NOISEMAKERS: STARS AND STRIPES

In our latest roundup, we present eight more stars of tomorrow from various parts of the biz whose dedication and effort make their superiors look good.

This week's entrants will also find their faces in our latest mag. And if they don't care about that (because, why should they?), we're told the pages make for excellent freezer paper when handling leftover Fourth of July meats.

Meryl Mohan
Associate Director, Commercial Label Partnerships, Spotify

Some of Mohan’s unforgettable career moments include watching Stevie Wonder perform at the 2023 Grammys and sharing brunch with Quincy Jones. At Spotify, she leads the day-to-day commercial partnerships with UMG and other direct partners like BMG, focusing on promotional program design and product advocacy—including tools like music video, short-form clips and pre-save countdowns—as well as platform-wide engagement with innovative tools. Outside of work, Mohan serves as a mentor to L.A. high school students. We could’ve used someone to help us, like, write good.

Ethan Sacré
Director, Digital Strategy, EMPIRE

Sacré has contributed to campaigns leading to platinum and gold hits like Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” 310babii’s “soak city (do it)” and Key Glock’s “Let’s Go,” not to mention a quick vinyl sellout for Babytron. He recently pioneered the first in-game ad for a console, launching a campaign for Free Nationals, Anderson .Paak and A$AP Rocky’s “Gangsta” in PS4/PS5 games. He also managed a Fortnite Twitch stream for Key Glock, integrating music into live gameplay. Sacré also plays in the band Crop Top. We’re still figuring out how to change a string.

Mariana Briceno
VP of Creative, Universal Music Latino

For Briceno, nothing tops playing a role in Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee’s diamond-certified “Despacito”; its video, which became the first to hit 4b views and now has 8b+, is one of the most-watched clips ever on YouTube. Presently, she’s focused on the career development of Latin Grammy BNA winner Joaquina, who recently dropped “Pesimista” after a sold-out run of her first international shows in Spain and Mexico. Briceno got her start in the biz through what she calls a “serendipitous chain of events.” We got ours through a series of unfortunate events.

Sean Lewis
Manager, Digital & Strategic Marketing, Primary Wave

Lewis’ career highlights include spearheading marketing for R&B legend Luther Vandross—boosting his catalog by 49% since 2021—and developing campaigns for icons like James Brown and Prince. More recently, he’s been all about the digital initiatives for the 40th anniversary of Prince’s Purple Rain and various experiential events for his roster. Additionally, Lewis oversees content for the PW DEI Task Force’s “Wavemakers in Music” series. Lewis holds a degree in political science and once considered a career in the foreign service. We once considered a career.

Nathalie Iglesias
VP, Plush Management

Iglesias was proud to see fellow Colombian KAROL G and Tiësto cut “Contigo,” her first-ever song pitch, which earned 150m+ Spotify streams and hit #24 on the Global 200. As the new VP of Plush Management, she helps oversee the entire roster—which includes Coi Leray, JVKE and Grammy-nominated producer Johnny Goldstein—while prioritizing the discovery of the next big Latin artist and fostering Faouzia’s success on the Chinese show Singer. Iglesias says she makes the best Colombian arepas in L.A., but only for her closest friends. We were told not to bother asking.

Jourdan Washington
Associate Director of Marketing, RCA

From promoting Khalid’s Free Spirit bus activation as a college marketing rep to working on his latest project as a PM, Washington’s career has been studded with highlights. She was also thrilled to work on Lucky Daye’s Candydrip, which was Top 5 on the R&B Albums chart and earned two Grammy noms. Now she’s involved with Daye’s third album, Algorithm; Childish Gambino’s upcoming Bando Stone and the New World; and Khalid’s summer release. Washington started playing the piano at three and sang in her church choir. Our singing tends to turn folks into non-believers.

Matthew Clarke
GM, KMGMT Labels and Manager

Clarke is proud to have discovered and developed KiNG MALA and Stand Atlantic to global acclaim and activated partnerships with Jack Daniels, Journeys and the A-League. He also oversaw the promotional campaign for Brian Tyler’s Awakening with The Wynn Las Vegas. He’s now broadening his label’s reach with a new JV, including inking Against the Current and The Summer Set. On the management side, he’s preparing for Stand Atlantic’s album and tour. Clarke is a ketchup enthusiast and has even signed a contract or two with it. We, meanwhile, can barely cut the mustard.

Becky Lopez
Director of Marketing, Nice Life Recording Company

Back when Lopez began her career in radio, she dog-sat for 2 Chainz, helped Nicki Minaj as she took over Power 106 for “Queen Radio” and exchanged phone numbers with Lil Kim. Hearing Tinashe’s new single “Nasty” on air brought everything full circle for her. She’s gearing up for an intense spate of roster activity, including upcoming projects from Tinashe, Cumbia Pop artist Estevie and rapper TisaKorean. Lopez had a short-lived acting career, with one movie on her resume. We auditioned to be extras but didn’t get the part.