Republic Records Names Dave Rocco Chief Creative Officer

The Ultimate Surfer producer Pilgrim Media Group has promoted a trio of execs in its development division.

Jennifer Yuma editorThe Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has promoted Jennifer Davidson to Chief Communications Officer. She will be reporting to Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.In her new role, Davidson will continue to oversee publicity and corporate communications campaigns, including the Oscars and internal membership communications.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has promoted Jennifer Davidson to be its new chief communications officer. The news was announced Thursday by Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.

Demonstrating faith in the successful publicity strategies engineered since she joined AMPAS in 2020 just as the pandemic lockdown took hold, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences has promoted Jennifer Davidson to Chief Communications Officer.  Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, to whom she will continue to report, made the announcement today.

Angelique Jackson Issa Rae’s media company Hoorae has named industry veteran Kaylin Cotton as its new chief of staff.Before joining the team at Hoorae, Cotton worked for Live Nation and Shondaland, bringing her extensive background in music, entertainment and television to support Rae’s ever-growing vision for the future of the media company.Formerly Issa Rae Productions and relaunched under the new moniker in 2020, Hoorae is a multi-faceted media company that develops content across mediums

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorClaudia Butzky has been promoted to executive vice president of brand partnerships & sync for Warner Records. In her expanded role, Butzky will continue to lead the label’s brand partnership team while also overseeing the strategy for creative music placement and campaigns across film, television, gaming, sports and related platforms.

APPOINTMENTSUniversal Music’s Republic Records in the US has named Sam Taylor as the new head of its hip hop and R&B A&R team. He joined the label as EVP A&R last year.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMotown Records has named Courtney Lowery as executive vice president of media strategy and lifestyle. In this new role, Lowery will oversee media strategy and execution for the label and its roster of artists, and also play an integral role in a wide range of the label’s cultural and lifestyle initiatives.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA 56-year-old acetate recording of a previously unreleased and relatively unknown song featuring David Bowie is expected to draw thousands of pounds at an auction in England on Thursday.The song, titled “I Want Your Love” and recorded in 1965 by a teenaged Bowie and his early group the Lower Third, was written by John Dee and Jack Tarr and produced by top ‘60s producer Shel Talmy — who also produced a string of classics for the Kinks and the Who, including “You

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRepublic Records has promoted Lucas Romeo to senior VP of promotion, effective immediately, EVP Gary Spangler announced on Monday.Based in New York, Romeo will oversee promotion efforts across multiple formats, guiding the promotion team and breaking artists in today’s new landscape. Romeo joined Republic in 2014 as regional promotion manager in Nashville, before returning to New York to serve as VP of Top 40.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The Foo Fighters rock band has called off its concert at the Formula One race in Abu Dhabi due to “unforeseen medical circumstances,” event organizers said Sunday.The organizers offered no further details about the medical issue, other than to say that Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters were “unable to travel" to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Sunday's concert.“The band apologizes for any inconvenience or disappointment caused by this unexpected turn of events," the

EXCLUSIVE: Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation, announced today the promotion of Morgan Selzer to Chief Content and Studios Officer.

K.J. Yossman BBC Studios, the broadcaster’s commercial arm, has appointed its general counsel Martyn Freeman to the position of chief operating officer.As general counsel, Freeman already oversees BBC Studio’s business and legal affairs, global operations, compliance and risk.

BBC Studios’ new CEO Tom Fussell has promoted the producer/distributor’s General Counsel Martyn Freeman to Chief Operating Officer.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAhead of the reveal of the 2021 Time magazine prestigious Person of the Year honor, happening Monday, December 13, the publication on Thursday has revealed that Olivia Rodrigo is its 2021 Entertainer of the Year and Simone Biles the 2021 Athlete of the Year.Rodrigo was featured on the cover of Variety’s Young Hollywood issue over the summer and was named Songwriter of the Year at our Hitmakers event on Saturday, where she gave a moving acceptance speech and was

After a year’s delay due to the pandemic, Steven Spielberg’s remake of the Broadway classic and 10x Oscar-winning 1961 movie, West Side Story, finally tunes up this weekend as the sole wide major studio theatrical release in 2,800 U.S./Canada theaters and offshore debuts in France, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and UK. All in, the global outlook is $22M-$31M, with $12M-$17M coming from domestic and $10M-$14M from abroad. The 20th Century Studios-Amblin production is being released by Disney.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterAlamo Drafthouse, the quirky Texas-based movie theater chain, has appointed Michael Kustermann as chief experience officer.In his new role, Kustermann will lead Alamo Drafthouse’s experience team, which includes marketing, digital and guest experience.“We’re so excited to bring Michael on board to our growing team,” said Alamo Drafthouse CEO Shelli Taylor.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAtlantic Records has announced a new artist development partnership and joint venture label deal with Detroit-based independent music company Assemble Sound.