Veteran A&R exec Johnny Minardi heads to Fueled by Ramen (FBR) and Roadrunner Records, where he'll take on a dual role of senior director of A&R for the sister labels.
The new gig marks a homecoming for Minardi, who played a role in developing the FBR roster with artists like The Academy Is, A Rocket To The Moon, This Providence and Forgive Durden. Most recently, Minardi handled A&R for Equal Vision Records.
"I am very happy to have Johnny back in the FBR family and at the same time welcome him to the Roadrunner team," said Mike Easterlin, president of both labels. "He has great ears and outstanding A&R instincts, and was instrumental in putting FBR on the map with a string of fantastic signings. I know he will be hugely influential in the continued evolution of both labels. Welcome home, Johnny!"
More moves in the 'biz:
-- Canadian entertainment company The MRG Group names Crispin Gilessenior talent buyer for MRG Concerts. Giles brings more than 20 years of programming and promotion experience to his new role based out of Vancouver, having previously held positions at Canadian Music Week and the NXNE and FoRMS festivals.
-- New television festival CanneSeries names Albin Lewi as artistic director ahead of its launch alongside MIPTV next year. Lewi, who previously headediTunes TV, will oversee the selection for the competition's included shows and appoint the jury.
-- Live Nation Entertainment looks to expand its Latin American presence with the hiring of Alexandre Faria, who has worked as a major talent buyer and promoter in the region for more than 20 years, as director and senior vice president of talent buying in Brazil.
-- Direct-to-fan music platform PledgeMusic has added two seasoned industry pros to its ranks. Kevin Kiernan, formerly of Sony Music, joins as head of artist solutions and Nate Baker, ex-Deezer, iTunes, is the new artist & label relations manager at the firm.
-- Tom Blessington joins YouTube in the newly-created role of vp of brand, media and experiences. Blessington hails from Wieden + Kennedy Portland, where he served as managing director and oversaw award-winning campaigns for the likes of Levi’s, Facebook, Target and Sony. In his new role, Blessington leads brand strategy and integrated marketing campaigns across all of YouTube’s lines of business.
