About Us
MISSION STATEMENT
Air Traffic Control (ATC) exists to help musicians play an effective, unique and vital role in the promotion of social justice.
Musicians and managers established ATC five years ago to assemble an experienced and trusted team of leaders, resources and tools that would help them to create more effective social change collaborations with each other and with social justice organizations. As a result, ATC became an artists’ air traffic control—one that develops capacity, efficiency, and coordination to produce stronger and more creative social change partnerships.
VISION STATEMENT
Air Traffic Control believes in the power of music, the influence of musicians, and the ability that music fans have to make social change. We exist to support and provide musicians & managers who want to be engaged in social change the resources and backing they need to make change. Our work revolves around the following set of principles:
- We don’t “use” artists. We are here to be “used” by them and their managers and publicists so they have positive individual experiences and greater impact that can build toward a powerful collective movement.
- We start where artists are most comfortable: Artists come to ATC with a range of interests and engagement levels. We work with their vision and abilities, rather than impose our own, because we believe that artists who speak from their hearts, on their own volition and in an educated way, present the best advocates for causes and campaigns.
- We provide a constant presence: Even when an artist is forced to disengage from an issue due to studio or touring schedules, ATC is the resource that the artist, their manager or publicist can plug back into upon their return, and ensures that their learning and activist commitment grows over time.
- Making change requires strategy. We work hard to maintain a deep understanding of many social change issues and campaigns, to be aware of the most innovative strategies emerging from movements, and to have a network of trusted strategic advisors with whom we regularly communicate.
- Making change takes a long time. ATC is built to be a flexible, reliable and long-lasting organization because we know that social change takes a long time.
- We play a support role, never a central one. Our job is to provide resources and support. We do not want, nor will we ever take the spotlight.
- We draw upon decades of experience—not just our own, but also that of others. The founders and staff of ATC are artists, activists, managers, publicists and organizers who have decided to pool their knowledge and experience for the benefit of everyone.
OUR TEAM
Erin Potts – Executive Director
Erin’s work in her early twenties to create the Tibetan Freedom Concerts with the Beastie Boys brought international awareness, mobilized hundreds of popular musicians, raised over $5 million, and turned tens of thousands of young people into activists for Tibet. A decade later, Erin continues to work with musicians and other cultural leaders. She is an expert in cultural communications and strategies, and has a passion for engaging new audiences and innovating nonprofit activities.
Deyden Tethong – Programs + Communications Director
Deyden understands the power of music: As a young Tibetan, she saw millions learn about her country while working on the Tibetan Freedom Concerts with the Beastie Boys. Today she connects musicians to social change through Air Traffic Control, a nonprofit providing activist and philanthropic support to musicians. Her work includes producing retreats in New Orleans, bringing national musicians together to learn from the city and each other how to be more effective activists.
Tara Kurland – Project Manager
Tara heads up ATC’s philanthropic partnerships with bands as well as our revenue programs. She has spent more than ten years developing and executing programs at various entertainment and media companies, including MTV and Wired. Her history of organizing complex projects and events has been instrumental in helping creative leaders and nonprofits alike achieve their goals. Tara’s work combines an ability to grow programs and to work with diverse groups of people that results in successfully and efficiently bringing ideas to reality.
Jamie Paratore – Program Coordinator
Jamie combines her passion for music activism and music tech with her hands-on experience in both the digital music sector and the non-profit worlds. Previous experience at Apple’s iTunes, an internship with IODA, a position at a music-tech PR firm and various support roles within the non-profit world, have given Jamie a unique understanding of how the worlds of music, cause-related campaigns and technology can successfully intersect. In addition, Jamie has contributed to many guerrilla marketing and social media campaigns for emerging and established musicians, has experience launching an online music subscription/radio service and has contributed to various music related research and cause-related campaigns over the last 10 years. Jamie manages ATC’s sustainability program, is the face behind ATC’s social media assets and provides support for ATC’s communications and event/meeting/retreat production.
OUR BOARD
Amy Blackman began managing bands under the tutelage of some of the greatest old schoolers around. Thirteen years later, she has a vibrant and successful roster, a thriving business and a core philosophy that remains in tact despite surging tides of change in our industry. She has now joined forces with CookmanMGMT. Her current clients are Money Mark, multi-Grammy winning Ozomatli, multi multi multi-Grammy winning Producer/Mixer/Engineer Robert Carranza, Camilo Lara and Mexican Institute of Sound.
Kelly Curtis is the founder and owner of Curtis Management. Kelly is the manager of the rock band Pearl Jam.
Bertis Downs, esq., first became involved in ATC after attending an ATC workshop in New York City on behalf of REM, after which he referred many artists and organizations to ATC. Bertis is the manager of the rock band REM, and also an attorney and Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia’s Law School, where he teaches classes in Entertainment Law and Music Law.
Alexis McGill Johnson is the Executive Director of the American Values Institute, a consortium of researchers, educators, and social justice advocates focused on understanding the role of bias in our society. Previously she served as Executive Director of Citizen Change, a national nonprofit organization founded by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs to educate, motivate, and empower young eligible voters. Under Combs, she launched the Vote or Die! campaign, creating a new political model for reaching young people and people of color by mixing traditional grassroots mobilization with nontraditional consumer-based marketing methods. As a writer, political strategist, and organizer, she has explored shifting paradigms of identity politics in the post-civil rights era, worked to increase civic engagement among young African Americans, and investigated the implications for demographic and ideological changes of this constituency on national politics. She serves as a private consultant to a variety of organizations, donors, and artists.
Kathy Kane is Bonnie Raitt’s manager and is the founder and Ex Director of the ARIA Foundation (Artist Resources In Action), a public charity that supports music industry philanthropy, operates tour greening and outreach programs and provides aid to musicians and activists in emergency medical need or distress.
Jordan Kurland (President) is manager of Death Cab for Cutie, Bob Mould, Postal Service and other independent rock musicians. Jordan is also the founder of Noise Pop Industries, producers of indie rock events throughout the country.
Tim Quirk is Head of Global Content Programming, Android at Google. He spent much of the ’80s and ’90s as the singer and lyricist for the punk-pop band Too Much Joy, before politely easing his way into music journalism and the digital music business. He’s been a regular contributor to popular publications ranging from Raygun to The San Francisco Chronicle, and his critical essays have been published in anthologies such as This is Pop! by the Oxford University Press and Best Music Writing 2010 from Da Capo Press. Tim is currently one half of an electro-pop outfit called Wonderlick. He received a B.A. in communications from Stanford University, and an M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from New York University.
Ian Rogers is Chief Executive Officer of Topspin. He is a music and technology industry veteran with roots in defining the way artists and consumers promote and experience digital media online. Rogers has been building digital media applications since 1992. He created one of the first music-related Web sites and built many of the original promotional sites for the music and movie industries.
Nicole Vandenberg (Vice-President) is the owner of Vandenberg Communications. With more than a decade of public relations and public affairs experience, Nicole’s work has focused on media relations, community relations, crisis communications, strategic philanthropy and special events for clients in arts and entertainment, business, nonprofit and government. Her firm’s past and current clients include: Pearl Jam, Vote for Change, Music for America, Gloria Steinem, Tell Us The Truth Tour, Choice USA, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Groundwork 2001, People for the American Way, The Songbird Foundation, and Voters for Choice.
