PEOPLE
Ryan Wines // Managing Partner + Director of Music Supervision + Producer
Co-founder and Managing Partner of Marmoset Music, Ryan Wines has worked on both the agency side and the client side of the of advertising world, while simultaneously pursuing adventures in music. An Oregon native, in less than two years Ryan has turned a random idea between two guys in a coffee shop into a rocketing music agency, shepherding a growing conduit between Portland's indie music community and Madison Avenue. During Marmoset's brief history, they've scored original music for commercials in the past two Super Bowls, they regularly work with the top creative agencies on the planet, and have cultivated a unique community of uber-talented, hard working, blue collar artists.
Ryan got his first taste of the music biz as a college radio DJ at his alma mater, Southern Oregon University, where he played the entire Beastie Boys catalog, almost exclusively. He's advised and consulted a diverse roster of artists, including The Dandy Warhols, The Dimes, Logan Lynn and Dolorean, and served as Label Manager for The Dandy Warhol's label, Beat The World Records.
At Marmoset Ryan's focus includes leading the agency's creative strategy, producing, overseeing all music supervision and music licensing endeavors, client management, and he plays a mean game of foosball.
In his free time, Ryan puts out records with his own boutique record label, Timber Carnival Recordings, and most of all, he enjoys spending time with his baby girl, Eleanor. Also noteworthy, Ryan is in outpatient treatment for a well documented addiction to nachos. Give the guy some chips and cheese and there's no telling what might happen. Seriously.
You can contact Ryan at ryan(at)marmosetmusic.com or at 503.877.2328.
+ Connect with Ryan on Facebook: facebook.com/ryanwines
+ Follow Ryan on Twitter: twitter.com/marmosetmusic
Brian Hall // Creative Director + Producer + Partner
We hate to brag, but it's hard to contain the enthusiasm we have for our co-founder and lead creative, Brian Hall. Behind his gigantic red beard and youthful demeanor is a true anomaly. Simply put, he's the secret sauce on our marmoset.
At an early age, Brian made his mark as a rising young maestro in the music production business, working with a long list of music houses and agencies. Brian also enjoys scoring soundtracks for independent film projects. When he's not working on demos until 3am at Marmoset Studios, he finds time to write music for and lead his Portland-based baroque-pop band.
For fun, Brian divides his time between playing indoor soccer with friends and playing imaginary soccer: FIFA 2011 on Xbox 360. He's sorta addicted.
Brian's ability to appreciate the spirit of a spot and translate the intangibles into compelling and emotionally conducive sounds has been the catalyst to his early and continued success. This is reflected throughout our reel. You can contact Brian at brian(at)marmosetmusic.com
Eric Nordby // Music Supervisor + Artist Relations
Nicknamed "The Weather" by his friends, Eric Nordby is an Oregonian through and through. A recent graduate of Portland State University, Eric studied Music History, Norwegian and interpretive tribal dance. At Marmoset, Eric is involved in almost every facet of our little community, heading-up Artist Relations, Music Licensing, and managing a wide array of projects. Before joining Marmoset Music, Eric led Northwest street team promotions for Polyvinyl Records... and in his early college days at Oregon State University, he was the Assistant Rock Director and DJ for 88.7FM KBVR.
Eric has a impressive vinyl record collection that literally fills up a small bedroom from floor to ceiling and nearly wall to wall. However, more than just a music enthusiast, Eric is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the band, Norman, a Portland-based alt-country pop band. In his free time, Eric is an avid collector and repairman of vintage instruments - mostly guitar equipment, organs and synthesizers. He also has a sweet pair of salmon colored pants that drives both men and women crazy.
You can reach Eric at eric(at)marmosetmusic.com or at 541.760.7169.
+ Connect with Eric on Facebook: facebook.com/eric.nordby
Ron Lewis // Music Supervisor + Composer
Ron Lewis is a renaissance man. Once upon a time, he navigated the high seas of artisanal cheese as a professional cheesemonger. Preferring two wheels to four, he's deep into the world of competitive road cycling and some would say he's a bit obsessive about bike building. Ron studied photography at the Corcoran School of Art and graduated from the BFA program at UM in Missoula, MT. Legend has it, he interned with Michaelangelo and once slayed a dragon , simply so he could serve dragon pâté at a dinner party.
Despite his sophisticated palate and recreational endeavors, he's found time to record and tour with a long list of indie bands, including The Shins, Grand Archives, Ghost Stories, Joggers, Mines, The Halo Project, and Jetsetter. Ron is currently playing guitar in The Fruit Bats and maintains an electronic drone project he's been exploring since 1998 under the name Ossature. Ron calls the great Pacific Northwest home and holds down the fort at Marmoset as one of our lead composers.
Rob Dennler // Producer + Studio Wizard
Rob Dennler: Enigmatic. Scrupulous. Wry. Tattooed. Mustachioed… A perfect villain, one might say. We however, like to think of him as our secret weapon behind the glass.
A California native, Rob split his time between San Diego and Los Angeles before his arrival in Portland in 2010. Growing up on the golden coast, Rob spent his days playing baseball, listening to records, and bangin' drums. His palette for acute details, and aptitude for memorizing movie quotes, tv theme songs & other irrelevant trivia has earned him the title "the human database of useless information". It's true, he's in the Guinness book. You can look it up for yourself. Wait... No, that's not true. Don't do that.
Over the past 12 years, Rob has spent much of his time working as an engineer / producer. He is most at home in the recording studio, where he's had the good fortune of working beside such amazing artists as Built to Spill, A Fine Frenzy, Fun., Sheryl Crow, The Parson Red Heads, and Pierre DeReeder (Rilo Kiley). He has also toured extensively as a musician, and as a sound engineer / drum tech.
Contrary to popular belief, Rob was not hired at Marmoset merely because he loves tacos and bourbon. He is also a coffee and fried foods savant--he loves his mama’s southern cookin’ . When he's not producing kick ass jams for Marmoset, Rob spends his time rooting for the Lakers, Chargers and Padres. He is an aficionado of industrial design, and likes to build things with wood and metal. Rob also has an insatiable appetite for new music, and can often be spotted at one of Portland's many music venues.
Brandon Day // Artist Relations + Licensing Coordinator
Brandon Day just might be the most enthusiastic music aficionado on the planet. No joke. He knows more bands than Portland has umbrellas...and has seen most of them live. Born and raised in the "Grass Seed Capital of the World" - Albany, Oregon, Brandon is currently pursuing a degree in Business at Portland State University and has an unexplainable affinity for salads...and curry chicken...and Vetiver, among other things. Helping out with artist relations and music licensing at Marmoset, Brandon holds down the Marmoset Blog and is a dang good photographer too.
You can reach Brandon at brandon(at)marmosetmusic.com
Rémi Boille // Licensing Coordinator + Artist Relations + Project Wrangler
Rémi Boille is Marmoset’s Music French connection. He comes from the rough and wild streets of Paris, with a master degree from the University of Paris 8, and a thesis about the “dematerialization of the music in the 21st century.” While he was causing trouble in France, he was also studying cello, bass guitar and composition in the conservatory and touring with bands across France and Europe. Boille has even released several EPs, and one LP with different bands. He is actually producing music and working with different bands around the Portland area.
Boille is soft-spoken, but contains a vast knowledge of music, giving Marmoset a transcontinental insight. He also brings in experience from working with OPB and several French record labels or more recently booking some bands for “Villette Sonique” one of the best indie music festival in Paris, France.
Amy Hall // Business Affairs + Details
Truth be told, Amy Hall is the glue that keeps Marmoset together. She works with both clients and artists, keeping tabs on all of the details and fine print that might otherwise fall through the cracks. Amy manages budgets, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and is quickly becoming our resident expert on everything in the Performing Rights Organization universe. Oh my.
Born and raised out in the sticks near Stayton, Oregon, Amy's baroque folk-pop band recently released a debut record.
You can reach Amy at amy(at)marmosetmusic.com
Sapient // Composer
Born Marcus Williams, Sapient is a son of hippie parents and a Portland underground hip-hop veteran. He's been making music with the nine-person group Sandpeople, Dabaser, as well as producing his self-titled projects since he was just a skate punk in Eugene, Oregon. Creating some of his most experimental projects to date, Sapient samples all his influences to create what we'd consider a golden basket of musical-goodness. So there's no confusion: veteran doesn't mean old. Sapient is straight killing it.
David Swensen // Composer
David Swensen and music go hand-in-hand... sorta like a mug and coffee. While we're not quite sure which is the mug and which is the coffee, we do know you can't have one without the other. Being a multi-instrumentalist since puberty, David has always been fascinated by music and the infinite ocean of instruments available to create it. A graduate of the University of Oregon's Music program and The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, David's super powers are seeded in his appetite for analog. In fact, he often dreams in analog... only waking to change the tapes.
David worked for The Dust Brothers for a spell at their famed "The Boat" studio, where he watched a lot of television with Beck while working on the reissue Odelay. Other credits include David Byrne's Here Lies Love with Fatboy Slim, Grace Potter and the Nocturnes, and others. He particularly enjoyed working alongside Eddie Kramer for a session, who recorded the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, the Stones, Zepplin, Bowie, and recorded the original Woodstock festival. Marmoset Trivia: You can hear David's hand claps on Odelay (reissue).
While playing guitar and bass in the Parson Red Heads, David toured with Blitzen Trapper and shared the stage with Delta Spirit, J. Tillman, Crystal Skulls, Beach House, Blonde Redhead, Silver Jews, Sea Wolf, and Devandra Banhart to name a few. David also recorded, mixed and co-produced The Parson Red Heads 2008 release, "Owl and Timber." You can contact David at david(at)marmosetmusic.com
Matthew Ellis // Composer
French horn player and conductor turned electronic composer and multi-instrumentalist, Matthew Ellis got his start at an early age playing in wind ensembles and even went on to write and conduct them. Like many Portland, Oregon musicians, while he calls Portland home, Ellis is a transplant. Originally from central Florida, Ellis relocated to live cheaply, drink beer and make music. Naturally, Portland was an ideal location for said life style.
These days Ellis takes advantage of the long winters and wet surroundings by staying... and playing inside; keeping dry, drinking coffee and producing dark 80ʼs dance pop. He just released his second EP, revealing a sinister tale about things we encounter in the sub conscience through an 80's electronic vessel. His live shows have created quite a buzz over the past year, integrating a fascinating mixed media art installation, complete with lasers and mirror and fog machines and bird nests around the stage.
Adam Souza // Video Production + Creative Ninja
Adam Souza's role with Marmoset can probably be summed up in three letters: BFF. He's the creative juice behind most of our random ideas and creative pipe dreams. A one man wrecking crew, Adam is a video production wizard. You can check out some of his work here: http://adamsouza.virb.com/
Last Summer, Adam and his brothers walked the entire length of the proposed California Light Rail and turned it into a video blog project called We Make the Road By Walking. In his spare time, Adam is a ladies man.
Phil Nelson // Project Manager
Born and raised in the Midwest, Phil Nelson grew a beard at a young age. After many years of religiously listening to Motown and The Beatles, Radiohead blew his musical universe apart with the release of OK Computer, solidifying his desire to find fresh, daring music. Phil grew up playing instruments in rock bands, jazz combos and wind ensembles. He and his beard made the pilgrimage to the Pacific Northwest after graduating from Anderson University with a degree in Music Business. The two arrived completely unaware that Portland would be home to the tastiest brunch either would ever encounter. Phil currently works with Marmoset as a music licensing intern. A total foosball noob, Phil is dedicated to learning and improving so that one day he can reign as foosball champion of Marmoset. He also likes crackers.
Izzy Berlin // Artist Relations + Licensing Assistant
Izzy is beyond psyched to be working as an intern at Marmoset. She spent a year at Portland State University before deciding to take film classes at Mt. Hood Community College instead. She’s known the damp, leafy green of the Pacific Northwest since she was a wee lass, having grown up on a large rock off the shore of Seattle called Vashon Island. She and her family migrated here in ’05 and have been enjoying the seemingly endless wonders of Portland ever since. When not at Marmoset Headquarters, she’s probably either watching classic Star Trek on Netflix or writing bad screenplays. She spends too much time on Tumblr and plays bass guitar.
Shane Geiger // Licensing Coordinator + Technology Wrestler
Born and raised in the Portland area, Shane has always felt at home in the Pacific Northwest. He attended the University of Portland, and during his time on the bluff he became infatuated with the Portland music scene. Frequently opting to forgo food to pay for concert tickets, he can often be found attending just about every electro-pop show that Portland has to offer. Shane is a talented saxophone player as well, and one day dreams of joining a Glenn Miller-esque jazz band. He also owns an Akai MPK25 and a pirated copy of Ableton, and, using an alter-ego, plans on becoming a world-renowned electronic artist without any of his friends knowing.
Beyond music, Shane is an avid runner who competed in track and cross country for UP. He’s also vegan, so feel free to taunt him with cheeseburgers and pepperoni pizza at your own leisure.
Stirling Myles // Social Media + Copywriter
Weaned from the mountains of Colorado and a hippie Buddhist writing school, Stirling brings literary prowess to the Marmoset family being our Social Media Intern. He will make a point to allude to Doom and Drone Metal analogies as much as possible on the blog. When not in the office, Stirling might be touring and playing shows in his band Alameda or venturing out to the coast for intense sessions of Tuvan throat singing.
You can reach Stirling at stirling(at)marmosetmusic.com