About Us

HISTORY & CONTACTS

It has taken the last 22 years to develop and create the relationships we have, the initial nine of those years Connal spent as a full time entertainment industry journalist. As a journalist in the 1980's, Connal carved trusting and worthwhile relationships with both labels and artists, as he was a contributing Editor for such publications as Rolling Stone, Vibe, Billboard, Spin, CD Review and a regular contributor to The Boston Globe.
Connal's interviews with Eminem, 50 Cent, The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, U2, Chaka Khan, No Doubt, DJ Premier, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Wu Tang Clan, Sting, Luther Vandross, Peter Gabriel, Quincy Jones, Van Halen, TLC, Tupac and other superstars for national and international magazine covers and features paved the way for the birth of the company in 1992.

First of all, please understand that our primary focus is on how we feel new artists we selectively choose to work with can become a signable commodity in this intensely competitive business. Our successes include involvement in many varied areas of artist development and/or management with such multi-million dollar international acts as U2, Pharrell Williams, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Busta Rhymes, Pearl Jam, Beyonce, Destiny's Child, The Fugees, Arrested Development, Aerosmith, Green Day, Audioslave, Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Method Man, Usher, DMX, Omarion, Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, Metallica, John Mellencamp, and several others. The company is often enlisted by the major recording labels for production supervision, road management and complete video creation, supervision and production.

Connal describes the company's greatest niche as "The tremendous contacts we have built over two decades. We have the ability to get the people with the check books, those whom other companies often need six months merely to get a message to, on the phone in a matter of minutes. One great and rewarding aspect of this industry is that those at management and top echelon levels do make moves within the different labels, but most often those moves result in lateral movements amongst the heavyweight labels. Connal spent Super Bowl weeks as a guest of Sony Records for the nine consecutive years under the much heralded reign of Tommy Mottola and the entire management team when he was running Sony. Today he's resurrecting Pink Floyd's The Wall, the world's third greatest selling LP of all time, for Broadway adaptation. It is due in the tentatively due in the fall of 2006. Of couse it was Mottola who signed the British rock supergroup to their first American recording contract when he headed Columbia Records, before Sony's purchase of that label. In addition, he is the President of Casablanca Records and actively running various studios and independent labels. We maintain a great working relationship with him. Meanwhile, several of his former staffers at Sony are the people we are now in the process of actively shopping our new artists to, at Columbia and Epic, as well as Sony's several other very capable subsidiaries."

When Connal refers to "our new artists" he refers to the up and coming acts of the near future. EMG has the contacts to get these unsigned acts in the door with Clive Davis, David Geffen, Jay-Z, Lyor Cohen, Rick Rubin, P.Diddy, Jermaine Dupri and other industry moguls who determine which acts get signed next. No clowning around with lower rungs on the ladder, Connal takes it right to the top execs and moves where they direct him on behalf of the acts which EMG represent.

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MISSION & APPROACH

The record companies out there that matter receive approximately 500 demo CDs through the mail daily according to people at Sony and Warner Brothers. And of those, perhaps one random tape or CD slips through the many interns, receptionists, and executive assistants that buff A&R reps and other top level management. We use our extensive experience in the industry and perhaps, most importantly, our prized contacts, to shop the artists in person, who guarantees our artists, are physically heard by the people with the power to sign them. The demo is the resume that we hand deliver and play in their presence. This often propels us to the interviewing stage, which for our purposes is our live performance showcase. This is where our acts often obtain their deals. We reach those with the ability and more importantly, the authority to sign acts to major and INDEPENDENT label contracts, BUT WITH MAJOR LABEL PROMOTION AND DISTRIBUTION always being a must, as or agents team with our entertainment attorneys to negotiate the actual final contract.

But there is much more to the Exposure Management Group. We are a full service artist management and development company with vast abilities ranging from concert promotion and production, to designing professional press kits, to visual marketing in music television programming networks including MTV, BET, and VH1. Yet at our core are our every day management duties together with complete road management responsibilities. Another major advantage is our ability to get new artists noticed through collaborations with already established professionals. This sets the potential to mix genres of music, like rap and rock, which in turn creates a greater and more diverse fan base. For example Joe Perry featuring Busta Rhymes.

What sets us apart from other artist management companies is utilizing our wide-ranging docket of contacts to link qualified individuals and groups with the key A&R and top level industry personnel capable of elevating them to national and international status, be it through record contract signing, production contracts, publishing deals, etc. Exposure Management Group is very proud to be enlisted by both major and independent labels for virtually every type of musical genre, including soundtrack collaborations, production, engineering, publishing, as well as consultation and management work. We have enlisted several producers as EMG collaborators, including the world-renowned Neptunes, Timbaland Jimmy Jam and Dr. Dre on the hip-hop side of the fence and Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno on the pop/rock side.

Another crucial outlet that EMG uses to break new artists is through exposure in soundtracks and compositions in film. We are active participants in a wide variety of conferences including Sundance and Cannes Film Festival. EMG is affiliated with soundtracks from Barber Shop, Barber Shop2, Soul Food, and Beauty Shop. Perhaps the most significant success was negotiating the contract for U2 to record the title track in Until the End of the World. The point is, it's a proven fact that a soundtrack is a great way to break new talent. The opportunity we create is one more aspect of the Exposure Management Group edge.

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OUTSIDE MUSICAL REALM

However, our services do not end there. Our artists appear modeling in some of the best clothing, music and fashion publications in the world. The family tree at EMG extends to actors (Donnie Wahlberg, Emmy Nominee Boomtown) screenwriters for television, scriptwriters for the big screen, and music and video producers, story boarders and artists who make appearances to represent these products. We actively handle models and have worked with Supermodels. such as Heidi Klum, and continue to work closely with the world-renowned Ford agency and place them in several national and international spots. In addition, a close friend and collaborator with EMG is Judith Jamison, famous choreographer of New York's superior Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe. We have also placed musical artists in television and other visual roles, including modeling for GQ, Jet, Essence and Elle magazines to name a few. It is this diversity and versatility that makes Exposure Management the highly respected powerhouse agency that it is today. Our great relationships with XXL, Spin, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Source, and Vibe magazines only add to our strengths.

Not to be forgotten is Exposure Management Group's sports management division. Representing a select group of superstar professional athletes from the world of football, basketball, baseball, hockey, wrestling, and soccer. Our role for them is to handle their contracts, endorsements, and special appearances. This works in tandem with and only strengthens the position of our entire entertainment industry clients.

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NOTABLE QUOTABLES

© EMG Music 2005, 2006
***All quotes are copywritten and used with permission.

As our credentials indicate, and both our clients and contacts clearly discuss, we are professionals who know our business:

	"Kevin Connal is a top-quality man with a great ear for talent and equally important a great eye for talent. While other management companies are downsizing and batlling with their artists, Connal retains a very family-oriented crew that's growing with promise. EMG's move to New York is huge in the industry, and my personal props to "The Bull" and his EMG Movement from a business to a corporation."
"He is truly a bull in every sense of the word," smiles BMG President Clive Davis, referring to the nickname of EMG President Kevin Connal. Davis, who oversees Universal, Interscope, Arista, J Records, Bad Boy, Def Jam and RCA Records candidly. "I have the utmost respect for him and his entire team at EMG. Connal does things properly, honestly and has a great ear for talent. I'm always interested in signing acts he is working with. You don't survive and stay as respected as he is in this industry without true integrity."
"Kevin Connal is very impressive and has a winning plan to make Reggaeton as important a part of the American music scene as it is in Latin music. He has a long term plan and is combining with Daddy Yankee, Don Omer, Luny Tunes and other leaders of that musical genre to make it all happen, says New York-based international mega-promoter Ralph Mercado. "He's the man who will get it done. His contacts are incredible in all areas of the music business. "
	"We're still tight, Kev and me. He's a consultant and a friend, but now he wants to take some young rising blood to the top," says Gang Starr's DJ Premier. "I can only respect that and be there for him like he's been there for me. He helped get us on the Rage Against The Machine Tour and we played before large sold-out crowds every night. We owe him and I'll be there and help him and his people like he's helped me and my people."
Adds critically acclaimed artist Guru of Gang Starr, "Connal is hard core kat from the streets. We shot hoops when we were younger on Boston street corners. He made good, against all odds, in this fickle music industry. But he's more of a brutha to me than 99.9% of the clowns I've met in the tough digs. I trust him. He don't play when he deals with them record companies trying to swallow us artists up. They respect him, too cuz he's been at it so long and so successfully. He is relentless when he believes in the music and artists he is pushing."
	"They got it going on," adds multi-platinum rap veteran Busta Rhymes. "Connal's no joke. He's real as they come. I've been around a long time and I've seen him in virtually every situation that I thought could come up in this industry. He's always amazed me at his ability to negotiate with whomever, yet always retained his integrity in keeping his artist's best interest first. He's a very loyal dude. He knows talent. I can't wait to see what talent he breaks out in the coming years."
	"I first met Kevin when he was a journalist, during an interview in Los Angeles with my band No Doubt. From a one and a half hour interview his article was the best one of 46 we did on that entire tour. Now he's been a consultant to the band, road warrior with the band and an inspirational source as well as a friend to me personally," says multi-platinum artist Gwen Stefani, "Kevin is a very special and extremely gifted person."
	"Drop It Like Its Hot" was the most popular single of 2004, and its architect, the legendary Snoop Dogg calls Connal, "A visionary who approaches this business just like the business it is. He's not concerned about "his" image, because the man's got confidence and knows who he is. He's busy concocting other images for his artists, to get them to the top of this competitive industry. Lemme break it down like this, many folk enter this industry for the pomp and circumstance and get chewed up and spit out by it. Connal's endured. Shit, he already has a legacy amongst us artists. He knows what it takes to sell artists to labels and to sell units to the public. That's what this bizness be about. And that will never change. "
	Another multi-platinum artist, Nas, says of Connal, "The man has more integrity in his pinky than most artist managers have in their whole body. What's great about Kevin is his passion and how he relates to us as Black artists. Respect him, he returns that respect. And most importantly, he knows his stuff."
	"It would be easy for a rocker like me who's been around for something like 40 years to call Connal a survivor in a cut-throat industry," discusses Joe Perry legendary guitarist of Aerosmith. "But then, I can't call someone a survivor when he has not even begun to reach his peak. He's at a point where he's works with everyone that matters. It's his time for him to break his own acts and take them to all the places he's been. Anyone coming up in this business should consider it a godsend. He's got great ears and knows the ins and outs of image and marketing, and how important it is in this video age."
	When asked about Connal, Red Hot Chili Peppers rambunctious bassist Flea replies, "It was a sad day when the conflicts within this group caused Kev to stop working with us. Fucking-A, what is there to say about a guy who works his ass off for a band he doesn't even manage? The thing about Kev is he knows no 50%- he's 110% passionate about what he's doing or he doesn't do it. I love hanging out with Kev before and after shows because he's so cool, and you can bet on this- I've never spent a second with any other road manager before the show began or when the show was over."

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STRENGTHS & ADVANTAGES

At EMG we combine our immeasurable experience with our constant thirst to gain new knowledge as trends in the industry constantly change. No out-of-control egos here. No false promises. We are about direct professionalism, realism and honesty. Sometimes the truth is painful, hopefully and more frequently, pleasurable- and we will work together to make it happen. It's most definitely not a company where the president of EMG shields himself from the acts with buffer zones. He is as hands on as it gets.

Remember, at Exposure Management Group each client is a selectively chosen individual identity to us and we treat you that way. Expected and certainly demanded is reciprocal professionalism and respect in return. In our role as managers, we don't make decisions for our artists; we make decisions with our artists. We are a team, 24/7.

We once again stress that we approach our marketing techniques for each artist individually. We seek only quality acts, qualified and committed, because of their incredible hunger to make it in this brutally tough but greatly rewarding industry.

When asked why he'd consider working with an unknown artist Connal candidly replies, "Sometimes investing extra time leads to bigger and better things. I think it's important to establish that in the big picture what EMG is about is discovering unsigned acts and taking them as high as we can. It's easy to work with people like U2 or Destiny's Child as a road manager and make top dollar. However, I plan on developing our own exclusive acts that you can watch on MTV Cribs 10 years from now. I've worked much too hard at building my personal resume and hiring the right people to run EMG to slow down now. It's taken this long but I finally feel that the pieces are in place for EMG to make a strong run at anybody in this industry."

***All quotes are copy written and used with permission.

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Outlook

In the second quarter of 2007 we are more excited than ever. As our revenue streams continue to expand, we find ourselves poised for tremendous growth in breaking new artists. This process includes discovering such worthy market-ready artists, shopping them to the major labels, negotiating lucrative recording and performance contracts, and the host of obligations that accompany these ambitious successes (day-to-day management, production, touring, etc.)

Our industry sources which help us develop our intelligence for which music the world will embrace in the coming years within the entertainment industry, has us looking at young rappers/hip hop acts, Black, Hispanic and White artists alike, R&B artists, Latin pop acts, Rock acts (aimed at college markets), Reggaeton,Video Game Soundtracking,Electronica, Rave, Movie Soundtracks, and male and female voices which will always sustain their audience amongst a vast ranging age groups, as long as their image is strong and marketing on point.

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The Team

Kimi Mongello

Exposure Management Group is pleased to announce the promotion of staffer Kimi Mongello of Baltimore, MD. Kimi is a recent graduate of Boston's highly-renowned Berklee College of Music, where she graduated with honors from their Music Management Program. She served as intern to EMG President Kevin Connal for nearly one year prior to her 2005 appointment as EMG Vice President of East Coast Music Affairs.

In addition, Kesley Monticello has been promoted to EMG Vice President of West Coast Affairs, effective immediately. Monticello has been an EMG employee for seven years, ascending from the roles of Agent, Executive Agent, West Coast A&R, to his latest position.

"This company has grown much stronger with the advent and emergence of these two individuals as truly rising stars of our own," laments EMG President Kevin Connal." These appointments are crucial to our continued growth and current plan towards relocating to New York in the very near future."

Mauricio Arias

Born in Arica, Chile, South America, Arias came to America as a child. He became a United States Citizen in 1995 and shortly thereafter joined the United States Army. When his tour of duty concluded, Arias went to Florida International University and received his business degree in Management and Systems Analysis. It paved the way for his becoming EMG, INC. Director of Southern Operations. Based in Miami he heads up what is rapidly becoming known as EMG South headquarters. It includes a state-of-the-art recording studio, which is rapidly setting the South ablaze, with himself or right-hand man Mike Black frequently behind the console board, along with other skilled producers such as Gemini, Abel, Physicz, Bengi and Donbi.

His hands-on knowledge of the business and running a professional quality recording studio and contributing to creative and aesthetic sides of the facility, make him a valuable asset. But it is his warm calming sense of bilingual communications skills and understanding of multiple cultures that makes him fit seamlessly into the EMG Family. Being in Miami, he is overseeing many of our future Reggaeton artists, in addition to the core of Southern rappers we will be bringing out for years to come.

EMG, Inc. CEO/President Kevin Connal is so impressed with Arias both as a person, businessman and musical force that he has made Arias an original Board of Director member and shown his loyalty with a gift of stock company stock.

"Mo (Mauricio) and I are going to be together for a long time to come and I see us doing major massive things as a team, right along with our talented array of artists," said Connal.

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Advisory Board Members

	Gloria Estefan is a multi-million selling artist with a reign of over twenty-five years as the Queen of Latin-American Pop. This Cuban defector has set the pace since 1980 with such chart-topping tracks as "Conga," "Rhythm is Gonna Get You," "Anything For You," "Words Get In The Way" and "Here We Are." EMG Inc. President Kevin Connal became close with this superstar when he chronicled her entire day leading up to her
phenomenal co-headlining concert with Placido Domingo in New York's legendary Central Park before well over 500,000 spectators. In 1990 her life took a deadly turn when a semi-trailer collided with her tour bus. She suffered from a broken and dislocated vertebrae in her back, which left her little hope for full recovery according to doctors. Estefan beat the odds after sixteen months of grueling physical therapy. She celebrated her recovery in 1992 by doing a 29- country world tour. Upon return from that tour she was honored with a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. On March 21, 2006 Estefan on behalf of her Gloria Estefan Foundation donated one million dollars to the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, obviously a charity very close to her heart. She previously served as chairperson for the capital campaign that raised $40 million to build the new home of the Miami Project. She says she is "excited" to be a part of EMG, Inc.'s Advisory Board as she continues to deliver fresh new hits and an experienced perspective of the music business over the past 30 years.
	Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach is the consummate leader whether on the football field, battlefield, or business field. He led the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories in the 1972 and 1978 after a brilliant collegiate career as a Navy Midshipman. Following college he spent four years fulfilling his tour of duty obligations, before returning home and joining the Dallas Cowboys where he enjoyed an illustrious eleven-year
career (1969-1979). In 1985 he became a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. He met Connal several years ago at a charity benefit ball in Dallas, Texas, and the two remain in contact. Today his leadership is more prevalent than ever, as he has achieved astounding success as both real estate tycoon and business mogul. He brings a spirited attitude full of ideas and business knowledge to EMG Inc.'s Advisory Board.
	Ringo Starr was born in 1940 as Richard Starkey. Few knew at the time that he would grow up to be idolized by the world as the quirky, friendly, and often underappreciated drummer of Rock and Roll's royal first family, The Beatles. Who can forget those images of girls fainting in the black and white clips from the sixties as Starr, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison first landed in American,
playing such rock and roll hall of fame events as the Ed Sullivan Show and Shea Stadium in New York. At 65 years, old while most people are watching the mail for their AARP cards Starr continues to 'rock on,' annually assembling an eclectic group of aging yet still very valid musicians for Ringo's Touring All-Starrs. Joe Walsh, former lead guitarist of 70s&80s super group The Eagles, introduced Connal to Starr after an all-starr band date on a summer tour where Walsh joined in the band. The two became friends and have kept in touch ever since. What can be said about the Beatles that hasn't already been said? One of their many phenomenal feats and perhaps the one which best sums up the legacy Starr and his fellow Beatles built and continues to grow into the 21st Century is their claim as "Group with the longest span of #1 albums in the Billboard album charts, an amazing 36 years and 51 weeks (1964 to 2001). Starr is a man who has virtually seen it all and done most of it, releasing over 20 solo albums in addition to the plethora of Beatles' discs. He has experience with over 25 record labels in his fifty-year musical career and remains very in tune with the many mass media outlets of today, doing frequent web chats about his musical experiences and his vision of where music is headed. He brings all of this vast knowledge and experience to EMG Inc.'s Advisory Board.
	Larry Mullen, Jr. is the drummer of U2, presently the world's most famous rock and roll band, according to Rolling Stone Magazine. They began as four junior high school buddies in Dublin, Ireland teaming up for a talent show. In 2006, more than 25 years after that talent show, they swept every music industry award for which they were eligible, including best rock performance by a band, album of the year, and song of the year at the recent
February 6, 2006 Grammy Awards, which annually pays homage to music's best of everything. Mullen brings a vast amount of experience in a rock and roll band to the table. He first met EMG CEO/President Connal in 1980 at his group's Boston concert debut. The two hit it off so well that Mullen, Jr. asked Connal to join the band the next night as they played New York City's infamous Ritz Ballroom. No one could have predicted then that Connal would later be tagged to pen an entire magazine/fanzine on the band, which would sell out all one million copies. In 2006, the band netted $212 million in concert revenues, according to Pollstar Magazine, second only to The Rolling Stones. According to the RIAA, U2 has sold more than 50 million albums in the U.S. and over 150 million albums worldwide. The band has won 22 Grammy Awards, second only to Stevie Wonder among pop artists. Mullen, Jr. remains the thoughtful and provocative member of the band. Like his band, he is as relevant as any present day artist, and on top of the charts and the music business, which makes him a very powerful and pivotal force on EMG Inc.'s Advisory Board.

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Chris Cornell of Audioslave

"KC is a man with definite vision of what the people want"

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder

"Connal carries himself with a true professionalism, but he's just a down to earth dude like us"

Mariah Carey stopped by EMG offices before her Sony debut

Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry, a long time EMG ally, smiles for the camera