TORONTO (CelebrityAccess) — DJ and producer Charlie B and veteran artist manager Nicholas Causarano have both been named as A&R Directors for Warner Music Canada, with a mandate to drive new signings across hip-hop, pop, R&B, and country.
Ajay Saxena has used the stage name Charlie B during his career as a DJ and producer, with monthly residencies at clubs across North America and regular appearances on the culturally renowned BET 106 & PARK TV show. He released his debut album Across The Board, featuring the likes of Duvy, Haviah Mighty, Lil Berete, NorthSideBenji, Pressa and Roy Woods, in June 2022.
Before he joined WMG,Causarano operated his own boutique artist management company Cause & Effect, which operates in Toronto and Los Angeles. The company’s roster of songwriters and producers has contributed to hits for such artists as Alessia Cara, bülow, Hailee Steinfeld, Leah Kate, renforshort, Travis Barker and Wiz Khalifa.
Additionally, WM Canada announced the promotion of one of their team members, George Kalivas, to the role of Director of A&R. Kalivas assumes his new role from the label’s marketing department, where he spent the last five years working with a wide variety of artists. Following his promotion to A&R, Kalivas will remain active in the label’s marketing team as well, splitting his time between creative and operational work.
WM Canada also announced the promotion of Taylor Nishimura to the new role of Associate Manager, A&R Operations. She will report to Kalivas in her new role.
Charlie B, A&R Director says: “I feel privileged to join Kristen’s A&R team. We both share the same passions around positivity, work ethic and getting things done. We know maximum success is a shared result. We want to make sure we’re signing and nurturing artists that are moving the cultural dial here in Canada and have the capacity to become global stars.”
Nicholas Causarano, A&R Director adds: “I’ve known Kristen for a while and when she got in touch about the new position it was immediately obvious that we have a shared vision of what a new A&R roll could be. I’m looking forward to utilizing my network to sign the most interesting and impactful artists through our Toronto office as we enter this new era for the company.”
George Kalivas, A&R Director comments: “I’m so happy to have the opportunity to step up into the A&R Director role to help write this new chapter in WM Canada’s history. The newfound energy that Kristen has brought to the company has been infectious and the whole team is excited for the future.”
