Entrepreneurial Music Panel

Rashidi Hendrix

Rashidi Hendrix is an Emmy winning producer and seasoned literary manager who is a Partner at Independent Artists Media, where he represents Showrunners, writers, directors and actors. He also founded METALLIC PICTURES, which is focused on developing diverse talent and stories in motion pictures and television. His talent have worked on shows like Helix (Syfy), The Ranch (Netflix), Queen Sugar (OWN), CROSS (Amazon), Chicago Fire (NBC), Criminal Minds (CBS), Bates Motel (A&E), NCIS (CBS), Deadly Class (Syfy), Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS), Preacher (AMC), Crazy Love (Lifetime), Shameless (Showtime), THE CHI (Showtime), Late Night with Seth Meyers(NBC), Luke Cage (Netflix), Insecure (HBO).

Hendrix started his television career as a music supervisor and then a series development executive, respectively, at MTV in 2007. Prior to MTV, he was an awarding wining music

publishing A&R consultant and executive at Windswept Music Publishing, Dreamworks Music Publishing and Reach Music winning multiple Grammys and BMI, ASCAP and SESAC awards from his signings. He also established Motion Music Publishing, with a joint venture partnership with BMG Rights Management.

Shamel Hughes

Shamel Hughes is a Grammy Award-winning recording and mix engineer, celebrated for his sonic expertise and entrepreneurial vision. As the founder of Hughes Media Group, LLC, Shamel has established a prominent reputation in the entertainment industry, delivering top-notch audio services through innovative sound engineering and strategic media ventures. Known for his collaborative work with iconic artists like Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, and H.E.R.,

Shamel has honed his craft under Grammy-winning legends and established himself as one of New York’s most sought-after freelance engineers. Based in New York City, he operates out of Kensaltown East in Union Square, where his state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos Mix Room allows him to craft immersive audio experiences for artists, labels, and corporate clients. Shamel is also the engineer and manager for acclaimed Grammy Award-Winning songwriter & recording artist Elle Varner, guiding her creative direction and career development alongside her company Two Twelve Enterprises.

Shamel’s journey began with a strong foundation in Music Production & Audio Engineering at the Institute of Audio Research, then studied the Recording Arts & Computer Science at Full Sail University, where he later expanded his skill set with a Bachelor’s in Entertainment Business and is now pursuing a Master of Science in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. His current venture, The Auditory, is a forward-thinking educational platform designed to empower the next generation of audio creators through masterclasses in music production, audio engineering, and the business of

music.

A creative visionary with a passion for mentorship, Shamel is redefining the audio engineering field with projects that span branding, media production, and educational innovation. With future plans to elevate Hughes Media Group and launching a management company, Shamel’s journey reflects both his dedication to craft and commitment to shaping the future of audio and entertainment.

Ritch Esra

For 30 years Ritch Esra has been running the Music Business Registry which includes The A&R Registry, The Publisher Registry, The Music Business Attorney Registry, Artist Manager Registry andThe Film and Television Music Guide.

"Our various publications and databases give everyone vital, accurate and the most up to date information they need to contact the entire A&R, music publishing, artist management, legal and the film and Television music communities," says Ritch. "Each publication contains contact

information consisting of address, E-mail (including web sites), direct dial telephone. Additionally, we provide the exact title, street address, the name of their assistant and the style of music that each executive deals with. Due to the volatile nature of A&R, the A&R Registry is completely

updated and reprinted every eight weeks and often has over 20-30 changes in a single issue. There are no other publications of this kind anywhere in the world." Among the subscribers are record company executives, music publishers, managers, agents, attorneys, studios and other various music business professionals in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto, London, Dublin, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Stockholm, Sydney and Munich.

Ritch started out as a promotion coordinator for A&M Records in Los Angeles in 1980-81.

From 1981-1987, Ritch was director of West Coast A&R for Arista Records. He signed The Thompson Twins to their US Deal as well as Mara Getz. He worked extensively with the publishing and songwriting communities for material for Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Melissa Manchester, Tanya Tucker, Jennifer Warnes and Jermaine Jackson. He also coordinated music for the "Ghostbusters" and "Perfect" soundtracks.

From 1987-1992, Ritch worked on various independent projects. He produced the award-winning educational video for artists and musicians, "How to Get a Record Deal." "At the time, it was the only video of its kind examining the frequently misunderstood process from five different

perspectives: record company executives, A&R VPs, artist managers, record producers and 16 major artists including Los Lobos, Mark Knopfler, Phil Collins, Jody Watley, Karla Bonoff, Michael Bolton, Fleetwood Mac, Chick Corea and Kenny Loggins," says Ritch. Producers Phil Ramone and Jeff Baxter are also interviewed in the video.

In 2012, he was one of the founders of MUBUTV, an educational channel for artists on Youtube. In addition, he has taught Music Business classes at the Musicians Institute as well as SAE (School for Audio Engineering) and has also taught at UCLA Extension.

Ritch can be reached at 818-570-3374 e-mail: [email protected]

Xone

Born in raised in NJ, Xone started out in the way so many often do; singing in the New Hope Baptist Church children’s choir alongside actress Naturi Naughton and Grammy Award winning producer Eric Hudson. He started writing songs during high school, and opted out of college to chase the dream before having his first act, Billion Dollar Baby, signed to LA Reid at Epic Records in 2016. For 2 years he developed his A&R skill under the music mogul in addition to writing the majority of the [unreleased] album. After Reid’s departure from the label, he founded his first production company, Blame Xone, under which he operates as a in demand Songwriter/Producer, Choreographer and Creative Director. Recent projects include the Top 10 album Deep Space Deluxe, with Bravo’s Candiace Dillard, as well as released and upcoming music with Fivio Foreign, French Montana, and a recent Top 40 record with A Boogie titled Already Know featuring Yung Pooda and Angelica Vila.