MEET THE EXPERTS

Alex Vitoulis is with Billboard Magazine. Billboard is the world's most influential music media brand reaching key executives and tastemakers in and around the music business through Billboard Magazine, Billboard.biz, Billboard Conferences,  Billboard Bulletin, and other targeted newsletters, and millions of music fans through Billboard.com and Billboard Events. The Billboard brand is built on its exclusive charts and unrivaled reporting on the latest news, issues and trends across all genres of music.   Alex is the Associate Director Charts Production Manager/Archive Research Manager Chart Manager: Blues, Classical, Comedy, Jazz, Kid Audio, Music Video, New Age, Reggae, Vinyl & World Recaps Assistant

Alex is teaching classes in

MUSIC INDUSTRY

Arthur Massei is the Director of the NY Office for TalentInk LA Chicago NY.  TalentInk represents actors age 6 to 80 for TV/Film, Theater and On Camera Commercials.  

TalentInk LA Chicago NY clients have booked roles as Series Regular, Guest Star and Co Star roles.  Clients also booked Lead and Supporting roles in Studio and Independent Films and Broadway and National Tours.  

Client Jawan Jackson, a lead in the Broadway show “Ain’t Too Proud” has been nominated for both a Tony and Grammy award.

Arthur is teaching classes in:

TV & FILM

 A talent agent who represents clients for theater, film, and television, Barry is the owner of The Carson Kolker Org. Ltd. and has been in the agency business for over 28 12 years. Barry heads the children's and teen's legit department and represents adults for Broadway and tours. A former actor, Barry has a B.F.A. in acting from LIU/C.W. Post. Barry gave up acting at age 22, because the lifestyle was too hard for/unappealing to him. 

Barry booked Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson on the Netflix series Stranger Things. 

Other recent/current bookings include 

Ja'Siah Young as Dion on the Netflix series Raising Dion. Ja'Siah also appeared as Andre Fuller on Law And Order:SVU this season on the episode titled At Midnight In Manhattan. 

Devin Trey Campbell as Rory on the ABC Television Sitcom Single Parents. 

Justus Davis Graham as Randy, a recurring character on the Hulu 

Series Wu Tang:An American Saga. 

Suri Marrero as Young Elsa on Broadway in Frozen. 

Bryan Holden Chan as Young Simba in Lion King on Broadway. 

Sheldon Henry, Mehret Marsh, Jayden Theophile in Tina on Broadway. 

Jonah Mussolino and Kaden Amari Anderson in the revival of Caroline, Or Change which will come to Broadway this fall. 

Jonah Mussolino, Suri Marrero, Lexi Perkelon John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch special on Netflix. 

Phoenix Noelle Reece in the movie The Photograph. 

Luke David Blumm in the recurring role of Eli on The Sinner, season three on the USA Network. 

Luke David Blumm in the movie The King Of Staten Island. 

Phoenix Noelle Reece in the recurring role of Malika ,;Ayla Schwartz as Bat Mitzvah Girl ;and Easton Noble as the boy in the airplane in the Amazon series Hunters. 

Parker Dzuba as Gavroche in the national tour of Les Miserables. 

Fernell Hogan II in the national tour of Mean Girls. 

Janet Dickinson in the national tour of Anastasia. 

Will T. Travis in the national tour of Hamilton. 

Classes the Barry teaches:

TV & FILM

Barry Shapiro is the owner of Herman & Lipson Casting which has been in business for over 39 years casting over 8,000 commercials both voiceover and on camera for such products as Loreal, ESPN, Advil, Verizon, Toys R Us and many other top accounts. He casts for commercials all around the world and also casts for film, television and theatre. Recently they cast for the Off-Broadway play “Facespace” which was performed at the Midtown International Theatre Festival.  

Barry attends theatre productions, comedy showcases and workshops around the country looking for new talent for their clients.  His goal is to offer their clients never before seen talent as well as the best talent New York has to offer.

Prior to being a casting director, Barry managed a rehearsal studio for Broadway shows and also was a producer for a top fashion commercial director working with every top model in the industry. Barry also keeps busy on the weekends, traveling around the country conducting acting workshops at several universities. In New York, Barry teaches commercial technique classes, improv classes, and also directs comedy showcases for children and adults.

Barry is teaching the following classes:

COMMERCIAL

Gary is the WILHELMINA Director for Showroom/Runway/E-Commerce in the NYC office. Wilhelmina has been in business for over 50 years. Some of the recent clients they have worked with for runway e-commerce and print campaigns. Hermes, Maybelline, E.L.F. Sam Edleman , Coach , Kate Spade, Nike, Puma Loreal, to name a few.  

Gary is teaching the following classes:

MODEL 101 THURSDAY, JULY 9th 5PM-6PM EDT

Return to MODEL & PRINT  page

 Jaclyn Hergott is a Chicago based Talent Agent representing Actors, Models, Artists and Influencers. She began her career as a child actor, and has worked both behind and in-front of the camera in New York, LA and Chicago for the past 20+ years. She has booked her talent on SNL, Nickelodeon, Kohls, Empire, Loreal, & Nike to name a few.

Jaclyn will be teaching classes in:

MODEL & PRINT

ROBERT MARKS is a voice teacher, coach, conductor, arranger, and director, specializing in helping singers show their talents off to their best possible advantage. As a voice professional, his number one priority, now and always, has been vocal health. He works with singers of all ages, from absolute beginners to celebrities, and recently taught his 90,000th private session in his New York City studio.

Mr. Marks holds a degree in speech and voice pathology, and has taught at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy and the Weist-Barron School in New York. He has been Special Guest Instructor at the Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah Conservatory in Virginia, The New York Singing Teachers' Association (NYSTA) Professional Development Program at Columbia University, The Voice Foundation Symposium: Care of the Professional Voice, and at NYU's Steinhardt School of Education. He has given workshops, master classes and seminars internationally. His articles have appeared in several publications, including the internationally recognized Journal of Singing.

For several years, he was the host and musical director of the acclaimed Youngstars cabaret performances of professional children in New York City. His music arrangements have been heard on many compact disc releases of the “Revisited” series of recordings on Painted Smiles Records. He also had the honor of directing ragtime legend Max Morath in Ragtime and Again off-Broadway at the York Theatre.

He has been the musical director of over 200 productions across the country, including every style of music, from Kismet to The Rocky Horror Show. He has coached cast members of almost every current Broadway musical, and former students have included Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler, Deborah Gibson, Ariana Grande, Nikki M. James, Ricki Lake, Constantine Maroules, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Christy Carlson Romano, Lea Salonga, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Britney Spears, and Ashley Tisdale.

He was a pianist with the Broadway and national companies of the hit musical Annie, and spent two seasons as the Associate Conductor of the St. Louis Municipal Opera, working with such stars as Shirley Jones, Paul Williams, Carol Lawrence, and Vincent Price.

At a time when all styles of non-classical music were mostly ignored and misunderstood by singing teachers, Mr. Marks helped found the seminal Music Theatre Committee of NYSTA, which continues to be a key element in its programs. For over 25 years he has maintained a private voice and recording studio in midtown Manhattan. He is a member of American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP); New York Singing Teachers' Association (NYSTA); National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS); and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS).

He is regarded by many as being one of “the best in the business,” and is committed to bringing his expertise and experience to singers and teachers of singing so that they may reach their vocal performance goals.

Robyn & Ashley Acarino from Nouveaux are proud members of the National Conference of Personal Managers specializing in print, commercial, animation, voice over, television, film and theater. 

Some TELEVISION projects include: Warner Brothers CW's 'Lois & Superman', Netflix's 'Inventing Anna', 'Aziz Ansari: Master of None', 'The Get Down' and 'Orange is the New Black'. Comedy Central's 'Awkwafina', NBC's 'New Amsterdam', 'The Black List', 'Law & Order', 'Jimmy Fallon' and 'Saturday Night Live'. Marvel's 'DareDevil', Apple TV's 'The Foundation', USA's 'The Sinner' and 'Royal Pains'. Showtime's 'The Loudest Voice', 'Billions', 'The Affair' and 'SMILF'. HBO's 'True Blood' and 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'. Hulu's 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga', 'Ramy', 'Mysteries at the Museum' and 'Catch 22'. CBS's 'Madam Secretary', 'Blue Bloods', 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and 'FBI's Most Wanted'. Discovery ID's 'Scene of The Crime', 'Unraveled', 'The Murder Tapes' and 'Evil Lives Here'. Disney's 'The Big Fib', SyFy's 'Vampires vs. The Bronx', Fox's 'Almost Family', PBS's Sesame Street and CNN's The Hunt with John Walsh. 

Some STAGE projects include: 'Billy Elliot' on Broadway, 'Fiddler on the Roof' on Broadway, 'Betrayal' on Broadway, National Tours of 'Miss Saigon', 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas', 'Les Misérables', 'FEAR', 'Black Orpheus', 'Because of Winn Dixie' and 'On Borrowed Time'. 

Some ANIMATION projects include: Netflix's 'Boss Baby', Nickelodeon's 'Dora the Explorer', 'Butterbean's Cafe' 'Bubble Guppies', 'Team Umizoomi' and 'Made by Maddie'. Pixar's 'In Real Life', 'Alma's Mind', 'Super Wings' 'Tony & Tina's Adventures', 'Ronal the Barbarian', 'Your Dish Is My Command', 'Mother Goose Club' and MTV's 'Daria' 

Some FILM projects include: Soprano's 'Newark', 'El Carrito', 'Peanuts the Movie', 'SALT', 'The Devil's Own', 'Side Effects', 'Saturday Morning', 'Flipped', 'Bride Wars', 'Joyful', '8th grade', 'Modern Love', 'The Last', 'Thump', 'Negron', 'Ringside', 'Jersey Girl', 'El Cantante', 'Return to Sleepaway Camp', 'Benji the Dove', 'The Will', 'Lockdown', 'The System', 'O.T.', 'The Contract' and 'Not Even the Trees'.  

Along with countless other commercial, radio and print campaigns. 

Ashley is teaching the following classes:

COMMERCIAL & VOICE OVER

Lakey Wolff & Company, a boutique management company based in New York City represents an elite roster of artists for Theatre, Television and Film. Clients can be seen in Television/Film: HBO's The Deuce, Succession, The Affair, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), Law and Order SVU (NBC), Prodigal Son (FOX), Russian Doll (Netflix), Fosse/Verdon (FX), Steven Spielberg's upcoming remake of West Side Story and the In The Heights feature film. Broadway: Hamilton, Mean Girls, Hadestown, Sing Street, Moulin Rogue, Jagged Little Pill and the Revival of West Side Story. 

Thomas is teaching the following classes:

BROADWAY    LIVE EVENT

The entertainment business isn’t just something that Zach Farnum of 117 Entertainment is merely interested in. It’s a passion that drives him to work for his clients – ranging from Country Music Hall of Fame members such as Bobby Bare and Randy Travis to legendary multi-genre icons like Jerry Lee Lewis – from the time he gets up in the morning to the time he goes to bed at night – as well as before and after. He serves  on the Board of Directors for the Nashville Association of Talent Directors, the Troubadour Society steering committee for the Country Music Hall of Fame and is a member of the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music and the Recording Academy.

“I think I’ve packed a lot of effort into just a few years. I’m honored that people have taken chances working with me and I’m looking forward to the future. I love what I do. It’s not a job to me. It’s just life and a career and I plan on doing it forever.”

Though Zach’s primary forte is publicity, the Rhode Island native stresses that he is intrigued by many facets of the music business.

“I have a passion for connecting an artist’s brand and style across to fans and helping people connect with it. I love that we can create a brand with a human being that can literally move mountains. It amazes me that someone like Taylor Swift can walk into a hospital room and cheer up a kid dying of cancer and I love that Garth Brooks can throw ten concerts and raise a boat-load of money for a great cause. The whole concept of celebrity and what you can do with celebrity fascinates me – and helping that story to be told is what I want to be about.”

Zach began his career as a music journalist in college in Nashville where he began working for veteran publicists. Along the way, Zach would watch as other publicists and media professionals began to influence him and shape the way that he wanted to approach his craft.

What is that craft exactly? Giving the artist the avenues – and the platforms to tell their story. That’s what makes him tick. That’s what makes the 3:30am emails worth it.

“That’s the most exciting part of my job — the thought of being a catalyst for an artists’ success. It’s so much work and so much effort, and in a lot of ways there’s no strategy. There’s no one strategy that works for every artist, so it’s a lot of experimenting with new techniques and new outlets and new strategies and kind of throwing darts at a dart board and seeing what sticks.”

That feeling is the same – whether it’s a legendary act known the world over or a newcomer such as Karissa Ella or Joe Hanson.

“When you get the artist’s first big national TV debut or first Opry performance and you experience that success with them, there’s no greater feeling in the world than knowing that you helped put this new kid on the map in some way.

“We had Scooter Brown Band on the Huckabee TV show a couple years ago. That was big. That’s his audience. He reached a mass amount of his demographic and that’s a success story for him.”

“On the other side of the token, Kalie Shorr’s 2019 album Open Book was the only country record on the New York Times’ Best Albums list. That’s a huge deal for her and for us.”

Other success stories for Zach Farnum over the years has been his work in the October 2017 Jerry Lee Lewis tribute in Nashville that was part of the Skyville Live series. The evening featured performances from such “Killer” fans George Strait, Lee Ann Womack, and Chris Stapleton.” “To see major country artists paying tribute to him in a small, intimate setting was incredible. I think our team’s done a really good job of spotlighting the fact that he’s had a major, major career, not only in Rock & Roll, but also in Country.”

Another moment for which Zach Farnum is proud is his role in the Nashville tribute concert to Randy Travis in February 2017. “That will always be a pinch-me moment. It’s very humbling, because six years before that event I had no idea I’d even know Randy Travis, never mind get to work with him, you know? I think the fact … It doesn’t hit me until I’m lying in bed just reflecting on the day or reflecting on life. It doesn’t hit me that I get to work with these guys. I think it’s really important that there’s somebody beating a drum for those guys. It’s an honor. It’s an honor that they would trust me with their careers.”

So, for Zach Farnum and 117 Entertainment, that drum beat continues to resonate. It’s what keeps him spreading the word about his clients while travelling the world over, and going to work each morning. What is it like each time he sees that iconic skyline?

I just get that feeling of….home,” he says. “Nashville has become my home. Even though I wasn’t born here or raised here, it’s my home. Getting to be a part of the community here is one of the greatest feelings in the world. I couldn’t imagine my life anywhere else – or doing anything else!”