CHICAGO – MAY 11
Wendy Day
Founder of Rap Coalition; CEO of PowerMoves; co-host of The Cheat Code Podcast
Wendy Day started Rap Coalition in 1992 to advocate for artists who have little to no leverage in the urban music business. After shopping and negotiating many favorable deals for artists and creating many millionaires in the music industry, Wendy has gone on to consult and help build independent record labels, while writing a series of how-to books and music resources to help artists excel. Wendy Day has worked with many artists including Eminem, Tupac, Twista, Do Or Die, David Banner, Slick Rick, Boosie, Webbie, Fiend, C-Murder, Trouble, Lil Donald, Foolio, and many more. She played a crucial role in shopping and negotiating the deals for Master P’s No Limit, Cash Money, Eminem, Twista, David Banner, Girll Codee, and many others. Wendy’s clients have sold over a billion units during her illustrious 29 year career.
Martin Atkins
Music Industries Coordinator
Millikin University
Martin Atkins is the definition of entrepreneurial activity in cultural arts endeavors, his 35+ years in the music business spans across genres and borders and industries. He was a member of Public Image Ltd and Killing Joke. He founded industrial supergroup Pigface, The Damage Manual, and Murder Inc., and has contributed to Nine Inch Nails (for which he has a Grammy) and Ministry. He is the owner of Invisible Records and Mattress Factory Recording Studios (est. 1988). He is the author of “Tour:Smart, Welcome to the Music Business…You’re F*cked!”, “Band:Smart”, and is the Music Industries Coordinator at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. In 2021, he created and founded the Museum of Post Punk & Industrial Music (PPIM) in Chicago, IL. Martin is a producer, drummer, documentary filmmaker, DJ, and father of four. Whatever the future of entrepreneurial music business education is, you can pretty much bet that he’ll be in the middle of it.
Bennie Smith, Jr.
Owner
Suite 704
Bennie Smith Jr. is the founder of Suite 704, a multimedia production studio and creative agency located in Decatur IL. Suite 704 is a physical space and community designed and dedicated to providing its members with the resources, education and opportunities to build sustainable and scalable businesses around their talent. Its facilities and team support many kinds of creative endeavors including podcasts, studio recording, photography, video production and brand development.
Bennie’s nearly 20 year career in the entertainment industry includes radio, DJing, concert promotion, live and televised production, and tour management. Locally, he has worked with NBC affiliate WAND News, WJMU 89.5, and Hot 105.5. His knowledge of strategic marketing and media production led to opportunities of working with artists spanning multiple genres from Young Money Cash Money’s Lil Wayne and Drake to Sesame Street Live. He has also assisted in production of Real Housewives of Atlanta, Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, and America’s Got Talent. Bennie is driven by his passion to amplify the talent and creativity of his hometown of Decatur, IL and the mid-west region.
Briahna Gatlin
CEO, Principal Publicist
Swank PR
In 2007 she started Swank Public Relations (Swank PR) and began providing services in public relations, media writing, media consulting, media kits and bios, event coordinating along with soliciting sponsorship, and a vast history of proposal and contract writing. In May 2013 she received Music Publicist of the Year from Chicago notable Mary Datcher/Global Mixx, in 2019 she was awarded the Illumination Award for Atlanta’s Behind the Scenes Awards. She has been featured in major publications for her leadership and innovative tactics including Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Rolling Out, Source Magazine, NDigo, and more. She has also been mentioned on media sites JetMag.com and Pigeons and Planes for her niche of connecting and inspiring her colleagues within the industry.
Her notable clients include Zenni Eyewear, Earn Your Leisure, DropBox, The Chicago Bulls, The Gorillaz, Vic Mensa, Comedian/Actor Lil Rel, Chance The Rapper, Tobi Lou, Raekwon, King Louie, Sway Calloway (MTV), New Era, Complex Magazine, Mos Def, Sports Journalist Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Lupe Fiasco, Multi-Platinum Producers Christian Rich, Da Internz, G.O.O.D Music, Eighty81 (Lebron James, Rich Paul), Professional Skateboarder Stevie Williams (DGK) and more. CEO & Principal Publicist Briahna Gatlin has branded Swank PR in various and unconventional ways creating a lane for Public Relations in Chicago of what was only considered a minimal asset. Being a major beacon in the industry within Chicago, Briahna has become a trailblazer keeping her ear to the ground, connecting the dots, and creating a legacy and lane for upcoming new media.
Celia Rose
Co-Founder of What Up Pitches/Sync Licensing Agent/Songwriter
What Up Pitches
Originally from Alabama, Celia Rose has spent most of her music career performing outside of the United States; in places as varied as Haiti, Israel, France, Rwanda, and Canada. She toured Africa five times as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. State Department and her songs have been included in NY Times bestselling books as well as in dozens of TV shows, promos, ads, and films.
Celia is one of the co-founders of What Up Pitches; a multicultural, women owned music production house and music licensing company based in LA & Chicago. The WUP team creates custom music for all media platforms. They also rep a boutique catalog of indie artists, placing their music in a variety of ads and TV/film projects. Their recent placements include Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, Fox, NFL, VH1, MTV, The CW, and brands such as Hennessy, Meta, Aetna, Maker’s Mark and Kraft Heinz.
Darryl Hurs
Founder and Director
Indie Week, VENUExVENUE – Toronto, ON
Darryl Hurs, with over three decades in the music industry, launched the VENUExVENUE music festival, the DIT (Do It Together) online music community, and the NATIONxNATION music export program in 2023. As Indie Week Canada’s founder, he transitioned INDIE WEEK to an online conference and initiated Music Pro Summit, indie101, and SCREENxSCREEN. His 4 year tenure as Market Development Lead for Canada at Downtown Music / CD Baby was marked by significant contributions to the company’s distribution and brand visibility. Darryl’s extensive roles include venue booker, talent buyer, event manager, and educator. His digital graphics and branding expertise, notably with Live Nation (8 years), encompassed company branding and VIPNation.com’s launch. He has also contributed to advertising projects for Jay-Z, U2, Nickelback, and Beyoncé, positioning him as a key player in music, tech/virtual, and brand experience sectors.
Eddie Sanders
Lawyer
Protect & Collect, LLC
Meet Eddie Sanders, the visionary founder and lead attorney at Protect & Collect, LLC, a cutting-edge law firm that specializes in intellectual property and artist management. With extensive experience in both fields, Eddie is uniquely positioned to offer effective and creative solutions to his entertainment clients. His elite client portfolio boasts a diverse range of platinum-selling recording artists, music producers, visual artists, entrepreneurs, film directors, and CEOs, all of whom rely on Eddie’s unmatched expertise and unwavering commitment to achieving their goals. With Eddie by their side, clients can rest assured that their intellectual property and artistic visions are in the best possible hands.
Jessie Diaz
Founder
Dark Matter Coffee
Dark Matter Coffee® adheres to a philosophy where quality coffees are sourced based on traceability, innovation and social responsibility. Sustainability and fair business practices are very important to us. We have created direct partnerships with farmers in El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, and Mexico. These partnerships have grown to become family, allowing us to directly source our beans from the plant to the cup. This sourcing transparency yields fair business practices and unparalleled quality control, a difference that can be tasted in every cup.
Jim Remsik
CEO
Flagrant
Jim Remsik is founder and CEO of Flagrant, a consultancy committed to discovering, designing and developing software solutions to answer the unique needs of each client. A computer software industry veteran of over 20 years, he is skilled in web applications, Javascript, databases, Ruby on Rails, mobile applications and test-driven development (TDD).
Kevin King
VP Strategic Partnerships
Scaeva
Kevin has been in the music business since he was 15 and discovered the band U2. After joining the Navy, Kevin started working at several record stores and developed a keen interest in working at a major label in New York City, luckily Warner Music Group and a friend’s couch helped fulfill that dream.
Several years later when Apple launched iTunes, Kevin immediately saw the opportunity for the celestial record store in the sky, streaming music. Since then, Kevin has focused his energy and passion around streaming music and all the implications of music at your fingertips. For the past 7 years, Kevin has been involved with the industry standard in music analytics, Chartmetric (www.chartmetric.com) and also for the past 4 years, Kevin has been actively building a platform around immersive audio called RealRoom, working with the major labels, estates, and top consumer electronic companies.
Mary Datcher
Founder/Executive Director
Global Mixx Music and Film Forum
Mary Datcher has enjoyed a prominent career in the music and entertainment industry for the past 35 years. She interned at WGCI FM (Chicago) and BMG Distribution, and held positions at Universal Music Distribution, Def Jam Music Group, George’s Music Room, KBA Marketing, and the Chicago Defender Newspaper. Under her company, On the Street Promotions and Marketing, Ms. Datcher has worked with 350 plus music and non-music companies. Later she formed Global Mixx Media Group—producing the Global Mixx Music and Film Forum.
In addition to her work in the music and media industry, Ms. Datcher has worked for Congressman Bobby Rush (IL-01) and Congressman Jonathan Jackson as District Director. In May 2023, she joined APS and Associates as Vice President of Communications, a full-service public affairs firm based in Chicago, Illinois.
Odell Mitchell III
Attorney
Thirdinline Legal
Odell Mitchell III is a triple threat. Prior to founding Thirdinline Legal, he worked in the music industry as a musician, producer, and creative director. As a musician and visual artist, himself, he understands the needs of the creative entrepreneur firsthand. With over 10 years of experience in the arts and entertainment industries, Odell is pleased to unite his passions of creativity and the law to provide excellent legal services to other entertainment, business, and creative professionals.
Orville Kline
Ableton Certified Trainer
OrvilleKline.com
Chicago native Orville Kline stands out as more than just a DJ. Over the past decade, he’s been spotted rocking tag team sets with Boys Noize or Felix Da Housecat, engineering indie hip hop tracks with Snoop Dogg, playing live with Pigface and hosting Chicago’s renowned “#1 Dance Party,” Porn and Chicken. His dynamic career has taken him across four continents, with music releases spanning over a dozen record labels.
Pinqy Ring
MC/Speaker/Hip Hop Educator/Artivist/US Hip Hop Cultural Ambassador
Pinqy & The Brainz / Next Level / John Walt Foundation / Collaboraction
Pinqy Ring is a radical and revolutionary Puerto Rican rapper, decolonizing minds one rhyme at a time. Born and bred in Chicago, she manifests her vision for a more just world as an MC, Hip Hop Educator, speaker and proud U.S. Hip Hop Cultural Ambassador traveling overseas to manage and facilitate Hip Hop diplomacy programming. Collaborating with such organizations as the Universal Hip Hop Museum, Google, The Aspen Institute, Spotify, and more – Pinqy provides powerful programming for establishments looking to engage and explore the power of Hip Hop as a transformative tool. Pinqy Ring was a 2023 TEDxChicago performer, was named Best Hip Hop Artist by the Chicago Reader, and has been featured on NPR, the Chicago Tribune, Vocalo, SoFar Sounds and the Chicago Sun-Times. Through her story and song, Hip Hop has taken Pinqy from the ‘hood to Harvard, and she raps her legacy loudly into place while creating pathways for others to do the same.
Sam Thousand
Musician, Curator, Social Entrepreneur
Superlative Muzak, Inc. / ChiBrations, LLC
Sam Thousand (formally known as Sam Trump) is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/writer, producer/composer and a 3Arts Recipient with 15+ years of experience in live performance art, curation, and self management. Since picking up the trumpet at age 7, his artistry has allowed him the opportunity to perform in all corners of North America as well as overseas.
Sam Thousand has become a fixture in Chicago’s music scene through years of performance residencies, curated events and artist showcases. In addition to performing and curating, Sam Thousand is co-founder of multiple Chicago-based organizations, and is a business owner and entrepreneur. Sam Thousand continues to use his platform to engage and uplift those around him, while sharing the knowledge and experiences he’s had throughout his 10 year career as a full time artist in Chicago.
Tyler & Emily Nevius
Founders
Ramova Theatre
Emily and Tyler are the Founders of Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport, Chicago. They’ve spent the last 7+ years working with neighbors, friends, and dozens of others to redevelop an almost 100 year old movie theatre, transforming it into an 1,800 person live music venue, 250 person club, brewery, and grill.
Both Chicagoans, Emily and Tyler met at U of Illinois and have been married for 20+ years. While they initially planned to stay local with Emily as a teacher and Tyler an officer in the army, a series of unexpected turns led them to NYC when Tyler took a job at a large sports / entertainment company.
They eventually decided to bring the things they loved together, blending community, live music, and craft beer to create Ramova Theatre.
Wally Lockard III J.D.
Executive Producer / Talent Manager
Urban Grind TV
Wally Lockard III, J.D., a native of Chicago, is a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, boasting a career spanning over two decades. With a background deeply rooted in Music, Management, and Media, Wally’s ingenuity led to the inception of Urban Grind TV, a revered Hip-Hop TV Show captivating audiences for 15 years and 28 seasons on Comcast Cable TV in Chicago.
Regarded as a dynamic Executive Producer, Wally garners industry-wide recognition for his innovative leadership and creative prowess evident in his acclaimed media ventures like Urban Grind TV, Urban Grind Radio, and Urban Grind TV Music Distro. His unwavering dedication to excellence has earned him 26 prestigious awards, including a notable Cultural Impact Award.