NOISEMAKERS:
THE NEW CREW

The industry folk showcased here haven’t appeared often in our publication—and after this mortifying experience, they probably hope they never will again.

In any event, meet another batch of professionals from different parts of the biz whose dedication and effort make their superiors look good.

Chelsea Avery

Head of A&R/Manager, Milk & Honey

Prior to joining Milk & Honey, Avery served as SVP A&R at SB Projects, where she handled A&R for Justin Bieber’s Purpose, as well as projects by Ariana Grande, Martin Garrix, and more. In her new gig, she’s starry-eyed for Oak Felder, David Hodges, Rich Costey, Andres Torres, Mauricio Rengifo and nearly 40 others. Rumors that she’s lactose-intolerant couldn’t be confirmed at press time.

Ian Planet

Manager, Crush Music

On Valentine’s Day, Crush artist MAX launched a global Snapchat filter for “Lights Down Low,” which shot it to #1 at Shazam worldwide. Planet lists this success as a recent highlight, given the participation of Alicia Keys, Chance the Rapper, Pete Wentz and Kim Kardashian. The exec—once a guitar tech for All Time Low and Train—enjoys spending his Sundays in a rooftop kiddie pool in Ridgewood, sipping white sangria out of a mason jar.

Rich Palmese

Director of Artist Relations, Ticketmaster

Palmese worked on Tom Petty’s 2014 tour, overseeing a ticket bundle that helped the icon achieve his first #1 album with Hypnotic Eye. Now, his focus surrounds improving the ticket-buying experience for artists and fans. Through Verified Fan technology, he swears they’re able to better control distribution and put face-value tickets into the hands of real fans (not brokers or bots). Palmese once dreamt of captaining boats for a living—he still answers to “Skipper.” He is, of course, the son of industry legend Al Teller.

Seena Akita

Artist Assistant/Assistant to CEO, SAL&CO (Maverick)

Before working in management, Akita was a radio DJ on air in S.F., Sacramento and L.A. She’s still buzzing from the back-to-back, sold-out Forum shows during The Weeknd’s Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour. When Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd did their surprise performance together, she “lost [her] entire mind,” but retrieved it soon thereafter. As for what’s next, Akita says to keep an eye on Belly, Massari and Sabrina Claudio.

Tiffany Almy

Attorney, Rothenberg, Mohr & Binder, LLP

After 2 Chainz signed a deal that was career-changing for Almy, the rapper neatly laid three phones out on the table and asked her who he should call first. She now prefers the title of “consigliere.” This Corleone-in-the-making, who recently joined the newly formed law firm, is also particularly proud of Teddy Geiger’s work on Shawn Mendes’ second album. She feels lucky to have worked with Geiger and her manager, Ollie Hammett, for the last seven years.

Courtni Asbury

VP Media & Artist Relations, Def Jam

Asbury hasn’t stopped smiling since she booked a Big Sean performance on SNL last year. She also loves working with YG and Jhené Aiko, and points out that there’s never a dull moment with Vince Staples. When we asked her for a fun fact about herself, she informed us that she’s never eaten a banana in her entire life. So there’s that.

Peter DeSantis

Co-Head of Music Crossover Division, UTA

DeSantis works at the intersection of the agency’s film/TV and music departments, specializing in on-camera opportunities for music clients. He’s worked with DJ Khaled, Post Malone, 21 Savage, Big Boi and Action Bronson, among others, placing Big Boi in the new Superfly and Bronson in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Netflix film. He once worked on the Food Network show Giada at Home, and the sight of hand-formed dough still enrages him.

Paige Altone

Director, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville

Altone just got back from the ACMs, and she describes the Vocal Group win by Old Dominion and Kane Brown’s country-chart triumphs as twin career highlights. She’s currently working on Luke Combs’ deluxe edition of This One’s for You, as well as the next milestones for OD, Kane and Chris Young. She’s a devout Philadelphia Eagles fan, a source of mortification for her Titans-loving officemates