated branding and multi-level marketing programs for numerous feature films.

As the Head of Digital Entertainment at Salient Media, Dan Weinstein is provided the opportunity to apply his instinctive skills and talent into the many different components of the film, digital media and online marketing businesses. He is responsible for developing and executing the company’s digital strategy and initiatives, while also managing Salient Media’s ever-present online marketing efforts. Dan’s pursuits also position him into developing new projects in the digital and mobile spaces, as is related to brand integration & content marketing. Within this space, Dan has directly negotiated and solidified deals with significant online companies such as Yahoo!, YouTube, My Space, Hulu, and Thumbplay, among others. In addition to his development of diverse digital strategies, Dan continues to solidify content deals and strategize with widely accomplished talent, including some of today’s biggest comedians. Dan is also responsible for Salient Media’s recently launched digital comedy label, Clydetv.com, in addition to the kids’ entertainment brand, KidsWhoRip.com.

Prior to joining Salient Media, Dan began his career in the film and television industry at United Talent Agency (UTA), where he worked in the Feature Talent and Alternative Television Departments. With an interest that ultimately shifted from wanting to be an agent to aspirations of working in production, Dan then applied his proficiency in project development at Michael Shamberg and Stacy Sher’s production company, Double Feature Films.