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Phil Quartararo

 
 
 
 

A Brooklyn, New York native, Phil Quartararo began his career in the record industry as a local radio promotion manager for A&M Records from 1977 to 1981. He moved on to become a regional promotion manager for RCA Records from 1981 to 1983. His executive breakthrough came when he was hired as Senior VP of Promotion and Marketing for Island Records in 1982, where he remained until 1986, where he was instrumental in breaking U2 in America.

In 1986, Phil was recruited by Richard Branson as part of the team to launch Virgin Records America along with executives, Jordan Harris and Jeff Ayeroff. In 1992 he became President and CEO of Virgin Records America. At Virgin he was influential in the recording careers of Smashing Pumpkins, Lenny Kravitz, Paula Abdul, Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson and Ben Harper. He is credited with the marketing blitz that launched the Spice Girls in the U.S., the success of which brought him to the attention of Warner Bros. Records. In 1997, Phil was recruited as President Warner Bros. Records which at the time was ranked #1 out of world’s largest record companies. At Warner he worked with artists including Linkin Park, Josh Groban, Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Cher, Wilco, Eric Clapton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith Hill, Goo Goo Dolls and Green Day. In 2002, Phil was hired to become Executive Vice President of EMI Music and President of EMI Marketing. He reorganized EMI, shifting its focus from sales and distribution to marketing. He directed the marketing and launch of recordings of Coldplay, Norah Jones, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, RBD and the Beach Boys as well as marketing the estate catalogs of Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Les Paul and Dean Martin.

In late 2007, Phil left EMI to work with start up companies focused on digital music distribution. In 2009, he started his own firm, Tripod Partners, which has worked with various music industry companies such as Beta Records TV, global online talent search Avon Voices, the Shazam music discovery app and Guvera music streaming service. He is associated with the talent management firm The Collective and is a principal in the consultancy QP2 Group. He also manages Yoshiki, singer-songwriter Brandon Howard, and heavy metal group XJapan. Quartararo was executive producer of the 8 hour PBS miniseries The Soundtrack of Our Lives . He also serviced as executive producer of the double Grammy award-winning album, Les Paul And Friends: A Tribute To A Legend. Phil also sits on the boards of the Grammy Foundation, City of Hope, Cedar Sinai, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), T.J. Martell Foundation, Pacific Science Center, State of California Board for Engineers and Surveyors and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications (Senior Board). He has been recognized for his philanthropic contributions with awards including City of Hope's "Spirit of Life" Award, Russell Simmons Award for Diversity and Equality, the Vincent Testaverde Award for Spinal Injury, Sons of Italy Award and Syracuse University's “40 at 40” Award. Additionally, Phil was named by Billboard magazine as Music Executive of the Year (2001), and received the NARAS Governors Award.

 
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Robert Cutarella

 
 
 
 

Forty odd years ago, Robert Cutarella made the decision to pursue his childhood dream of a career in the music industry. His decision has paid off handsomely, with two Grammys as a producer, more than 3,000 songs recorded as a publisher, and over 160 platinum records awarded.

Robert began his career in the music industry as a producer and performer. He was employed by many major labels, and performed with a variety of recording artists ranging from Joe Williams to Bruce Springsteen. In 1978, Chappell Music/Polygram, then the world’s largest publisher, pursued Robert for his great ear and talent at matching artists with songs; this became the catalyst for his long-term success. He secured cover recordings, signed and developed writers, and garnered hits with Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Sheena Easton, Air Supply, Melissa Manchester, Whitney Houston, Michael Henderson, Diana Ross, Deborah Allen, Dolly Parton, The Police, Elton John, REM, Culture Club, The Human League, ABC, Linda Ronstadt and Frank Sinatra among countless others. Robert has also worked Chappell’s premiere roster, ranging from Hall & Oates and The Bee Gees to Sammy Cahn, Benny Benjamin and Jule Styne. Robert then transitioned from Chappell to become Vice President of industry legend John Hammond's new label with CBS/Sony Records. There he furthered his success by either signing or developing Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Metallica, Raven, Gino Vannelli, Vanessa Williams, Patrick Simmons, Basia and others. Robert later founded his own publishing/management company Zaymin/Hitlist, which went on to create world-wide hits for Celine Dion, The Temptations, .38 Special, Jennifer Rush, Alice Cooper and more. The management division represented Lynryd Skynyrd, Johnny Van Zant and other great artists. The publishing catalogue was eventually sold to Polygram, and in 1990, Robert went over to MCA Records to become the East Coast Director of Talent Acquisition. This continued his hot streak with hits from Eternal, Jeremy Jordan, SWV, Michael Bolton, Dana Dawson, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Celine Dion, Robin S and numerous other chart records.

In 1994, Robert decided to go out on his own again. To date he has produced records with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Les Paul, Joss Stone, Sting, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Alison Krauss, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), John Rzeznik (The Goo Goo Dolls), Keith Richards, Cyndi Lauper, and many more. In 2008 he produced Ashley Tisdale, star of High School Musical, for MGM's film Picture This. He won multiple Grammy Awards in 2005, and continually evolves his career with new focus, including soliciting music for the hit TV series American Idol, X Factor, and The Voice, along with song placements in the internationally renowns shows NCIS and Bloodline, as well as songs for multiple Fox TV Network programs. Robert continues to enjoy chart success with the new artists he has signed and has produced four Top 20 singles on Billboard’s Dance Chart in recent years. He remains ever-enthusiastic about writing, producing and developing artists and their songwriting in this new world of music, leveraging his years of experience, vast network of entertainment industry VIPs, and the boundless energy which comes from his dedication and life-long passion for music. Recently, Robert has teamed up with Phil Quartararo, former CEO of Virgin Records, Warner Bros. Records and EMI to form Inspiros Entertainment, a management, publishing and production company. Two of their initial signings, Jeremy Soule and The Melisizwe Brothers, have both recently signed contracts with major labels and are releasing music later this year.

 
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Bob Leone

 
 
 
 

Bob Leone first broke into the music industry in 1976 as the principal songwriter and keyboardist for the RCA recording group, Flame, who was being produced and co-managed by the legendary Jimmy Iovine. Jimmy also produced albums for John Lennon, Lady GaGa, Stevie Nicks, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, U2, Patti Smith, Dire Straits, Gwen Stefani, The Pretenders and Iggy Azalea, among other international superstar acts. Bob has been critiquing songs professionally for more than 35 years. He has conducted weekly song critique sessions for the Songwriters Guild of America (SGA), where he served as National Projects Director from 1981 to 1988. During this time, Bob was frequently asked to conduct group critique sessions for other songwriting organizations and universities, including the Connecticut Songwriters Association (CSA), Northeastern University and the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 1988, Bob began his 18-year tenure as the National Projects Director for the venerated Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) and its parent organization, the National Academy of Popular Music (NAPM). In 1989, he created and organized a highly successful songwriting workshop program, one in which over 3,100 songwriters participated in 259 workshops. Classes ranged in skill level from beginner to master, and were conducted by some of the most successful songwriters and music publishers in the industry.

In 1990, Bob created the Songwriter Showcase program for SHOF. Between November 1990 and October 2006, he produced and hosted 59 of these critically-acclaimed standing-room-only events, which were held quarterly at some of the most renowned music venues in New York City, including The Cutting Room. As many as 200 CD submissions were reviewed by Bob for each showcase. From these submissions, he selected eight artists or bands, each of which performed two original songs. These slots were highly coveted by songwriters who applied, due to the fact that these events were consistently well-attended by many music industry professionals, including record company executives, music publishers, record producers, directors of the major performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI and SESAC), as well as established performing artists and hit songwriters, all of which were seeking new songs, clients and collaborators. Many of those featured at Bob’s events were offered publishing, production and record deals as a result of their involvement. Many others had their songs placed on film and TV soundtracks. Every genre of music was represented at these events, including pop, rock, R&B, rap, country, soul, hip hop and dance, and performances ranged in size and scope from solo acts to large ensembles. These showcases, considered by industry insiders to be the best in the country, were consistently praised in music industry publications, including the highly-respected Billboard magazine. More than 500 artists, many of whom traveled to New York from all around the world, participated in this unique program. Many artists who were unknown at the time of their performances are now international stars. The two most famous of these are Lady GaGa, who appeared in both the March and October 2006 showcases and Lana Del Rey, who herself appeared in the June 2006 and April 2007 showcases. Bob is rightfully credited with discovering both artists, not only by music industry executives, but also by the millions of fans of these two global pop juggernauts.

 
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Eddie Kennedy

 
 
 
 

An audiophile to his core, Eddie has been supporting the music industry for decades through the purchase of hundreds of LPs, 8-Tracks, Cassettes and CDs. After retiring from a three-decades long career in marketing, business management and corporate strategy at a Fortune 100 company, Eddie was lucky to meet and ultimately partner with three icons of the music industry, together forming Inspiros Entertainment, where he looks forward to bringing his vast experience and acute business acumen to bare as we work with our roster of immensely talented artists and writers in pursuing their passions and furthering their careers.