On The Move: Ezekiel Lewis Steps Up as CEO At Epic, Kakao Appoints a New Co-CEO

Each week, NIF & ROSTR tracks all the industry moves you need to know about. Promotions, hirings, farewells - have one you want to share? Click here.

Ezekiel Lewis is stepping up to Chairman/CEO at Epic Records, the Sony-owned label he's been quietly running since Sylvia Rhone stepped down last September. Lewis has been at Epic since 2018, first as EVP and Head of A&R, then President. He's been holding things down alongside GM Rick Sackheim in the interim. Before Epic, he spent time at Motown and founded music publisher The Bar Group.

JungHee Ko was named co-CEO of Kakao Entertainment, following the company's annual shareholders' meeting. She joins existing co-CEO Joseph Chang, with Ko overseeing the company's new CPO unit, which manages platform services including music streaming platform Melon, KakaoPage, and fandom platform Berriz. Chang, formerly CEO of Sony Music Korea, will lead a new global growth center focused on expanding Kakao's international presence.

Range Media Partners made two internal moves. Evan Winiker, a founding member of Range Music, has been promoted to Managing Partner. Cameron Lutz rises to Partner; he came in as SVP of Marketing in 2021, shifted into management, and has since worked with Luke Grimes, Lauv, Carter Faith and Haffway. Before Range, he spent nearly six years on Meta's music artist partnerships team.

Allen Lo joins Madison Square Garden Entertainment and Sphere Entertainment as EVP and Chief Legal Officer, effective March 30. He was most recently VP of Legal and Deputy General Counsel at Meta, and before that focused on patents and IP litigation at Google.

Symphonic has acquired YouTube monetization platform Distro Nation, and as part of the deal, Jon Baltz, the company's CEO and co-founder, comes on board as Head of UGC & Rights Management, bringing his full team with him. Distro Nation, originally launched in 2011 as INDMUSIC, became YouTube's largest independent music network.

• Blake Foster joins HYBE America as Head of Business Intelligence. He comes from Warner Music Group, where he was SVP of Business Intelligence and before that, SVP of Global Catalog Development & Marketing.

• Lawrence Burian joins Production Resource Group (PRG) as CEO, coming from COO at LIV Golf. He previously held senior roles across the MSG family and was on the board of Boston Calling Music Festival.

• Big Machine Records / Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment made four hires: Jay Cruze as National Director of Promotion & Marketing (ex-Blue Highway Records); Carly Leach as Coordinator, Promotion & Marketing; Christina Hunt moving up internally to Manager, Digital Marketing; and Claudia Deters as Label Coordinator/Executive Assistant to President/CEO Jimmy Harnen.

• Molly Majorack joins Teragram Ballroom as Talent Buyer. She previously booked the Observatory, Constellation Rooms, House of Blues Anaheim and Fox Performing Arts Center across Southern California.

• Alyssa Beach is named Nashville Director at PR firm The Press House, where she'll lead strategy for the company's Nashville clients. Her background spans visual arts, theater, and exhibition production.

• Shelley Grayson and Chris Trump have both been promoted to Associate Business Manager at Nashville-based firm FBMM. Grayson has 15+ years working with touring artists and Trump has been with the company since 2009.

• Owen Grover joins Norwegian audio tech company Nomono as General Manager, North America. He comes from roles at iHeartMedia and Pocket Casts and will oversee partnerships and market development for the company's creator workflow platform.

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