Universal’s merch company Bravado makes series of leadership appointments – Music Business Worldwide

Universal Music Group’s (UMG’s) merchandise and brand management company, Bravado has announced a series of leadership appointments.

Alyssa Tobias has been named Vice President, Head of Creative Services; Bill Ashton, Head of A&R; Keith Taperell, Vice President, Global Brand Partnerships and Energy Marketing; and Kim Youngberg, Head of Legal effective immediately.

Alyssa Tobias has been named Vice President, Head of Creative Services. Tobias, an artist and creative director, will head up Bravado’s global creative team.

Prior to Bravado, Tobias recently held the position of SVP, Creative at Live Nation Merchandise where she built and oversaw the creative development and design for their roster of artists and brands.

Tobias began her career as a designer at Island Records/Def Jam Recordings before joining The Araca Group as SVP, Creative where she built the design team from the ground up to handle creative for the music, theater, and studio entertainment industries.

Tobias is based in Los Angeles and reports to Bravado’s General Manager, Jesper Poulsen.

Bill Ashton has been named Head of A&R where he will focus on identifying and helping to develop emerging artists through merchandise and brand management.

In this newly created role, Ashton will drive new commercial and creative opportunities for Bravado’s roster of artists and brands.

Most recently, Ashton was Managing Director for Songkick where he worked to position the live-music destination for success through innovations in technology and led Songkick to its greatest profitability in its 14-year history.

Prior to his time at Songkick, Ashton was SVP of Warner–Elektra–Atlantic (WEA)’s Artist Service International division, and began his tenure at WEA as General Manager, where he oversaw the company’s direct-to-fan strategy and eCommerce business, Artist Arena & Insound.

Prior to working with WEA, Ashton was in leadership positions at Scorebig Inc., Live Nation Entertainment, and Ticketmaster.

Ashton started his career as the manager of the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York. He is based in New York and reports to Matt Young.

“As Bravado’s roster continues to expand, our company has evolved to ensure that we are giving our artists best-in-class support and services and excited to announce that Alyssa, Bill, Keith and Kim have joined our leadership team.”

Matt Young, Bravado

Keith Taperell, meanwhile, has been named Vice President, Global Brand Partnerships and Energy Marketing.

Taperell joined Bravado in 2020 as UK Vice President of Sales & Retail, where he has been spearheading Bravado’s artist and fan engagement.

Delivering local experiential retail projects such as the Elton John takeover of the Corner Shop at Selfridges London and the Queen Pop Up store on Carnaby Street. As well as numerous global brand product collaborations such as Bob Marley x Adidas x Ajax; The Beastie Boys x Champion Athletic; The Rolling Stones x The Great Frog; and Elton John x Palace Skateboards.

In this newly created role, according to the company, Taperell will “bring his expertise in evaluating and curating cultural moments and opportunities for Bravado’s expansive roster of artists on a global scale”

Prior to Bravado, Taperell spent much of his career in the apparel and footwear branded sector. Having previously held senior management positions at globally iconic brands Converse, Levi’s, Carhartt and Timberland. Taperell is based in the UK and reports to Bravado’s SVP, Global Licensing, Lisa Streff.

Kim Youngberg has been named Head of Legal, a role focused on external business development while providing legal leadership for the company’s global business.

Youngberg will work across artist teams, retail, e-commerce and UMG’s brands and labels. Prior to joining Bravado, Youngberg was a partner at The Davis Firm.

Prior to her tenure at The Davis Firm, she served as General Counsel of Screenvision Media, where she oversaw all legal functions and negotiations.

Early in her career, she was the SVP of Business and Legal Affairs for Wind-Up Records, where she not only worked on record and publishing deals but also helped establish Wind-Up’s merchandising company.

Youngberg began her legal career at Davis Shapiro & Lewit, a leading music law firm, where she served as outside counsel for Def Jam Recordings, Rawkus Records, and Republic Records. Youngberg is based in New York and reports to Matt Young.

In making this announcement Matt Young, President of Bravado, said: “As Bravado’s roster continues to expand, our company has evolved to ensure that we are giving our artists best-in-class support and services and excited to announce that Alyssa, Bill, Keith and Kim have joined our leadership team.”

These appointments come a year after announced what it called the “centralization” of both the Bravado and Epic Rights licensing rosters.

The new structure has seen Epic Rights’ SVP Global Licensing, Lisa Streff, oversee global licensing strategies across both companies.

Bravado and Epic’s centralized global roster includes the likes of AC/DC, Blackpink, David Bowie, Def Leppard, Guns & Roses, Justin Bieber, KISS, Slipknot and The Weeknd, among others.Music Business Worldwide