Singer Express Staff Profiles
Andrée Kaminsky
CEO
Andrée Kaminsky, creator of SingerExpress.com and its parent company, Fretless Productions/Management LLC, has over two decades of experience in entertainment, music, recording production, and advertising. As one of the most exclusive and highly-regarded management companies, Fretless is a major factor in the successes of prominent session vocalists. Andrée's expertise offers her clients a unique opportunity to showcase their talent within the advertising business, commercial music business, and other markets of the entertainment industry.
After graduating from Hampshire College in 1985, Andrée worked as a representative for David Starr's special effects/animation film production house, Broadcast Arts. She also worked for Starr's client, Zack Smith Music, as an account representative, and later as an associate producer.
Andrée then became a representative for Liberty Films, but soon after decided to return to her first love: the music industry. Through her work as an associate producer with various music production companies, she quickly learned the important aspects of the business: booking talent, sales, negotiating commercial contracts, marketing, time management, fee negotiation/collection, and the scheduling of recording sessions for music producers. Through working closely with singers, Andrée discovered that many of them needed assistance in these same areas of their careers – thus Fretless Productions/Management LLC was born.
Andrée saw the need for session singers to have representation by a professional who is familiar with the commercial recording industry. Her broad experience made her ideal for that role. Her first client was session singer Sandy Farina. Today, Fretless Productions/Management LLC is a full-service personal management company with an extraordinary roster of talent.
As the industry continued to evolve, Andrée realized that the faster she could get talent to producers and writers, the more beneficial it would be for everyone involved. A means was needed to allow producers to connect more quickly and easily with singers. Furthermore, she realized that most singers need marketing and promotional support to enhance their careers, but not necessarily the skills of a manager. These realizations gave birth to SingerExpress.com. Because time is more vital than ever, SingerExpress.com is now quickly and directly linking hundreds of singers with producers, resulting in projects that get done quickly and professionally.
Andrée and her staff will meet the demands of your job, whatever it may entail. They will meet your singing and producing needs with speed, quality, and a commitment to excellence that is only achieved through years of experience, dedication, and expertise.
For more information on Fretless Productions/Management, click here.
Preston Bealle
Managing Director of Marketing
SingerExpress.com is fortunate to have attracted a world class, seasoned Internet marketer to drive our online and email customer acquisition and conversion efforts. Few marketers are as experienced and talented at driving traffic and customers to high-growth Internet commerce sites as Preston Bealle, who has been a guiding light of Internet marketing since the first online advertising was created.
Preston's responsibilities at SingerExpress will include all activities related to customer acquisition and brand marketing, including site growth, Google and other search advertising and optimization, direct and email marketing, promotion of seminars, and myriad other singer and producer acquisition strategies.
Preston is a music lover who has served on the board of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, along with such revered industry figures as Ahmet Ertegun and Bonnie Raitt, so he comes by his interest in helping singers naturally. He began his Internet career in 1996 as Director of Online Advertising at Poppe Tyson (now part of Modem Media), the first and ultimately largest ad agency to produce and sell online advertising. After guiding web development and customer/sales acquisition for clients including Time Inc., Colgate, IBM, Merrill Lynch and Chrysler, Preston joined Jumbo.com as Chief Executive Officer. Jumbo was among the top 50 sites on the web, a source of millions of game, utility and business software downloads for PC and Mac. Jumbo was sold to Internet.com, providing significant investor returns, and remains in operation in essentially the same form.
Following that sale, Preston founded and was CEO of Babygear.com, a major venture-funded e-commerce business which became the largest online baby products store in the world, with sales over $125,000 per day within 2 years. Since then, he has served as CEO of GORP.com, the leading outdoor adventure travel website, which he successfully sold for the investors and is now part of Orbitz.com. Along the way, he has built and operated a number of smaller e-commerce and marketing sites as founder, investor or associate.
Bob Dorf
Lead Strategist
Bob Dorf's background and expertise is just what SingerExpress.com needs to take us to the next level: to become the industry standard of how singers and producers connect.
Fortune magazine, in its March 1999 issue, raved about The One to One Fieldbook, which Bob Dorf co-authored with Don Peppers and Martha Rogers. "If your company is launching a customer-focused strategy, it sets the agenda," said Fortune. In addition to his co-authorship of the Fieldbook, Bob joined Peppers and Rogers in contributing a substantial Harvard Business Review article in January 1999. He has spoken on one-to-one marketing before scores of U.S. and international audiences, and has also conducted in-depth workshops and written dozens of published articles.
Until Fall 2000, Dorf served as CEO of Peppers and Rogers Group, the preeminent CRM consulting firm, which he helped to found and build to a worldwide staff of nearly 300. He is considered a leading strategist in the field of Customer Relationship Management. His work has helped conceive and implement one-to-one marketing strategies for leading organizations ranging from the American Cancer Society to Jaguar cars, 3M, Bertelsmann, Charles Schwab, Ford, Hewlett Packard, Oracle, Prudential Securities, and (among others) his personal favorite, Vail Resorts in Colorado.
Bob recently switched careers to become a General Partner in a $100-million private equity venture capital firm, Marketing 1to1® Ventures. He co-founded this firm to invest in early-stage companies, delivering CRM tools, technologies, and implementation.
Previously, Bob spent two decades as founder and CEO of Dorf & Stanton Communications, a top communications and public relations firm. Dorf & Stanton grew to be the nation's 8th largest independent PR firm when Bob sold his interest in 1989. He is a member of the Public Relations Society's honor society and a former editor of Marketing & Media Decisions Magazine and WINS 1010 Newsradio in New York.
Jim Barg
IT Director, Graphic Design
Jim Barg is diverse and independent individual. He is a graduate of William Paterson University of New Jersey with a BA in Communications. Jim prides himself on being "self-taught" in many of his areas of interest, tackling just about everything with great pride and enthusiasm.
Currently working as a graphic designer, he's been involved in various communications and music-related projects throughout his life.
His first professional role was as a production coordinator/graphic artist for a regional cable television outlet in New Jersey working on local news and information shows. He then owned and operated a 24-track recording studio, where he spent twenty years working with everyone from young emerging talent to major-label artists as a recording engineer and producer. Upon "retirement" from the recording industry, Jim moved back into graphic arts as a web and print designer, and also took on extra work as a Macintosh computer consultant, helping individuals and small businesses to solve problems and to get more out of their computers.
Jim became involved with SingerExpress.com at its inception, and has been instrumental in the concept, development, and graphic design of the SingerExpress.com website.
Outside of his computer-related professions, Jim enjoys spending time in the garden and in the woods collecting wild mushrooms and edible plants. He considers cooking, gardening, and nature photography as his main diversions. He is past president of the New Jersey Mycological Association (that's mushrooms) and is Art Director for its bi-monthly journal/newsletter.
Barbara Barclay
Marketing/Business Development Director
Barbara is a seasoned marketing and sales professional with a diverse background. Coming to us from the corporate world, Barbara is innovative and energetic. She's a skilled communicator and team leader. She has proven management ability and has successfully designed operations for a leading Fortune 500 company: introducing strategic solutions, designing technology training programs, leading roll-outs, crearing specialized training, delivering custom software learning programs, and implementing new initiatives. She's a pro at meeting needs while saving time and money for organizations. Barbara brings strength in hiring, training, managing, developing and motivating.
Barbara started her production career by directing cable television programs for many years. She then went on to work in video production: first for a nationwide firm, and then in her own studio. She's covered all aspects of video production: scripting, camera, audio, music, editing and post production.
Barbara is never one to stay behind the camera, though. She's also a professional ballroom dancer, and can be seen doing her favorite thing in the Disney Film, "Enchanted."
Elaine Caswell
Talent Consultant and Contractor
Gracing studio, stage and television with her presence for years, Elaine Caswell has worked with the best of them: Cher, Bette Midler, Mick Jagger, the Rev. Al Green, Gov't Mule, Joe Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Dolly Parton, Sam Moore, Isaac Hayes and The Hives (to name a few!).
Elaine has made appearances on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Good Morning America, and The Today Show, and has lent her mellifluous tones to the 30 Rock theme song, Rachael Ray, and Saturday Night Live.
Her jingle career reads like a phone book, nicely topped off with a Clio Award for her vocals for Chrysler. Sports fans note: She's also the voice of Meet the Mets.
Elaine has recorded for Columbia, Virgin and A&M Records, worked with legendary film directors Ken Russell and Robert Altman, and contributed vocals to The First Wives Club, Chicken Little, Pokemon, A Walk to Remember, and Sesame Street.
Since Elaine's been deeply entrenched in the New York music community for decades, she has access to an endless sea of talent, imagination, and spirit . She'll help you get any job done professionally and painlessly while leaving smiles on everyone's faces.
Annette Sanders
Talent consultant and contractor
Annette Sanders' career has been a constant whirlwind of performing and recording since the mid-sixties. In the past 5 years, Annette has been featured artist with Dick Hyman's jazz series at the 92nd St Y. Most recently, she recorded a duet CD with Jazz icon Bob Florence. In March of 2008, Annette will be a part of Billy Taylor's jazz festival at Kennedy Center. Not only has she been heard on thousands of jingles throughout the years but she has also contracted and worked with singers on jingles, film, soundtracks, and CD's since the mid seventies.
Jessica Ortega
Customer support
Our newest team member, Jessica Ortega, brings great customer support experience and has an excellent service-oriented style. Her strong expertise online in FaceBook, MySpace and Twitter helps SingerExpress keep current with all the latest on the social media front. Through these avenues, Jessica is instrumental in letting our members and potential members know all about the latest at SingerExpress. Her team approach is a great asset to the SingerExpress crew, and her helpful, eager, determined and always enthusiastic attitude is contagious. We value Jess's contributions to SingerExpress – she has a unique and fresh perspective that is in-tune with current trends. Jess is currently studying for her business degree; in her spare time she enjoys photography and working out.
Laura Sweitzer
Customer Service and IT Operations
Laura Sweitzer graduated from Indiana University with a B.A in Musical Theatre with a minor in Music. While at IU, she performed in several musicals such as Seussical (Gertrude), sang with the IU Broadway Cabaret and was a Varsity Singer for the renowned Singing Hoosiers.
Laura worked with Andree and Fretless Productions/Mgmt many years ago as one of the Fretless "kids" singers. We are thrilled that Laura joined the SingerExpress team as our part of our customer service group. Laura is enjoying being on the other side of the "mike" and assisting with the continuous growth of SingerExpress.com
Tori Scott
IT Operations, Office Manager, Artist
Tori Scott graduated with honors from The Boston Conservatory of Music in 2002. She received her BFA in Musical Theatre with a minor in Acting. Recent credits include the New England premiere of The Screams of Kitty Genovese (as Betty), How I Learned to Drive (as Lil Bit), You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (as Lucy), Footloose (as Urleen), and Grease (as Jan).
Tori was also a featured performer with the Boston Pops and in several Redmoon Creatives industrial shows under the musical direction of Bette Sussman.
Tori has been Andree Kaminsky's personal assistant at Fretless Productions/Management for a year, working closely with Andree toward developing the careers of both new and established clients.
Karen DiConcetto
Music Coordinator
Karen DiConcetto spent two years in England as half of the chart-topping pop duo Daphne and Celeste. They had three top ten singles and were the first and only pop group to ever play the Reading Rock Festival. They appeared on Top of the Pops, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and many other TV shows in England. They also performed at Wembly Arena and other venues.
Karen's acting credits include Dog Sees God (Off-Broadway at the Century Center), Prozak and the Platypus (Beckett Theater, Jill Sobule, composer), Lovelace: The Musical (Revelation Theatre, Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Gos, composer), The House is Burning (feature film produced by Wim Wenders and Martin Scorsese, premiered at Cannes '06), and the new Nickelodeon hit TV show The Naked Brothers Band.
Karen has worked with Andree Kaminsky for over five years as a singer and at the Fretless office. She has assisted Andree in creating vocal reels, marketing clients, writing bios, creating mailings, and booking jobs. She has been a part of the SingerExpress.com team throughout its development.