TEAM
DIGITAL MARKETING TEAM
Robert Dippold
Partner & Chief Digital Strategy Officer
Rob Dippold is a partner and the President of Digital Strategy, having joined Primary Wave in 2010 to create the digital strategy division. He manages the Digital division and is charged with developing overall digital strategy, leading a diverse and creative marketing team, developing creative digital campaigns, cultivating strategic partnerships, as well as building e-commerce, direct to fan and WEB3 initiatives for roster of music icons and legends.
Rob began his music career in marketing and rose to General Manager at Ruffhouse Records, a pioneering Sony Music record label which has sold over 100 million albums worldwide with artists Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, Cypress Hill, Wyclef Jean, Kris Kross, DMX and others. He has extensive history working in the music industry from recorded music to marketing agencies, talent management, publishing and merchandising. Rob served at Warner Music Group’s distribution arm, W.E.A. Corp. developing retail and account-based marketing initiatives for W.M.G. artists including Linkin Park, Metallica, Missy Elliot, T.I., Sean Paul and others. Dippold became Partner & General Manager of Trustkill Records, an independent industry-leading entertainment company partnered with Sony and Universal Music. Trustkill was instrumental in launching and breaking influential bands in the metal and hardcore rock scene including Bullet For My Valentine, Eighteen Visions, Poison The Well amongst others. Under the Trustkill brand, Rob was actively involved in the digital & mobile technology space including developing and launching “MobileThreat” the first ever mobile content destination platform dedicated to the metal & punk music genres, as well as other lifestyle branded websites and virtual reality communities.
Rob has been recognized and featured in numerous music industry media outlets and events over the years including Billboard Magazine’s “Digital Power Players”, Music Business Worldwide, Variety, CoinDesk, Canadian Music Week, Music Business Association amongst others. His work on Def Leppard’s 30th Anniversary of Hysteria album and 2022’s Diamond Star Halo’s album was named “Best Music Marketing Campaigns” by Music Ally’s Sandbox and recently he was instrumental in setting the record for the highest-selling NFT on the Tezo’s blockchain for Whitney Houston’s digital collectible collection. Rob graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Marketing and Management.
Mike Fordham
Director, Streaming & Playlist Marketing
While studying radio at Hofstra University, Mike Fordham began his professional career working for Sony Music’s famed college marketing program. This led to an internship at ATO Records, a sales gig at Legacy Recordings, a marketing position at the respected indie label Razor & Tie and other marketing roles. Here at Primary Wave, Mike oversees the streaming strategy for all of our artists, working with various DSP’s.
James Janocha
Senior Manager, Digital Marketing
Born and raised in Delaware (yes, he’s seen Wayne’s World), James graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Music Industry. He began his career at Paid, Inc. in Boston managing artist websites, social media and D2C marketing before moving to New York to join Missing Piece Group as the Product Manager, Digital Marketing. At MPG he would oversee digital marketing strategies for agency clients, release campaigns for the company’s label imprint and manage day-to-day duties for the management roster. From there, James joined Hard Head Management and Evil Teen Records running digital operations and tour marketing for the roster while handling the day-to-day management for Tyler Ramsey and DJ Logic. He has been with Primary Wave since 2020.
Shauna Carnegie
Digital Marketing Manager & Team Development Lead
With her expertise and passion for pop culture, fashion and urban music, Shauna brings years of creative development experience to our team. In 2014 she graduated from Hampton University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and Marketing. Her undergraduate studies brought her all the way to Salamanca, Spain, where she studied the Spanish language and culture. Upon graduating, her first job in entertainment was at Walt Disney’s ESPN, where she found her niche developing content designated to the intersection of sports, music and fashion. There she honed her creative skills, nurtured her leadership abilities and created content that reached millions of people in over 16 different countries worldwide. A Native New Yorker, and music lover, Shauna has successfully worked on multi-million dollar marketing campaigns, specializes in strategy and organization, and creating content that leaves people wanting more.
Hadar Baron
Digital Marketing Manager
Born and raised in the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, Hadar’s passion for music started at a young age as a singer/songwriter. Her curiosity for the music business led her to study Music Industry at Ramapo College, where she managed the school’s record label, Ramix Recordings, and worked at the school’s marketing department. During her 3.5 years in college, Hadar refined her digital marketing skills in the music field by interning internationally at Music Ally in London, You And Whose Army in Tel Aviv, and The Orchard in NYC. Hadar’s obsession with music and multiculturalism also led her to spend time researching and comparing the International music industries during this time. Upon graduating from college, Hadar provided music industry services such as strategic digital marketing and content creation, artist development, press and publicity, and live music/event production to an array of music companies.
Sean Lewis
Manager, Digital & Strategic Marketing
As a native New Yorker, Sean’s passion for music started at a young age with strong influences from family, and friends. Those influences helped introduce him to a range of musical styles from Soul, R&B, Salsa, Hip-Hop, and the vast sub-genres of Afro-Caribbean music. His passion for music continued to develop throughout his adolescence, and upon graduating from university he set out to begin a career in the music industry. Since then, he has worked in marketing for popular music digital service providers and boutique firms, and completed a diploma in Social Media Marketing from NYU SCPS in 2018 to gain a deeper understanding of existing and future business opportunities within the space. Prior to Primary Wave, he has successfully worked on digital marketing campaigns for some of today’s most popular artists across all genres. Presently Sean is working on continuing his education in all areas of digital marketing, music marketing, and advocating for industry-wide D&I initiatives. When not in the office, Sean enjoys traveling the world and immersing himself in new cultures through their customs e.g., food, music, and dance.
William Gamble
Digital Marketing Specialist
William is a native New Yorker hailing from the borough Queens. Will grew up in a musically incline family which is how he developed his love for music. Will begin his musical journey at a young age playing drums for his home church which eventually led him to learn piano/ organ player. From that standpoint his musical talent as a pianist/organist offered him opportunities to work with artist such as Bebe Winans, Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child, Faith Evans, Donnie McClurkin, Jaquees, Kierra Sheard, Patti Labelle, Ledisi, Patti Labelle, Dave Hollister, Erica Campbell and many more. He studied at Full Sail University where he graduated with his Bachelor of Science degree in music business (B.S.) and a Master of Science in entertainment business (M.S.) Will loves helping artist in anyway possible to enhance and expand their career in the digital space which led him to an internship at Primary Wave. During the internship his work ethic and execution of his assignments led him to a permanent position with the company. When Will isn’t putting his energy in digital marketing he enjoys producing music for artist, playing piano and traveling the world.
Lazaro Alvarado
Marketing Designer
Born and raised in Puebla, Mexico, Lazaro’s passion for art and design started at a very young age with a love for drawing and watching movies. His passion for design led him to major in Graphic Design at Western Connecticut State University (Danbury, CT) where he graduated and was a Dean’s List Recipient. Lazaro enjoys simple elegant design that captures your attention and delivers a message in a beautiful way. Prior to joining Primary Wave he has worked at several creative agencies designing brand packaging, style guides, logos and ad’s. When not working, you can find him either playing/watching soccer or other outdoor activities.
Sarah Nekich
Digital Marketing Specialist & Audience Development
Sarah is a graduate from Penn State University with a B.A. in Music Studies and Media Industries. Originally a classical vocalist, Sarah has always had a passion for the music industry. During her time at Penn State, she joined PSU’s Student Programming Association where she worked in digital marketing, merchandise design, and concert photography. She has assisted in publicity for artists such as Doja Cat, Ke$ha, Jason Derulo, Charli XCX, and many more. Since then, she has gone on to do freelance projects for the likes of Baby Queen and other upcoming artists – creating interactive spaces and promotional content for fans. In her spare time you can find Sarah producing her own podcast centering around new artists, and enjoying live concerts and events.
Evan Jacobson
Social Media Short Form Content & Influencer Specialist
Originally from Boston, Evan is a lifelong musician who graduated N.Y.U. Steinhardt’s Instrumental Performance Program in 2022. He grew up in a musical household, beginning piano at the age of seven, and picking up the saxophone at eleven. He is an avid fan of jazz music and started adding jazz saxophone to popular songs on Tik Tok in March 2020. Prior to working at Primary Wave Music, Evan contributed to many digital marketing campaigns as an independent content creator. In his spare time, Evan can be found filming content for fun, taking to the streets of NYC to play sax, or touring with his band.
Caitlin Mulligan
Digital Marketing Assistant
Caiti is a graduate of Ramapo College where she earned her B.A in Music Industry. Since she was young, Caiti knew that her passion was music. As she got older, she quickly realized she had another passion for being online. From musicians to influencers and youtube personalities, Caiti found a passion for connecting fans with their favorite artists and entertainers through social media. Creating fan pages, community groups, and organizing events where fans could meet and talk about their favorite artists only drove her to want to do more! Prior to Primary Wave, Caiti worked for Hot Topic helping store fronts connect their in-store and online audience while helping manage a team of her own. She helped promote the newest fashion trends and in-demand product to drive store sales, and by doing so, built an audience and created unique content to grab the attention of anyone who saw it!
Arielle Holding
Digital Marketing Assistant
Surrounded by music from a young age, Arielle always had goals to pursue a career in the music industry. She is a graduate from Penn State University where she realized her passion for marketing music after joining Penn State’s Student Programming Association. There she supervised a committee dedicated to creating engaging content, and designing promotional items for various events. In her free time, you can find Arielle busy with other creative pursuits like writing songs and stories, blogging, and creating videos for fun.
Mark Standish
Creative Direction, Design, Web Development (Visual Natives)
Carl Timpone
Creative Direction, Photography, Design (Visual Natives)
Rob Neilson
Content Marketing