The Team
ARI HERSTAND
partner / co-founder
Ari Herstand is the author of the best-selling book How To Make It in the New Music Business, the founder of the music business education and artist advocacy company Ari’s Take and a Los Angeles based singer/songwriter. Forbes calls him “The poster child of DIY music.” He has performed over 700 shows around the world, spoken at countless conferences and festivals like SXSW and BBC’s Introducing Amplify, and has acted in TV shows such as Mad Men, Transparent and 2 Broke Girls.
Nice guy. Loves to play catch, but hasn’t in 4 years...
Ashley Maietta
partner / co-founder
Ashley Maietta is the A&R / Publishing Manager for Crooked Paintings, independent music manager, and singer / songwriter in the trio, Luci. Ashley has worked with a number of Top 40 artists, producers, songwriters, mixers, and engineers, and specializes in working with and creating communities that foster support and artistry. With her trio, she has toured the country and opened for Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, RaeLynn, Tyler Farr, Justin Moore, and REO Speedwagon.
Cool chick. Loves a good sarcastic comment.
ANDREW LEIB
partner / co-founder
Andrew Leib is a music appreciator and artist manager at Red Light Management in LA. His clients include Nu Deco Ensemble and Victoria Canal.
Leib is incredibly passionate about authentic community and fostering creativity. Music first.
WIth a deep interest in inspiring musicians and industry people, Leib has spoken at conferences like SXSW, ASCAP, NAMM, GrammyU and more.
Solid dude. Loves a medium-rare steak.
Scott Bauer
Stage Manager
10+ years of music industry experience as an event producer and talent buyer for some of the country’s top agencies and promoters, including WME, Nederlander Concerts, and Kensington Presents. Plays guitar/vox in the soon-to-be multi-platinum selling band, “yep."
Greer Brucker
Festival Coordinator
Greer’s determination to connect her passion for storytelling with the purpose of supporting creatives in the music industry is evident in the strong connections she's built within the LA and Nashville music communities. She graduated last year from Vanderbilt University with a degree focused in leadership and organizational development, and actively applied what she learned in the classroom to her involvement both on and off-campus. Greer helped to develop her school's CMA EDU chapter and campus recording studio while interning for a variety of music companies such as Sony, Big Machine Music, and Atlantic Records.
Smart gal. Loves a good nature documentary.
Krisitna Lachaga
Operations Manager
Pop singer/songwriter Kristina Lachaga has had a lifelong love for music and performing. Kristina has toured the U.S. and Canada playing the role of Baby Louise in over 200 shows in the National Tour of the Broadway Musical “Gypsy.” She began songwriting and transitioned into Pop music, performing on CBS/WBTV, at G.I.R.L. 2017, headlining QuestFest 2018 & 2019, and more. As an independent artist, Kristina has paved the way for her career, executing her own press out reach, scheduling bookings, implementing marketing strategies, social media management, and event coordination. Kristina has shared the stage with Olivia Holt, Bea Miller, Skylar Stecker, Shawn Hook, Heffron Drive (featuring Kendall Schmidt from Big Time Rush, and Booboo Stewart.
Amusing human. Loves to overthink these things.
cameron Rath
Partner Coordinator
With 15 years in the music business, Cameron has worked across the board from being a producer at NPR, running his own artist management company, and building event series from scratch to over 10k audiences. He’s been covered in LA Times and LA Weekly for his work and won a Webby and received a Grammy nomination for his artists. Cameron is known for finding hacks in the industry and seeing “the path less traveled”. He currently serves as the VP of Operations at Ari’s Take and loves being able to give back to the independent music community.
Good guy. Loves to make things happen.