Lila Gerson has joined the Concerts department at Los Angeles-based talent agency APA, serving as Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Brand Partnerships.
APA’s music roster includes Mary J. Blige, Brian Wilson, Blondie, Bryce Vine, Trevor Arnold, Ingrid Michaelson, Jeff Bridges, 50 Cent, TI, Tyga and others.
The news was jointly announced today by Steve Martin, Bruce Solar and Steve Lassiter, Co-Heads of Worldwide Music at APA.
Gerson is based out of APA’s New York office, and will oversee all artist partnership, tour sponsorship, endorsement, and digital & social campaigns for the agency’s expanding music roster.
Gerson joins APA following more than a decade of senior roles driving strategic marketing, brand partnerships and business development for global music, entertainment and media companies.
Most recently, she served as SVP, Global Marketing & Communications at Nielsen Entertainment, where she led global brand/content/event/digital/product marketing and communications for Nielsen’s Music, Sports, Esports, Games & Book businesses.
“Lila has an extraordinary talent and history for guiding the strategic marketing and brand partnerships of major talent and brands in the music industry.”
Steve Martin, Bruce Solar and Steve Lassiter, APA
Previously, Gerson served as VP, Brand Partnerships for Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), where she created cross-platform partnerships with blue-chip brands such as Pepsi, Samsung, Delta and Chrysler to help elevate the careers of artists across the label’s roster.
Prior to Warner, she spent many years with Billboard, elevating to Executive Director of Business Development & Strategy where she developed and executed the plan that helped transform Billboard.com from a music industry website to a highly trafficked global consumer destination for music fans.
Gerson also helped launch successful franchises including Billboard’s Women In Music, consumer events such as the Billboard/Pepsi Summer Beats concert series, numerous custom content series for a wide range of brands, and was part of the team that relaunched the Billboard Music Awards.
In addition to her work in the music/entertainment industry, Gerson has been deeply involved in non-profit and business ventures that support women, including the T.J. Martell Foundation’s Me For You movement and Women of Influence event, as well as the financial literacy start-up She Stacks.
“Lila has an extraordinary talent and history for guiding the strategic marketing and brand partnerships of major talent and brands in the music industry,” said Martin, Solar and Lassiter in a joint statement.
“We’re thrilled to have her join our team and look forward to working with her across all divisions of our Concerts department.”Music Business Worldwide