Karen Gabay
Karen Gabay
Karen Gabay is an award-winning community filmmaker, radio broadcaster, and TV producer.
Karen has interviewed musicians, songwriters, engineers, journalists and producers within the field of music & entertainment including Dionne Warwick, Laura Mvula, Jam & Lewis, Mark Ronson, Swing Out Sister, KeKe Palmer, Samm Henshaw, Daley, George Clinton,Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Roachford & Kerry Washington.
She has produced landmark network TV programs for UK television including First Ladies of Hip-Hop (BBC) that reflected on the untold stories of women in US & UK Hip_Hop, Prince: A Purple Reign, Reggae Brittannia (UNESCO award) & When Motown Came to Britain, and recently wrote and produced a 2-hour radio special on Quincy Jones for BBC Radio 2.
She has produced groundbreaking music content programming encouraging children to embrace music, working with leading musicians including Nile Rodgers, Gregory Porter, and Daniel Pemberton.
Karen is a radio presenter and producer for over two decades, presenting and reporting on music and the arts for Kiss FM, Radio 1, 5Live and the World Service.
Karen presents one of the BBC’s longest-running shows, The People, and has interviewed many artists and film/video directors at the start of their careers including Amy Winehouse, Lil Nas X and Ryan Coogler & has recorded sessions with artists that include Hollie Cook, Laura White & Lemar, as well as recording in-depth interviews with many of the creatives and writers linked to Prince,
Karen regularly lectures on black music history & race and portrayal on-screen focusing on the untold social histories of musicians, and the black x migrant experience.
Karen is a champion of music storytelling through inter-generational community & research engagement, women in music, and the value of music education for young people.
Laura Tiebert
Laura Tiebert
Laura Tiebert is co-author, along with Alex Hahn, of the 2017 biography, The Rise of Prince: 1958-1988. Her experience delving into Prince’s extraordinary life inspired her to live like him for an entire year. She chronicled her journey at lauratiebert.com and went on to create an online course that guides students step-by-high-heeled-step through the process, from dressing up for everything you do, to being a spiritual seeker and yes, even adopting a symbol as your name. She’s currently at work on a new book tentatively titled Lessons from This Thing Called Life: A Princely Guide to Self-Empowerment. The book is a spirited homage to the Purple One that makes the case that we could all learn a few lessons from Prince. Laura, formerly of Chanhassen, Minnesota, now lives in Phoenix with her husband and two sons, where she writes from her home office, surrounded by way too much Prince memorabilia.
L*A*W
L*A*W
Most fans know L*A*W as the singer / rapper / dancer / producer & multi-instrumentalist In Funk Legend George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic and various offshoots of the legendary P-Funk camp but millions have seen him on national television back at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards & David Letterman in his white kangol glory singing & dancing behind the late legendary British sensation Amy Winehouse as well as being her opening act for her sold-out shows in New York City with his own fiery red-hot 7-piece musically diverse, notorious high energy band, The Planet 12 Movement Being the grandson of Long Island Music Hall Of Fame Inductee / Blues-Soul legend The Late Sam “Bluzman” Taylor & Coming from one of the most famous families in music history, this Brooklyn hood boy from the Crown Heights section has been known to make Hip-Hop (Underground & Commercial styles) work in his favor fusing Funk, Blues, Rock & Roll, R&B/Soul & elements while embracing Country, Pop, Jazz & even Techno exist under one roof while at the same time balancing the commercial element but still staying true to his underground roots. This has resulted in 3 Critically Acclaimed albums that turned into over 40 licensed songs to various networks VH-1, NBA, TV-1, Oxygen, Bravo, A&E, Lifetime & popular MTV shows like “The Real World: Brooklyn & Hollywood” In addition to the P-Funk camp, L*A*W’s musical reputation has firmly placed him among the elite in the Minneapolis camp of his #1 idol Prince thanks to his touring with Morris Day & The Time & more recently, the popular song “She Can Get It” which he not only wrote & produced but also features Minneapolis legends Jellybean Johnson, Monte Moir & Tony M Of The New Power Generation. L*A*W’s historic stint with Amy Winehouse can be captured in the Grammy & Oscar Award Winning Documentary “Amy” which has cemented L*A*W as one of the best & most sought after singer/dancers in the music industry. With a platinum roster of artists, he’s either opened up for or worked with like Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Marva King, Bruno Mars, Black Eyed Peas, Ne-Yo, Lionel Richie, Eric Burdon, Rick James, Chaka Khan, Harry Connick Jr, Fishbone, James Ingram, Jeffrey Osborne, Dionne Warwick & Deniece Williams, L*A*W continues to be an independent but major musical force that’s causing the industry to rewrite their terms and now with his hot buzzing Planet 12 Podcast on Instagram where he showcases his notorious extreme music knowledge & having convos with everyone from Vanessa Williams to Big Daddy Kane. There’s no stopping the Planet 12 Movement soon!
Marc Wiggins
Marc Wiggins
Left school in 10th grade to work as a roadie with Bay Area bands including Journey, Santana, and Night Ranger.
Decided to go college in 1985 after a discussion with Journey guitarist Neal Schon.
Essentially went from completing 9th grade straight to CSU Sacramento.
In 1987 while in college, I became a Pro Wrestler, which was a LOT of fun, but a Cornea Transplant in 1990 ended that.
In 2005, I had an essay published in the autobiography of Hall of fame Wrestler Dusty Rhodes, Memories of An American Dream.
After completing law school and being admitted to the Bar, a judge suggested that I become an agent. I did the research and at the time the NFL was the only one that required a test for certification. So I gave them a call and set it up.
So in the population of “dropouts who go from 9th grade to being a roadie then directly to college, spending time in the wrestling ring, becoming a California attorney, then becoming an NFL certified contract advisor and member of the United States Supreme Court Bar Association and Grammy member,” as of now only has one person: Me.
Matt Thorne
Matt Thorne
Author of six novels, three children’s books, one film and critical study of pop star Prince, Prince: The Man and His Music, Second Edition (2023).
Michael Dean
Michael Dean
Michael Dean started his journey in the arts back in 1988 as an up-and-coming rapper in the Seattle hip-hop scene. The release of his independent single “The Master,” lead to a mention in the Source magazine. Michael lent his talents on keyboard and vocals touring the midwest with The Evil Tambourines (SubPop), opening for Sir Mix-O-Lot in 1999. From there Michael joined the business side of the music business and operated a CD/DVD replication business for 15 years.
In 1995 Michael started to blog about Prince on the internet. Michael, along with a few others, was invited to a private online chat with Prince to discuss his involvement in creating a website for the musical icon. (Love4oneanother) Michael respectfully declined but was so honored to be considered that he was inspired to start a new website called ‘FreedomTrainOnline’ which would morph into The Prince Podcast. For over 15 years, The Prince Podcast, now called Podcast On Prince, has done in-depth interviews with band members and associates. Featured in the Huffington Press and Forbes. Michael recently moderated the event ‘Prince: From Minneapolis to the World’ for the Minnesota Historical Society.
Michael came back to his musical roots in 2010 and has since released 3 albums: Stroke The Mind B4 The Behind, Rainydayjams Vol.1, and Lake Minnetonka AKA What I Learned From Prince.
Michael also added author to his list of talents. His first science fiction novel Truths Destiny (The Destiny Saga) (Volume 1) was released in 2014.
Miss TLC
Miss TLC
Miss TLC is an entertainment industry veteran with over 15 years of experience in the business of pop culture. As a graduate of NYU’s prestigious Music Business program, with a resume that includes Arista Records, MTV Networks, Jive Records & Universal Motown Republic Group; Miss TLC has studied music through the eyes of commerce AND creativity. While working as a consultant in 2016, Miss TLC’s world was rocked by the news surrounding her most treasured artist Prince. As a response to the tabloid-esque press potentially clouding his powerful legacy, Miss TLC recognized a need for details-driven celebrations of his immeasurable accomplishments and began posting uplifting online “lessons” focused around his work. Connecting holidays, world events, various artists & special dates to Prince, the “Princerversaries” concept was born in September 2016 & continues to spread the message of Mr. Nelson’s indelible mark on the world of music.
Nicolay
Nicolay
Born and raised in the Netherlands, classically trained multi-instrumentalist and producer Nicolay played in a number of hip-hop and R&B bands around his homeland, but it wasn’t until 2000 that he decided to start producing his own beats. In 2002 Little Brother MC Phonte Coleman stumbled across one of them on Okayplayer’s message board and asked if he could put his rhymes over it, and soon a friendship and a musical relationship were born. This transatlantic collaboration, which they called The Foreign Exchange, led to an album, Connected, in 2004, after which Nicolay continued producing tracks for Little Brother and Cesar Comanche, releasing City Lights Vol. 1.5 first only online and then through BBE Records in 2005. The Dutch Masters, Vol. 1, which featured Nicolay DJing, came out that same year, followed by Here in 2006. In 2008 the producer teamed up with Houston rapper Kay (whom he had also met through message boards and had put on a track on Here) and issued the album Time:Line. The second Foreign Exchange album, Leave It All Behind, came later in the year on the Foreign Exchange label. One of its highlights, “Daykeeper,” was nominated for a Grammy, but not before the 2009 release of Nicolay’s own City Lights, Vol. 2: Shibuya. The Foreign Exchange label expanded during the early 2010s with additional albums from FE and Phonte, as well as releases from collaborators YahZarah, Zo!, and Median. In 2015, Nicolay released another predominantly instrumental solo album, City Lights, Vol. 3: Soweto. Its material, enhanced with vocal contributions from Phonte, Carmen Rodgers, and Tamisha Waden, was inspired by South Africa dates on the Foreign Exchange’s world tour the previous year.
Taunja Pegues
Taunja Pegues
Taunja Pegues, the founder of TAP Creatives LLC, collaborates with visual artists to explore innovative revenue generation through licensing deals and film and television production placements. With a background in retail and luxury, including roles at iconic brands like Gap Inc. and Salvatore Ferragamo, Taunja has developed a unique perspective on style and aesthetics. A lifelong Prince enthusiast, she can be found on the Podcast on Prince series, Switch The Style Up with co-hosts Michael Dean and Troy Gua, discussing the evolution of Prince’s ever-changing fashion style.
Rhonda Nicole
Rhonda Nicole
Rhonda Nicole is a Los Angeles-based independent singer/songwriter, music journalist, and social and digital marketing executive whose life officially turned purple in 1984. As the managing editor for the now-defunct SoulTrain.com, she interviewed a number of Prince-related artists including Jill Jones, Taja Sevelle, fDeluxe, Liv Warfield, and Andy Allo. Blending her passion for music and expertise in digital marketing, Rhonda Nicole developed and led social media strategy for the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville. She’s a proud member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Recording Academy, SONA (Songwriters of North America), and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Rhonda Nicole’s 2010 debut EP, Nuda Veritas, self-produced 2020 releases, Radical Ecstasy and Home, and her latest EP, LOVER, are available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms.