KEYNOTE
Keynote Speaker:
Wesley A’Harrah, VP of Membership & Education, MMF-US
For nearly a decade Wesley T. A’Harrah has been working to help creatives and the teams around them have better lives. He primarily does this from his role as VP of Education at the Music Managers Forum-US and as a longtime leading consultant across digital and strategic innovation spanning entertainment and tech.
A’Harrah has trained teams at, run campaigns with, and developed products + GTMs across companies such as Meta, Snap, Google, Spotify, Red Bull, Universal, Warner, Sony, and most major independent record labels in 40+ countries, along with their agencies of record, primary marketing/tech partners, and startup investment properties; and has worked to improve and build teams behind artists including Tyla, Phoebe Bridgers, Cigarettes After Sex, The Script, Charli XCX, and many more.
A’Harrah and his colleagues are recipients of the Grand Clio Award for music marketing—the highest honor in marketing—awarded to his team for two years running from 2020–2021.
Previously, A’Harrah ran the consulting and educational arm of B2B services firm and trade magazine Music Ally, from which position he began driving record label and artist management teams around the world to build vertically; transformed music business department curriculum at the most prestigious universities; and worked to expand the originally UK-based company into the US, Japan, China, the Nordics, Latin America, and Africa.
Outside the music and tech industries A’Harrah and his friends run CaracolLabs, a multidisciplinary residency program for artists, researchers, and experts of different backgrounds to collaborate with each other on projects relating to art, being, education and sustainability, and EGG, a high-engagement art, philosophy, and book club.
He holds an M.A. in Global Entertainment and Music Business from Berklee College of Music.
Will Runzel, Co-Founder, Prodigy Artists
Will Runzel is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Prodigy Artists, entering his 13th year in the music industry. Will began his career promoting hip-hop concerts across Midwest college towns before being recruited by Steve Aoki to lead Dim Mak Live in Los Angeles. He later oversaw the West Coast division of React Presents and spent a year with LED Presents / Goldenvoice, helping expand some of the country’s leading live music brands.
During that time, he co-founded what is now known as Collectiv Presents with Chris Den Uijl and launched Prodigy Artists alongside Steven Haddad. Today, Will leads Prodigy Artists—home to globally recognized acts including SLANDER, NGHTMRE, Audien, Jon Casey, and Grammy-nominated producers Bekon & The Donuts. His career reflects a decade of shaping artists, brands, and experiences at the forefront of electronic music culture.
Fireside chat with: