About

Ty Stiklorius is the Founder and CEO of Friends At Work, a management, entertainment and social impact company that partners with leading creators, influencers and brands to elevate important voices and help their vision thrive. Founded in 2015, LA-based Friends At Work supports the careers of artists including John Legend, Lindsey Stirling, and Raphael Saadiq among others. Friends At Work also partners with corporations and individuals on social impact strategy, business development, and creative storytelling and production. Ty’s work with John Legend began in 2006 with JL Ventures, where she created and developed artist-focused strategies for content innovation and social impact. Ty is a principal alongside John Legend in the Get Lifted Film Co. production company. She served as Executive Producer on the Oscar-winning film La La Land, WGN’s hit series Underground, A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy and most recently won an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert on NBC. Ty and Legend have started multiple non-profit partnerships including the Show Me Campaign and #FREEAMERICA to influence the national conversation regarding mass incarceration and prosecutor integrity. Their work strives to tackle many issues within the criminal justice system, specifically advocating to end the practice of life without parole for children, amplifying the voices of those impacted by the criminal justice system, and breaking down stereotypes to end the era of mass incarceration in America. In 2017, Fast Company included Ty on their Most Creative People list and Billboard named her as one of the most powerful women in music. Ty earned an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA from The University of Pennsylvania. She serves various non-profit and private company boards, including Penn Law's Advisory Board for the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice, LIFT-Los Angeles, and Americans for the Arts.
Listen to Ty's playlist here - This Is: Ty

Rob English is a Cultural Change Specialist. Starting his career in traditional advertising he learned Brand Architecture while leading the creative vision on initiatives for Fortune 500 brands such as Vitamin Water, Reebok and Volkswagen. Specializing in brand development, he has a proven passion for breakthrough creative that can penetrate elusive and rapidly evolving targets such as youth, tech and fashion. Specializing in merging brands with culture, Rob led the creative vision of Vitamin Water’s first national advertising campaigns with 50 cent. Following this he was an agency creative lead for the Lifestyle division of Reebok which included women’s fashion and their legendary music programs. Through this work Rob’s brand and culture talents were utilized in launches for the Ice Cream Skate Shoe brand with Pharrell Williams, Scarlett Hearts with Scarlett Johansson, S. Carter with Jay Z and the G-Unit brand with 50 Cent. This path soon led Rob to leave traditional advertising and begin working directly with artists and cultural figures. Establishing a more nimble approach to branding, storytelling and artist campaign development he creative directed marketing campaigns for Lady Gaga including her retail experience “Gaga’s Workshop” with Barney’s New York and her global perfume launch called Lady Gaga FAME. In 2016 Rob joined Ty Stiklorius to co-found the Artist Management firm Friends At Work, where he has creative directed for artists including John Legend and Lindsey Stirling. Rob now heads The Work bringing culture to the Social Impact space, Rob has worked on impact initiatives focused on the future of learning (MacArthur Foundation, CZI, SNHU) and criminal justice reform (John Legend's FREEAMERICA). Rob and The Work team conceptualized and produced “The Stinky Booty Song” Pampers Pure campaign with John Legend, which started a conversation about men and parenthood.

Erik Flannigan is a veteran music executive and manager who consults on FAW client management strategy. He is also a producer, filmmaker, journalist, music archivist and author. Recent producing projects include “John Legend and Family: A Bigger Love Father’s Day” (ABC), The National’s live album “Juicy Sonic Magic” and accompanying documentary short, Juicy Sonic Magic: The Mike Millard Method and the NBC holiday special “A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy.” He is also a strategic consultant to NUGS.net on their live music distribution platform. Prior to coming to FAW, Erik was EVP of Music/Events Strategy and Development at MTV where he oversaw the network’s music series, specials and annual tentpole events including the Video Music Awards, as well as leading the network’s Music and Talent division, emerging artist platforms, strategic partnerships and MTV Live. Prior to MTV, Erik was a leader in VIACOM’s Music & Entertainment Group, where he was in charge of multi-platform programming and product for MTV, VH1, Comedy Central and Spike. He joined Viacom from AOL in 2006, where he served as GM and Vice President of Programming, responsible for AOL Music, AOL Radio, Moviefone.com and AOL Television. Before that, Erik worked at The Walt Disney Company as Vice President of Programming for Moviebeam, overseeing film acquisitions and programming for the first-generation movie streaming service and prior to that, he was Vice President of Music Services and Programming at RealNetworks where he launched the first subscription music services in the US. Earlier, Erik was SVP, Entertainment Verticals, for the Walt Disney Internet Group, where he was the head of ABC.com, Movies.com, MrShowbiz.com and WallofSound.com. Erik is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle.

Adina Friedman was recently named President of Artist Management for Friends at Work, which she helped to launch in 2015. Adina manages electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling, singer-songwriter RuthAnne, and is launching up-and-coming acts Speelburg and Frawley. A Detroit native, Adina got her start as a college marketing rep for Atlantic Records at the University of Michigan, where her eagerness and resourcefulness soon won her a full-time position at Warner Music's New York office. While there, Adina quickly rose through the ranks, eventually landing in Warner's Direct to Consumer department, where she managed the online presence of industry heavyweights such as Paramore, Bruno Mars, and Shinedown. She concurrently launched her own artist management company, where Adina secured major licensing deals and national tours for developing artists, and previously worked at indie start-up tinyOGRE. She soon caught the attention of John Legend's management, who beckoned her to L.A. to become a valued part of their team and later joined Atom Factory. In early 2013 she began working on Lindsey Stirling and become a vital part of Lindsey's growth and success. In October of 2015 she joined Ty Stiklorius as part of her new venture Friends At Work and has continued to take on new clients in the years since. In 2019, shesaid.so named Adina to their Alternative Power 100 List.

Catherine Stellin Waller is Friends at Work’s Chief Marketing Officer. With more than 20 years experience in strategic marketing, consumer insights and entertainment marketing, she provides the strategic vision and management for all of our artists’ relationships with brands. Notable work includes an ongoing relationship with Pampers, which combines content marketing with social impact initiatives, including a relationship with John Legend that highlights the importance of fathers and resulted in the installation of 15,000 diaper changing stations in men’s restrooms across the country. The relationship grew to a partnership with Procter & Gamble to shine a light on racial bias. In the years prior to joining FAW Catherine was SVP at strategic advisory firm, MediaLink, at the experiential marketing firm Civic Entertainment Group, and at the publicity firm PMK/HBH. She spent nearly a decade at Creative Artists Agency, working at the intersection of brands and entertainment. In the social impact space, Catherine has worked with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Natural Resource Defense Council and is a passionate advocate for equal access to special education. Catherine is a noted authority on consumer insights and marketing trends and has spoken at USC’s School of Cinema and Television, Harvard Business School, and New York University. She has also been on NBC’s The Today Show and CNN’s Headline News discussing a diverse range of topics from youth culture to health care. Catherine graduated from the University of Michigan and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

Jeremy Gruber is the Head of Artist Marketing & Digital Strategy at Friends At Work, representing artists including John Legend, Lindsey Stirling and Raphael Saadiq. Jeremy has spent more than a decade working with artists at all levels helping them grow their brand and businesses by bringing together traditional marketing with the latest technology. Growing up the child of classical musicians and music teachers, he picked up electric bass at age 14, igniting his passion for all forms of music. After graduating with a Music Industry degree from USC, Jeremy started his career in artist management and marketing helping to manage the wine label, public speaking and corporate career of legendary drummer Mick Fleetwood at the boutique firm Sabre Entertainment. He went on to run digital for 10th Street Entertainment and Eleven Seven Music working with marquee rock bands including Mötley Crüe, Papa Roach, JET and Blondie. In 2010, he joined the leading independent label Concord Music Group helping to establish the direct to consumer team and later building the digital marketing & strategy department where he worked closely with established legends like Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Gregg Allman and James Taylor as well as up-and-coming stars including the launch of Nathaniel Ratliff & the Night Sweats. In addition to his artist marketing work, Jeremy is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California's music industry program and is a partner at the marketing tech startup found.ee.
Listen to Jeremy's playlist here - This Is: Jeremy

John (Jay Dub) Warren is the head of Friends At Work’s touring department. Jay Dub is a native Angeleno who started in show business in junior high when he was cast in a Broadway play in New York City. After spending time with professional stage hands, lighting and sound techs, he knew his future would be working behind the scenes. After high school he spent a few years working in and around entertainment until he found work as a roadie, touring with a number of notable acts including Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills and Nash, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Toto, John Fogerty and The Beach Boys. In the late eighties he took a short break to open a full-service keyboard rental and cartage company in Los Angeles where he worked with the best studio musicians, producers and composers in the business, but returned to touring a few years as a Tour Manager and Tour Accountant, serving many years with bands such as the String Cheese Incident, several incarnations of the remaining members of the Grateful Dead, Keller Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo, Brian Wilson, The West Coast arm of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Lumineers, Lady Gaga and others. In addition to being FAW’s head of touring, Jay Dub serves as John Legend’s tour manager and tour accountant.

Taina Nieves is part of the Friends At Work artist management team and runs day-to-day for John Legend. Brooklyn-born and Florida-raised, Taina first established her reputation within the music industry when she began working with Earth, Wind & Fire in 2010. After receiving her Juris Doctorate and passing the Florida Bar, Taina decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment law. After touring with EWF for several months, she began working within the legal department at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles. Later that year, she was offered a position at Azoff Management by EWF’s manager. This move awakened her desire to turn her focus from the legal field to a career in artist management—a decision for which she is eternally grateful she made. Taina spent seven years as a day-to-day manager at Azoff/Fullstop Management, continuing to work closely with Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as with artists Jennifer Hudson and Raphael Saadiq. Taina managed every aspect of Jennifer’s career, which included platinum albums, film, TV, a NY Times best-selling book and major brand deals. In 2018 Taina joined Friends at Work, where she serves as John Legend’s day-to-day manager and continues to be a key member of Raphael Saadiq’s team. In addition to providing support for Raphael’s first album cycle in eight years, Taina keeps John’s very busy world running smoothly, which includes recording and releasing music, tapings of hit TV-show “The Voice,” as well as his social impact work and commitments for John’s wine label, LVE. When she isn’t glued to her computer screen, Taina loves spending time with her family, enjoying the sunniest outdoor activities she can find.

Candice McCarthy is Friends At Work’s General Manager / Director of Operations. Hailing from the great state of New York, Candice graduated from Hofstra University before serving as office manager, scheduler, fundraiser, volunteer coordinator and campaign consultant to a member of Congress in both New York and Washington, DC. In 2007, she joined the Viacom Entertainment Group (Comedy Central, Spike, TV Land) and rose through the ranks to ultimately be responsible for management of west coast production at Comedy Central, facilitating physical production of the network’s original series, special events, development and short form production. In 2018 Candice joined Friends At Work, bringing her a wealth of infrastructure and operational management experience to oversee finance, legal/contracts, office operations, human resources and employee development. She is a member of SHRM and aPHR HR certified. Candice is passionate about supporting domestic abuse survivors and ending their criminalization and belongs to the philanthropic organizations UNICEF Unite and Moms In Media. Candice lives in Playa del Rey with her husband John and their daughter Cecilia.
Listen to Candice's playlist here - This Is: Candice

Nicole Swedlow is The Work’s Director of Creative Operations. Nicole was born in Los Angeles but spent her childhood moving all over the state of California and losing herself in books and stories before eventually getting her English degree from UC Davis. After graduation she honed her business acumen and discovered her love of analytics and problem solving working in retail management, leading multiple departments at Neiman Marcus before going over to Gap, Inc. as a general manager for Athleta where she traveled the country training new employees on technical product and customer experience. She left Gap, Inc. to work as general manager of a boutique production company, running the business side of the company and falling in love with visual storytelling. In 2018 Nicole joined The Work where she oversees operations and finance and helps tell amazing stories while figuring out the improbable. In her spare time Nicole flies X-Wings, teaches summer courses at Hogwarts, has a vacation home in Oz and hangs out with her dog Zelda.
Listen to Nicole's playlist here - This Is: Nicole S

Lee Loechler heads up Original Content for The Work. An international “romance icon,” Lee is a filmmaker and “dad joke” enthusiast hailing from Boston. Lee has won awards for his work with John Legend's FREEAMERICA organization, telling the stories of people affected by mass incarceration. More recently, his collaborations with Pampers, including directing a top-rated Super Bowl commercial, normalizing engaged fatherhood, and installing changing tables in men’s bathrooms, led consumers to rank the brand as having the best advertising in a 2019 survey. Prior to joining The Work, Lee served as Head of Digital Content for Atom Factory, where he built the original content department from the ground up. Lee is an honors graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and a big proponent of impromptu guitar jam sessions. On December 30th, 2019, Lee proposed to his high school sweetheart, Sthuthi David, M.D., by hacking them both into the climax of her favorite movie, SLEEPING BEAUTY. A video of their engagement went viral and has been viewed millions of times around the world.
Listen to Lee's playlist here - This Is: Lee

Wesley Brown is a senior strategist at The Work. Growing up in North Carolina, Wesley was a music-lover, singing in choirs and playing in school bands. When he got to college at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, he discovered his passion for music, dance and choreography when he joined the Expressions Dance Company. While still in college, Wesley directed and choreographed the Eleganza Show, a charity fashion/dance show that raised money for the Boston nonprofit, the Center for Teen Empowerment. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Romance Languages and Literatures, Wesley started his career at Deloitte Consulting where he specialized in corporate strategy projects for clients across a variety of different industries, from the nonprofit sector to hospitality to healthcare. From there he went on to be a director at MediaLink, a strategic media and advertising advisory firm, where he focused on developing go-to-market and marketplace visibility strategies for brands, advertising agencies, and publishers. In 2019, Wesley joined the The Work team, combining his passion for music, marketing and impact. At The Work, he leads projects for the team's large brand clients, enabling them to build and implement cultural marketing strategies, often with a social impact focus.

Katie Phillips is the director of fan engagement and digital marketing on the Friends At Work artist marketing team, helping artists engage more deeply with fans at all stages of their careers. Prior to joining the FAW team, Katie was at the music management & marketing firm Market Monkeys working in strategic planning, fan engagement and artist management. Before moving to LA, Katie worked in both Nashville and Philadelphia, leading the marketing & communications team at CID Entertainment, an experiential VIP company with a clientele that includes Goldenvoice (Coachella, Stagecoach), Bonnaroo, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Phish, Imagine Dragons, Dave Matthews and St Vincent. Originally from Fargo, ND, Katie graduated from Eastern University in Philadelphia. She developed her storytelling toolkit in the nonprofit arts sector in Philly, building compelling fundraising campaigns for organizations such as Art-Reach, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, Yes! And... Collaborative Arts and Girls Rock Philly, all of which bring the arts to under-resourced communities. She currently volunteers with Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles, a social justice nonprofit dedicated to empowering young people through music and mentorship.

Mikaela Puth is part of the artist management team at Friends At Work and manages singer, songwriter and producer Charlie Puth. Raised in the seashore community of Rumson, New Jersey, she attended Gettysburg College and graduated with a degree in Sociology and English. She moved to New York City immediately after graduation and worked for the CEO and co-founder of Refinery29, where she helped bring a number of projects to fruition, including the celebrated and visionary exhibit 29Rooms. In 2017 she moved cross-country to California and joined Patriot Management to be Charlie Puth’s day-to-day manager. After a couple of years she ventured out on her own and launched Mickey P Management where her roster included her brothers, Charlie and Stephen Puth, before joining FAW in 2020. Mikaela is a classically trained pianist and an avid marathon runner.

Ashaya Robinson is Creative Producer on The Work team and has had the privilege of working with artists, education and brand clients. Ashaya grew up in Atlanta, Georgia where her love for the arts and storytelling first began when she was a performer. She studied film at Howard University in Washington, DC while simultaneously performing and producing live shows for other artists. After graduating from Howard, Ashaya decided to make the move out west to Los Angeles where she produced intimate showcases before beginning work at the artist management firm, Atom Factory. In 2016 Ashaya joined the team at Friends at Work where she has the incredible opportunity to help produce and tell amazing stories every day.

Tina Warren is a project manager at The Work. Tina spent the first twenty years of her life growing up in the Catskill Mountains of New York’s Hudson Valley. Being encompassed by nature, fresh air and beautiful landscapes inspired her creativity and storytelling at a young age. This led her to pursue a BA in Communications and Media at SUNY New Paltz, graduating with her degree at just 20-years-old. Valuing the possibilities education opens up and her thirst for knowledge unquenched, she moved to New York City to attend The New School for Social Research, earning her MA in Media Studies. From there, Tina began her career with Viacom, which is where she discovered her unconventional love of managing projects. After 8 years of living in Manhattan and desiring a change of scenery (and warmer temperatures!), she moved to Los Angeles to work at Riot Games, the home of the well-known game “League of Legends.” She still wasn't fully sold on LA but quickly changed her mind after meeting with the team at The Work, eventually joining their team in 2018. Her “Friends at Work” have actually become her “Friends in Life,” making LA even warmer.

Jessica Breslow is part of the Friends At Work artist management and A&R team. Born and raised in South Florida, Jessica has always had a deep passion for the arts. She grew up singing and doing musical theatre, which eventually led her to study TV/Radio/Film with a music industry specialization at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. During her last semester of college, Jessica started working full time at Pulse Music Group, where she worked with amazing pop and urban clients such as Starrah, Bonnie McKee, DRAM, Matoma, and Kaytranada. After two years, Jessica transitioned into Warner Chappell's Pop A&R department. She had the privilege of working with amazing clients such as Ian Kirkpatrick, Scott Harris, busbee, and Cheat Codes as well as scouted and signed a developing artist/songwriter. Jessica currently serves as FAW’s head of A&R, working closely with artist managers to shape the company’s roster and lend her song development expertise to a wide range of projects. One who wears many hats, she is also day-to-day manager to Lindsey Stirling and manager to Frawley. Some of her favorite highlights to date are helping A&R Lindsey Stirling’s album “Artemis,” John Legend’s album “LEGEND,” and placing a few records on John Legend’s album “Bigger Love.”

Sammy Seaver is part of the Friends At Work management team. Growing up in San Diego, Sammy discovered a passion for music the moment he first picked up a guitar at 9 years old. After completing an extensive tour performing at local coffee shops in high school, Sammy enrolled at UC Davis, double majoring in Music Composition and Communication. As a Regent Scholar and member of the Honors College, he focused his thesis on the influence social media has on music preference, recruiting more than 100 students for his experimental trial. During his college career, Sammy worked in a studio recording live concerts, led the marketing team of the campus programming department, worked as a manager at major music festivals around the country, and even worked as a consultant in Florence, Italy, helping local artists pitch songs to radio. He joined the Friends at Work team immediately after graduating in 2019.
Listen to Sammy's playlist here - This Is: Sammy

Jackie Gomez is part of the Friends At Work artist management team. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Jackie has always had a love for entertainment that led her to graduate with a Radio-Television-Film degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2016. After moving to New York City upon graduation, she transitioned into a role at the entertainment law firm, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C. While there, she supported deals for a variety of A-List actors and musicians that inspired her to pursue a career in music. Working to transition into the world of music, Jackie spent three years working under President & CEO David Massey to help relaunch and grow Arista Records with musicians JP Saxe, Måneskin, and Princess Nokia, to name a few. Jackie currently serves as Charlie Puth’s day-to-day manager on the Friends at Work team, and you’ll likely catch her finding the best margarita in town.
Listen to Jackie's playlist here - This Is: Jackie

Valerie Sizemore is part of the Friends At Work artist management team and manages singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Hunter Hayes. Born and raised near Virginia Beach, VA, Valerie accepted a music publishing position in Nashville, TN immediately following her graduation from the prestigious College of William and Mary. Over the course of 11+ years spent in Nashville, she began to discover her true calling in artist management as a way to help facilitate the human connection through the universal language of music. Valerie brings unique perspective and experience as an ambassador for the exclusive, highly-regarded leadership summit PTTOW!. As part of the year-round community, Valerie worked closely to connect CEOs and CMOs from major companies like American Eagle, Mattel, Discovery, YouTube, Facebook, Microsoft, EA and Pepsi. Driven by a deep love and respect for a songwriter’s courage in sharing vulnerable emotions with the world, Valerie is committed to protecting the art and the artist. When she isn’t at a show, she spends time at home with her husband John and their dog-child, Peanut. She’s also known for throwing the best parties in Nashville and making a mean dirty martini.

Ace Scott is part of the Friends At Work artist management team. Born and raised in Los Angeles, his early years were consumed by his passion for unconventional sports, like parkour. The video soundtracks along with his dad's love of music, inspired a fascination with Hip-Hop culture and Jazz/Soul music. While earning his bachelor's in Marketing at Cal State Northridge, Ace got his first internships at Interscope Records, and for a local DJ. He later befriended a music producer, Goonrock, which led to his first small music paycheck as an assistant. Here, Ace developed an interest in production, DJing, and an appreciation for electronic music. While flirting with music production and DJing, Ace began a job as a music curator for a vinyl subscription service where his knowledge and tastes exploded further into rock and r&b. In a search for new challenges, Ace landed a job at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' company, Combs Enterprises - starting the same day he returned from his honeymoon. At Combs, Ace got a whirlwind education in several areas, including managing a corporate office, high-net-worth personal finance management, and marketing a multimillion-dollar liquor brand, Cîroc. While the experience was invaluable, Ace missed working in music and welcomed the opportunity to join the team for the rapper, producer, and new author, Logic. Ace worked with Logic on multiple number one records - from setting up recording retreats in Japan, to coordinating press runs, assisting on an arena tour, managing massively successful merch campaigns, and putting out two NY Times best-selling books. Ace is thrilled to bring his expertise to FAW, working with Raphael Saadiq and The National. When not at work, Ace is usually either planning his next adventure, working on friends' music, nerding out on art, politics, and history, or restoring his historic Victorian home with his wife and high-school sweetheart.
Listen to Ace's playlist here - This Is: Ace

Angela McPhee is an Administrative Assistant at Friends At Work. Angela grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she enjoyed playing in a variety of classical and jazz ensembles. Her love for jazz improvisation inspired her to learn all aspects of music creation, especially while attending the Audio Production Program at Scottsdale Community College, which she graduated from at 17 years old. She then moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to attend the University of Southern California as a Music Industry Major. She is grateful to have completed internships each semester, gaining experience in A&R at APG, Creative Sync Licensing at Warner Chappell Music, TV Music at DreamWorks, Film & TV Creative Licensing at Atlantic Records, and Music Programming, Library and Archives at SiriusXM. Angela is thankful to be involved in organizations that are working towards making the music industry a more positive, inclusive, and collaborative place. She joined the Friends At Work team after graduating from USC in 2021.
Listen to Angela's playlist here - This Is: Angela

John is part of the Friends At Work operations and artist management teams. Born and raised in Orange County, John’s passion for music came from his Grandfather, who led a 21-piece big band orchestra, and continues to inspire John’s love for playing live shows and songwriting. John attended the University of Colorado, Boulder where he obtained his BA in Business Communications. Immediately after graduating, he began his professional career at a consulting firm that's primary focus was to strengthen Tribal sovereignty for Native American Tribes within the lower 48. John then decided to take his consulting background as a project manager and apply it to his love and passion for music. He got his start with Friends At Work in 2021 as an artist management intern and has worked with us ever since. In his spare time, John enjoys surfing, traveling, cooking, and making music.
Listen to John's playlist here - This Is: John M