TEAM AFS
FRANCIS GARCIA
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
Francis Garcia is a multidisciplinary music executive with 20+ years experience spanning creative direction, sonic identity, composition, music supervision, licensing, talent curation, live experiences and audio production for visual media and brands. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Radio/TV/Film, Garcia spent the better part of the 90s scoring independent feature films, skateboarding and spreading the DIY gospel in Austin, where his former bands shared the stage with the likes of Green Day, Jimmy Eat World and Fugazi. Following his stint as Head of Music Supervision/Composer at Elias Music in NYC, Garcia founded SHOUT IT OUT LOUD MUSIC - cited as one of Sonic Scoop Magazine’s ‘Top Music & Audio Business Developments of 2012’. His body of work includes music for Broad City, Squarespace, Amazon, Disney, Viceland, Lexus, Audi, Victoria’s Secret, CoverGirl and countless others. Most notably, he helmed the sonic rebrand of COMEDY CENTRAL, which received ‘Best Sonic Branding’ accolades at the 2019 Association of Music Producers Awards. Garcia’s accomplishments also include curating 13 consecutive SXSW showcases, sponsoring high-visibility events with Moby, Phoenix and BrooklynVegan, and co-directing the documentary film “100 Bands In 100 Days”, which premiered at the SXSW 2011 Film Festival.
LYLE HYSEN
SVP CREATIVE LICENSING
In addition to his work with Academy Fight Songs, Lyle Hysen is the Founder and Head Of Creative at Bank Robber Music (BRM), a music licensing company, which was started in 2004. Working with labels including Merge Records, Mute, Delmark and many more Bank Robber has placed songs in television shows including “Shameless”, “13 Reasons Why“, “Walking Dead”, as well as in commercial campaigns for Chipotle, Red Lobster, Sonos and a number of other internationally renowned brands. In 2007, Lyle created House of Hassle (HOH), a music publishing company with partners Ken Weinstein and Gandhar Savur, who subsequently signed artists such as Zach Schwartz (of Rogue Wave), Built To Spill, Chelsea Wolfe and The Tallest Man On Earth. In 2016, House Of Hassle acquired Rough Trade Publishing (RTP), originally founded in the UK by Cathi Gibson and Geoff Travis, and merged it with the already existing HoH publishing company. Prior to founding BRM and HOH/RTP, Lyle was head of Film and TV licensing at Matador Records. Previous to that (1986-1994), Lyle was Drummer/Manager of the band Das Damen, touring throughout the US and Europe and releasing records on a number of major independent labels including SST, Sub-Pop, and Twin Tone. Lyle is currently the drummer of The Royal Arctic Institute.
AJ TOBEY
SVP A&R
If you've attended a show in NYC, chances are AJ Tobey was there too. As SVP of A&R for Academy Fight Songs, Rough Trade Publishing and Bank Robber Music, AJ has been busy curating the best new sounds to join the already impressive publishing roster that includes artists like The Magnetic Fields, Alvvays and Chelsea Wolfe, and labels such as Merge, Mute, and Polyvinyl, among many others. In the music publishing business, you are only as good as your last sync. Luckily for AJ, and the rest of his cohorts at Bank Robber Music, they consistently land big pay days for all of their artists by placing music in top tier shows like “Lovecraft Country,” “Shameless,” “The Simpsons” and “Fargo,” in recent films “Candyman,” “Moxie,” “Play It As It Lies" and “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” as well as in commercial campaigns for internationally renowned brands, including Apple, Volkswagen and Chips Ahoy. Before accepting a position in the licensing world, AJ spent 8 years managing emerging indie rock bands, consulting for record labels and heading up operations for Flea Marketing, a company that served as the liaison between record labels (including Barsuk, Dangerbird and Warner Bros) and top independent record stores.
EMILY ROMAN
MANAGER OF CREATIVE SERVICES
Emily Roman is an LA native with the music industry engraved in her, from childhood. After studying in both London and UCSB, Emily began her music licensing career at Hidden Track Music, proudly representing a carefully hand-picked roster of music ranging from Skrillex’s label, OWSLA, to the Oasis catalogue. At Hidden Track she handled music pitching, and marketing to trailer houses, ad agencies, and supervisors. She also had the privilege of assisting legendary music supervisor, Budd Carr, on two indie films in her spare time. In addition to her work with Academy Fight Songs, Emily is currently also the Associate Director of Synch & A&R at Bank Robber Music / Rough Trade Publishing - West Coast. Emily has brought in numerous A&R signings which consistently clear for sync and custom opportunities for the likes of Kipo: Age of The Wonder-beast, SHRILL, & many more. She is proud to work at such a reputable group of companies, representing incredible and successful indie artists. In tandem with her current work efforts, Emily is also currently incubating a non-profit called Sound Initiative, with an objective to connect Black artists, songwriters, producers and composers to sync opportunities.
MATTHEW DUFOUR
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Nashville based Matt DuFour began his music career at The Cornerstone Agency, managing specialty radio campaigns for many heavy hitters, while also working in the experiential marketing department to execute programs for lifestyle brands like Converse, Adidas, Puma, and Diesel. Matt then began his transition into live events as the Director of Vibe at Hard Rock Hotels, where he launched a live music series with acts like the Black Lips, Built to Spill, YACHT, and Best Coast, forming new partnerships with venues, brands and media outlets along the way. Matt then took on the role of VP of Artist Development at ReverbNation, all the while continuing his work in live events and brand sponsorships. In 2019, Matt began working with Virgin Hotels, playing an integral role in the opening of the brand’s Nashville property in Spring 2020, where he crafted the property’s musical point of view, including music and entertainment programming for all three hotel outlets. Matt marries this extensive background in A&R, live events, and branding, along with significant experience as the President of his family business DuFour & DuFour Consulting, Inc., in his role as our Chief Operating Office, while also leading our company into the area of experiential live events.
GANDHAR SAVUR
SVP LEGAL AFFAIRS
Gandhar Savur is a transactional music attorney based in NYC. He currently serves as a Partner, and SVP Legal Affairs, for Academy Fight Songs, Rough Trade Publishing, and Bank Robber Music (and is a co-founder of the first two companies). In this capacity, Gandhar leads the negotiations for all signings to the client roster, oversees the administration of all licensing efforts in tv/film and advertising, as well as managing catalogue licensing for new platforms and technologies. In addition to his work with these companies, Gandhar is also the founder of Savur Law P.C.; a boutique music law firm that represents over one hundred artists, individuals and businesses on all matters related to entertainment, corporate, transactional, employment, intellectual property, and contract law. Gandhar’s wealth of experience is derived from over 15 years of practicing law in the music industry, particularly in the areas of licensing, recording agreements and publishing. Gandhar brings this knowledge and experience to his leadership role at Academy Fight Songs. Before practicing law, Gandhar began his music industry career in the licensing department of Matador Records. And before that, he spent a number of years touring in relatively unsuccessful punk bands.
JOSH JOSEPH
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
Josh’s extensive success in business has led him to the position of Chief Strategy Officer for Academy Fight Songs. Josh was a Founder of Grassroots Cannabis, a multi-state cannabis company that was sold in July 2020 for approximately $850.0 million. Starting with three successful dispensary license applications in Illinois, Josh and his partners built Grassroots to the largest privately-held cannabis company in the US, operating in 12 states and with over 1,100 employees. Josh also spent the majority of his career in commercial real estate, with principal and brokerage transactions totaling in excess of $1.0 billion. His vision behind investing has been strategic and opportunistic, while the clients he has served and continues to serve include some of the country’s largest banks, Special Servicers, and public and private real estate companies. In addition to his goal of achieving market domination for Academy Fight Songs, Josh is the Founder and CEO of Big Plan Holdings, a Nashville based diversified family holding company with investments in various industries, including music and entertainment. As a serial entrepreneur, Josh helps incubate new business ventures, and sits as a Board Member of various companies and organizations.
KIM VLACHOS
HEAD OF COPYRIGHT ADMINISTRATION
Kim Vlachos is our Head of Administration. In this role, she manages all areas of copyright administration including registrations, royalties, and catalogue licensing. Kim moved from Boston, MA to New York City in 2003 after graduating from Berklee College of Music. Kim worked at the independent publisher Cherry Lane Music Publishing in the licensing department for 7 years. After BMG acquired Cherry Lane Music in 2009, Kim continued to work in licensing, but was also drafted into licensing for BMG's new record label division. After 3 years at BMG, she took on a role at Youtube, working specifically in their content management system and assisting in projects related to Youtube Music. Having an opportunity to transition back to her primary love of music publishing, Kim took on a position with Reservoir Media Management, where she worked as Director of Licensing, overseeing licensing for various license types, including mechanical, samples, lyrics, digital video streaming and grand rights. In addition to overseeing the administration team at Academy Fight Songs, Kim professionally resides at Rough Trade Publishing, managing the daily operations of the administration and royalties department.
