AWAL Names Kirell VP, Catalog Marketing
• AWAL, Kobalt’s recording company welcomes Jennifer Kirell as VP, Catalog Marketing. She will be based in Kobalt’s New York office and oversee AWAL’s catalog marketing strategy. Kirell joins AWAL after 11 years with Sony Music Entertainment, most recently at Legacy Recordings under the Commercial Music Group.
AWAL CEO Lonny Olinick said, “The AWAL business has been built from the ground up to serve the unique needs of the evolving marketplace while challenging the status quo. As we continue to grow, we are applying that philosophy to supporting our partner’s catalogs by investing in the expertise to evolve traditional catalog marketing. With the addition of Jennifer, we will build a contemporary, global approach to marketing artists’ full bodies of work at different moments throughout their entire career cycle. Her passion for storytelling, commitment to progressive marketing and understanding of fan behavior will be a tremendous asset to the AWAL team and our artists.”
Ron Cerrito, AWAL President, North America, added, “The addition of Jennifer’s global role is a key part of our strategy to grow long term artist careers and to build streaming consumption for catalog artists. The size, age and diversity of our roster is perfectly matched to the listening habits of the current-day consumption audience. Jennifer is a seasoned executive and a trailblazer of ‘always-on’ marketing. Through her innovative strategy and approach, she is committed to growing artists’ fan bases across their complete career arc.”
Kirell remarked, “We’re at an exciting time when streaming has blurred the lines between traditional ‘frontline’ and ‘catalog’ marketing tactics. I’m honored to join the team at AWAL as we serve our artists with a future-focused approach to catalog (re)discovery that combines dynamic storytelling with data-informed strategy and prioritizes building lasting connections with fans. I’m incredibly grateful to Lonny and Ron for the opportunity to join the AWAL family and our diverse universe of artists.”
