Music IP Experiences & Community Connection

For her entire adult life, Ariel has been a cheerleader for independent artists. She adores the challenges that today’s music business presents and she leads her team to help clients come out ahead. She is known throughout the industry for her books, and dedication to education and she loves teaching artists which she has done in 12 countries for over 100,000 creatives helping them take control of their marketing. She’s the author of 6 books on marketing, crowdfunding, social media, and publicity for artists. She enjoys her toddler, her cat, cooking, and discovering esoteric music blogs.

Cassandra Kubinski is a New York-based singer-songwriter, voice actress, and Billboard Heatseekers-charting artist known for her piano-driven blend of pop, soul, and musical theatre. She has performed everywhere from living rooms to Barclays Center, with TV placements on RuPaul's Drag Race, Dance Moms, ESPN's First Take, and NBC. She has recorded and performed with Billy Joel, the Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Botti, and 10,000 Maniacs, and her voice has been heard in campaigns for Apple, Toyota, Hershey's, and Maybelline. For eight years, she served as Global Co-Chair of Membership for Women in Music, championing equity and representation across the industry. https://www.cassandrakubinski.com/

Charu Suri is a pianist, composer, and Governor of the Recording Academy New York Chapter who fearlessly bridges Indian classical ragas, jazz, and world music. Born in South India, she is a five-time Carnegie Hall performer whose latest album SHAYAN debuted Top 50 on both World and USA charts. Her previous album RAGS & RAGAS, recorded with John Patitucci and Steve Gadd, hit #3 on the iTunes jazz charts. Rolling Stone called her work "all substance, no gimmicks." She was named Entertainer of the Year by ISSA, won Best Jazz Song in North America at the Intercontinental Music Awards, and made history as the first Indian artist to collaborate with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

https://www.charusuri.com/

Marissa DeVito is a music industry veteran with wide experience in the studio, at major labels and in the music tech space. Her roles have included streaming strategy and commercial marketing at various major labels including Republic Records, Island Records, Def Jam and Motown. Additionally she spent almost 7 years at SoundCloud, working in various positions including launching and eventually leading the Music Marketing and Curation team. In 2024, she launched her Music Industry consulting business focusing on solutions oriented marketing, project management, operations and strategy for Artists, Music Tech & Social Impact non profits. As a consultant, Marissa has worked with music tech companies Audius, Showcase Daily, and MerchCat, as well as numerous non profits including WhyHunger, Comic Relief, and the ILLUMINATE Film Festival. She also serves on the board of directors for the reproductive rights non profit NOISE FOR NOW, is a Co founder & program director for the female music business entrepreneur program Pitch Perfect, is a pack leader for the Lone Wolves Community and is an assistant professor at Berklee NYC.

Elliot Baumohl is the Head of Music Growth at Duetti, where he leads data-driven marketing initiatives that connect new audiences to catalog music in fresh and authentic ways. As Duetti’s first marketing hire, he built the company’s growth and consumer marketing functions from the ground up, launching a Spotify playlist network with over 6 million followers, securing syncs with Netflix and HBO, and driving viral TikTok campaigns for artists including Mc Leléto and Kevin Gates.

Before joining Duetti, Elliot held roles at Authentic Brands Group, Gupta Media, and Jet, and co-founded Next Wave Records, signing Louis The Child’s debut single “It’s Strange.” A graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in Music Industry and a minor in Business, Elliot is passionate about using technology and storytelling to elevate independent artists and reimagine how fans discover catalog music.

Veronica Hart is the Chief Growth Officer of RWS Global. In this role, she leverages her extensive experience in franchise planning, global licensing, strategic planning, retail and brand positioning to guide and elevate the company’s marketing and business & client strategy along with its licensing and retail & merchandising capabilities across all markets. Her primary focus is spearheading the company’s efforts to unlock new revenue opportunities with large-scale IPs.

With over 25 years of experience as a cross-disciplinary corporate leader, Hart has demonstrated success in driving sales, operations and licensing for multinational corporations.Hart has held executive leadership roles at Paramount, HIT Entertainment, Sesame Workshop, The Jim Henson Company, CBS Studios and CBS Consumer Products, where she built the first-ever franchise division for the company. She also handled publicity for The Muppets at the Jim Henson Company and marketing and public relations at Sony Wonder. Throughout her career, she has honed her skills in franchise planning, global licensing, operations, creative and marketing, leading strategic planning, brand positioning and retail and marketing efforts across key markets.

Prior to joining RWS Global, Hart founded HARTstring Entertainment, providing strategic advice on brand building, business development and marketing to maximize partners’ commercial impact. She currently serves as Chair of the Board for Licensing International, the official industry association at the center of the multi-billion-dollar worldwide licensing community.

Steve Molitz has been a touring keyboardist for over 25 years, and has performed around the world with a wide range of artists including Phil Lesh/Bob Weir/Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead), Trey Anastasio/Page McConnell/Mike Gordon (Phish), Robby Krieger (The Doors), Alex Lifeson (Rush), The Allman Brothers Band, Eric Burdon (WAR, The Animals), Chris & Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Particle, etc. 

In 2006, Molitz started composing music for video games, with his first title being Scarface: The World Is Yours. Since then, he has gone on to contribute music to over 30 games, and has collaborated on game scores with artists including Shaquille O'Neal, Method Man, Richard Fortus (Guns N' Roses), Danny Seraphine (Chicago), John Avila (Oingo Boingo), etc. 

In 2013, Molitz took on the roles of Lead Composer and Music Director for international video game developer Saber Interactive. Since then, he has composed and produced music across myriad genres (orchestral, electronic, hip-hop, prog metal, etc.). Steve’s interactive video game scores have helped amplify the cultural impact of a wide range of well-known brands and IPs including Warhammer 40,000, Jurassic Park, NBA, WWE, World War Z, Evil Dead, Hellraiser and more.

In 2025, Molitz won the BMI Video Game Award for the music he composed for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he currently lives in New York City and splits his time between live touring and composing/recording in his Times Square studio.

Kara Hailele-Griffin Coleman is the consummate professional. Her ability to execute big picture ideas without losing sight of the details has carried her throughout a 20+ year music career. In that time, she has held posts at Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Music Group, Atlantic Records, Epic Records, The Mastering Palace and EMPIRE.

In her current role as Director of Artist Brand Management for the Global Catalog Division of Warner Music Group (RHINO), Kara continues to sharpen her skills by building and executing global release strategies and launching new products for an eclectic roster of legacy artists. In addition to catalog releases, she also curates bespoke marketing campaigns to celebrate key cultural moments across the WMG label groups such as Black Music Month, Women’s History Month and Hip Hop Heritage.

She was an active committee member of #TheShowMustBePaused throughout 2020, helping to expand their programming in support of Black & Brown industry professionals & artists; as well as a Junior Board member of the Music Business Association and a proud member of the 2021 class of The Recording Academy.