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

Making us look good is above their pay grade.

Sara Ahmed
VP, Marketing, PULSE Records

Ahmed is thrilled to be leading marketing for Tommy Richman—whose “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” has hit #1 at Spotify global and #1 Shazam U.S. She’s also furthering the fortunes of artist-producer 9lives (“MULTIMILLIONAIRE”) and building out PULSE Records’ marketing department. Ahmed previously contributed to the success of the Aaliyah/Blackground catalog, Benny the Butcher, Grammy nominees Dinner Party and Nigerian American multihyphenate tobi lou. FYI: She holds a B.S. in human development. Coincidentally, we’re full of BS, inhuman and underdeveloped.

Murdoc Hardy
Senior Director of Digital Strategy, RCA

Hardy’s gone from fan to insider, working with, among others, Justin Timberlake (Hardy’s second concert ever) on JT’s latest album and witnessing NSYNC's L.A. reunion. Hardy was also part of Victoria Monét’s Grammy campaign and partnerships with Pinterest and Instagram. He’s presently focused on initiatives supporting artists like Skepta, LISA, Khalid, Dhruv and Lancey Foux. Hardy’s a band-camp survivor who learned to play the alto sax, remaining consistently on key. Wish we could say the same.

Lolo McClusky
Music Brand Partnerships Agent, UTA

McClusky is the recipient of a Special Olympics Lifetime Achievement Award for raising $500k+ through an official Lollapalooza aftershow. More recently, she’s orchestrated Austin Millz's partnership with Virgin Voyages, yielding a "Karma Chameleon" remix and TikTok challenge; collaborated with IllENIUM and the California Dept. of Health to raise awareness of the opioid crisis; and worked with artists like The War and Treaty, Dylan Gossett and Stephen Wilson Jr. McClusky has visited 49 states and 36 countries, none of which has felt far away enough from us.

Merce Jessor
Director of Marketing, Volara Management

In 2023 Jessor found himself in the front row of the Schiaparelli show in Paris with Sabrina Carpenter, ROSALÍA and French actress Adèle Exarchopoulos. He’s currently all about client Carpenter’s hit "Espresso," which not only shattered streaming records but marked the singer’s first #1 global hit, topping both Spotify’s worldwide and U.S. charts. Merce was once deemed a “distractive influence” in school. We’ve been called a distractive influence in the music industry.

Bri Small
Director, Digital Content Strategy & Partnerships, Warner Music Nashville

Small played a pivotal role in Dan + Shay's Bigger Houses album release, securing an exclusive Roku Channelactivation, and has helped lock in opportunities for Kenny Chesney on various streaming platforms in collaboration with WMX (Warner Music Experience). She’s now advancing Avery Anna's career, celebrating 6.5m+ views related to “Make It Look Easy,” and is a member of WMN’s diversity, equity and inclusion team, helping orchestrate the second annual HBCU Summit. Small is the youngest of 29 grandkids on her dad’s side. Now that’s a big Small family.

Joshua Edmond
VP, A&R, BMG

Edmond vividly recalls the week Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman hit the Top 10 on three different producer charts, marking a career high thanks to tracks like Victoria Monét’s "On My Mama” and “Wild Ones” by Jessie Murph f/Jelly Roll. The artists-and-repertoire pro is now overseeing projects with Gitty, Diane Warren and Abby Keen. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m incredibly shy,” confides Edmond, who will surely be forced into hiding after this feature.

Candice O’Connor
Associate Director, Fan Engagement & Community Management, Epic

O’Connor is proud to have played a role in Tyla’s debut-album campaign, led by the Grammy-winning "Water," which generated 10m+ creations and 20b+ views on TikTok. She also pioneered Tyla's Discord server (voice, video and text chats) and grew one fan account to half a million followers. At the moment, she’s leading engagement/social for Mimi Webb and BIA and wrangling Discord and fan accounts for Future and 21 Savage. Off the clock, O’Connor’s a marathon runner with New York in her sights for 2025. Too bad she can’t outrun us.

Shawn Barron
Co-Founder/President, EZMNY Records; A&R, EMPIRE; Owner, Barron Manages

In 2012 Barron inked Ty Dolla $ign, leading to 60m+ singles sold and multiple chart-toppers (plus major bragging rights). A chance encounter with Leon Thomas at a traffic light, meanwhile, produced Grammy-winning work for the label Barron co-founded with Ty, EZMNY. In addition to signing acts, Barron’s way into new projects with Thomas, managing viral sensation 4Fargo and furthering the careers of acts like Rexx Life Raj and Gabzy. Barron played varsity basketball for three years in high school. We were in the Dungeons & Dragons Achievers club.