AWAL

AWAL is Kobalt Music’s answer to the traditional record label – offering deals and a range of services to independent artists without locking them into long-term, exclusive agreements or having them give up ownership or control. The roster ranges from new, breaking artists to global successes, including Lauv, Kim Petras, Gus Dapperton, Finneas, and many more.

As the brand Creative Director for AWAL, I was in charge of design across multiple channels, including digital, print, email, social media, display ads, and more. My team and I were the brand storytellers – leveraging a multichannel strategy, we were responsible for building it from the ground up, on a global scale.

Working closely with the international offices and teams in LA and London we developed a united worldwide brand representation. This included launching new integrated campaigns, building global event activations, creating marketing and advertising collateral, developing original content and franchises, as well as artist promotion, editorial work, and website relaunches.

An evolving brand with a no-size-fits-all offering, AWAL had to better communicate with artists at different career stages. We worked with award-winning agencies Rain and (Amsterdam-based) Your Majesty to simplify our messaging and relaunch our website. Employing an in-depth, strategic approach to better understand our (current and potential) artists, explain our services, and streamline the application process.

During my time at AWAL, we raised $150 million in funding, acquired radio promotions company In2une Music, announced a strategic partnership with independent label, Glassnote Records, were named to Billboard’s 2018 Digital Power Players – Music Groups list, and signed artists such as deadmau5, Little Simz, mxmtoon, Snoh Aalegra, girl in red, Jungle, Omar Apollo, Now United, and more.