John Coletta: International Man Of BMI
• BMI announces that John Coletta has been promoted to Senior Vice President & Managing Director, International. Coletta, who most recently served as VP of International Legal & Business Affairs, will be based in BMI’s New York office and report to Mike Steinberg, BMI’s Executive Vice President of Licensing & Creative, who will now also oversee the Company’s International department. In his new role, Coletta will lead BMI’s efforts to maximize the collection of global royalties on behalf of BMI’s songwriters, composers and publishers and work closely with the foreign performing rights societies to improve business practices and identify growth opportunities. He will also work to modernize BMI’s reciprocal agreements and oversee global copyright initiatives.
In making the announcement, BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill said, “John is truly well positioned to take on this role. As our lead international lawyer, he has been integral to multiple strategic initiatives for the company and has established strong and trusted relationships with our sister societies around the world. I have no doubt that his extensive expertise in international relations paired with his deep knowledge of BMI, having started his career here, will make John a powerful advocate for our worldwide creative community.”
Coletta originally joined BMI in 1992 as an intern in the Media Relations department and later became BMI’s first Director of Online Communications, working his way up from there. Coletta assumes his new role from Karen Buse, BMI’s VP, International Society Relations, who had agreed to temporarily return to a full-time schedule to help manage the International team until a transition plan was completed. Buse will now work closely with Coletta on key international issues and endeavors moving forward.
O’Neill added, “As BMI continues to focus on global opportunities and maximizing international royalties for our affiliates, it makes perfect sense for our International team to integrate with our Licensing department, reporting to Mike Steinberg. I look forward to the great results from this partnership.”
