In the latest roundup of Noisemakers for 2019, we present a new batch of rising professionals from different parts of the biz whose dedication and effort make their superiors look good.

Being included in a HITS feature may have made their Junes even gloomier; good thing we stopped caring back in '86.

Ramsey Kouri

Sr. Director Content Partnerships & Promotion, Warner Records

When he’s not training for a 10k, Kouri is totally focused on expanding Warner’s relationship with top and emerging content creators to reach new audiences for label artists. His career highlights include hosting the first-ever livestreamed Reddit Ask Me Anything with Cher and attending the Tony Awards as a guest of show host Josh Groban. He’s also colorblind and has near-perfect pitch, so he’s great during vocal warmups but probably not your go-to guy when Cher needs to coordinate her sequin choices.

Shira Knishkowy

Director of Publicity, Matador Records

This past fall, Knishkowy traveled to the Catskills with Kurt Vile to spend a few WI-FI-less days working on a documentary with his band/crew and her co-workers in a dilapidated mansion. So far, 2019 has kept her busy with exciting stuff from Lucy Dacus, Stephen Malkmus, Steve Gunn, Snail Mail and Interpol. But she’s actually been commanding attention since the second grade—when she led a schoolwide boycott of McDonald’s, because she thought having to choose between “girl toy” and a “boy toy” was sexist.

Kristen Perez

Head of Film/TV, Glassnote

Perez has come a long way from studying anthropology at UCSB. In the sync world, she’s landed a lot of placements, but getting Mumford & Sons’ “42” in a final scene of This Is Us—in conjunction with the release of their album, Delta—rates as a standout. She’s now in the middle of original writing projects with AURORA and Jade Bird. And given her sectoral heterochromia (look it up), her eyeballs might just be as special as her ears.

Carson Oberg

GM, Fader Label; Manager of shallou and Yoste

Still on cloud nine from this year’s Coachella—where shallou played for 15k+ people—Oberg has been working on shallou and Clairo’s upcoming projects, while signing some exciting new artists to Fader. He went to college on a tennis scholarship before quickly deciding to pursue music-business school. The move makes perfect sense, considering that both tennis and the music industry involve keeping balls in the air, as well as profuse sweating and awkward chafing.

Jordan Dettmer

Manager, BRND MGMT; A&R, Tuxedo Records

Watching Dennis Quaid light his pants on fire before being chased by 20 dancers was a momentous occasion for Dettmer—go watch Midland’s “Mr. Lonely (Directors Cut)” for proof. But Dettmer relishes all his work with clients Midland, Desure and Corey Harper. From Midland’s “For a Good Time, Call…” Digits campaign for “Mr. Lonely” to Harper’s support slot with Justin Bieber and Post Malone on the Purpose Tour and buzzing newcomer Desure’s 2019 run with Midland, Dwight Yoakam and Willie Nelson, every day’s a dream come true.

Beth Martinez

Owner and Head Publicist, Danger Village

Martinez recently set up an All Things Considered interview for indie breakthrough Cautious Clay—and getting an artist on the org’s biggest national platform was huge for the NPR nerd. The Chicago-bred tastemaker, who elevated artists like MØ and Bishop Briggs early on, is now backing 15-year-old wunderkind writer/producer Isaac Dunbar and Aussie alt/pop artist GRAACE. In college, the PR natural started =weezerfest=, which became an international phenomenon. Too bad they don’t serve pork and beans at any of the East L.A. hotspots she frequents.

Brandra Ringo

Senior Director, Warner Chappell

In high school, Ringo broke a track record for the 200 meters; now she’s running laps around her music-biz competitors. Client Digi co-produced Khalid’s “Better,” “Love Lies” w/Normani and “Outta My Head” w/John Mayer, while Purps, with whom she just wrapped another deal, produced Juice WRLD’s “Hear Me Calling.” Upon joining the WC A&R team, she signed producers DY Krazy and Cameron Forbes, who both charted #1 at Urban and Rhythmic radio with Gucci Mane f/Bruno Mars & Kodak Black’s “Wake Up in the Sky” and Tyga f/Offset’s “Taste,” respectively.

Sam Forbert

Music Agent, CAA

The spring leg of Luke Combs’ Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour, which practically sold out in an instant, wrapped at Red Rocks, and Forbert is still in awe of Combs’ heartfelt reaction to the finale. He’s also thrilled for rising stars Russell Dickerson, who’s had two #1s on the country charts in the last year, and Jameson Rodgers, who sends his first single to radio in June and will open arenas for Combs this spring/fall. Forbert, who has a degree in production, still runs sound at church on Sundays.