About Us
The National Independent Talent Organization is a 501(c)(6) trade organization representing hundreds of independent talent agencies and managers nationwide. Our members represent over 5,000 touring artists performing in every state. NITO provides exclusive resources and benefits while cultivating a community with the free exchange of ideas and best practices for our members. Our work advances a fairer and more equitable live and recorded music environment, ensuring that NITO is a leading voice in the decisions affecting our industry.
Our Mission
Our History &
Founding Members
NITO History
The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) was formed in April 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic initially shut down the live entertainment businesses. What started as a phone call from Frank Riley to 14 other independent talent agencies quickly grew into an organization of over 100 members advocating for the entire independent live industry.
Together with National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and dozens of other live event stakeholders, NITO helped create and pass the Save Our Stages Act, providing $16 billion in Shuttered Venue Operators Grants through the Small Business Administration. This critical funding allowed thousands of live event organizations to survive the prolonged shutdowns. NITO was directly responsible for over $900 million going to hundreds of talent agencies and management companies.
Today, NITO continues advocating for the artists its members represent and the ecosystem that supports live touring. NITO’s membership works with over 5,000 touring artists who collectively employ an additional 30,000 musicians, crew members, accountants, lawyers, publicists and touring professionals.
NITO ensures the independent music community has a voice in Congress, in State Houses, in the offices of record labels and the heads of big tech, and wherever decisions are being made. We are the community that drives live entertainment worldwide, from the smallest clubs to the largest amphitheaters and everywhere in between.
We believe that we carry more weight together, and collectively NITO can effect change, tackle challenges head-on, and secure a future where artists receive fair treatment across the industry they fuel.
Founding Members
ENTOURAGE TALENT
Wayne Forte
GROUND CONTROL TOURING
Eric Dimenstein
HIGH ROAD TOURING
Frank Riley
LEAVE HOME BOOKING
Stormy Shepherd
MADISON HOUSE
Nadia Prescher
MONGREL MUSIC
Brad Madison
NEW FRONTIER TOURING
Paul Lohr
PARTISAN ARTS
Tom Chauncey
Hank Sacks
PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT
Scott Sokol
SKYLINE ARTISTS AGENCY
Mark Lourie
Bruce Houghton
SOUND TALENT GROUP
Dave Shapiro
THE KURLAND AGENCY
Ted Kurland
Jack Randall
TKO
Steve Schenck
Current Board Members
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Nathaniel Marro
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Wayne Forte – Entourage Talent – President *
Stormy Shepherd – Leave Home Booking – Vice President *
Amy Butterer – outer/most – Secretary *
Nelly Neben – Axis Artist Management – Treasurer *
Adam Bauer – Madison House
Thomas Cussins – Ineffable Music Group
Alex Fang – New Frontier Touring
David Gottlieb – Death Or Glory
Jon Grau – This Is Management
Fielding Logan – Q Prime
Maria Matias – Maria Matias Music
Randy Nichols – Fly South Music Group
Liz Pjesky – High Road Touring
Jack Randall – The Kurland Agency
Steve Schenck – TKO
Amanda Silecchio-Frederick – Madison House
Scott Sokol – Pinnacle Entertainment
Michel Vega – Magnus Media
Matt Yasecko – Arrival Artists
* Executive Committee Member
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Nathaniel Marro
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Wayne Forte – Entourage Talent – President *
Stormy Shepherd – Leave Home Booking – Vice President *
Amy Butterer – outer/most – Secretary *
Nelly Neben – Axis Artist Management – Treasurer *
Adam Bauer – Madison House
Thomas Cussins – Ineffable Music Group
Alex Fang – New Frontier Touring
David Gottlieb – Death Or Glory
Jon Grau – This Is Management
BOARD OF DIRECTORS (contd)
Fielding Logan – Q Prime
Maria Matias – Maria Matias Music
Randy Nichols – Fly South Music Group
Liz Pjesky – High Road Touring
Jack Randall – The Kurland Agency
Steve Schenck – TKO
Amanda Silecchio-Frederick – Madison House
Scott Sokol – Pinnacle Entertainment
Michel Vega – Magnus Media
Matt Yasecko – Arrival Artists
* Executive Committee Member
Committees
We encourage all NITO members to engage and participate in committees that interest you. Most committees meet on Zoom once or twice a month, usually for less than an hour at a time. There may be occasional follow-up projects and emails, but the time commitment will most often be less than three hours a month. We understand the nature of the business means not everyone can join every meeting, and not every month is the same. All NITO committees are meant to be as open and accessible as they can be for all our members.
ADVOCACY COMMITTEE
The Advocacy Committee is where the issues relevant to NITO members and clients are discussed and where campaigns are developed and supported. Some issues may require legislative fixes at the city, state, or federal level; some issues might involve public education and issue campaigning. Whether we are leading the charge or a part of a broad coalition, NITO is here to be a voice and ensure we have a seat at the table. Ticketing reform, PRO collection reform, AI legislation, and more are all under the umbrella of this committee. Often, the members of this committee are separated into smaller working groups, or task forces, of individuals dedicated to pushing these issues forward.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors is NITO’s governing body. The general membership elects individuals to serve for two-year terms; any member may nominate themselves or another member to serve on the board. The Board of Directors meets at least once a month with a set agenda of decisions to be discussed and voted on. The board has up to twenty-one seats, with four officer positions: a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
The Communications Committee is responsible for NITO’s public voice. Here we ensure NITO weighs in on issues affecting our members and informs our community on the work the organization is accomplishing. NITO’s social media accounts, newsletters, press releases and website all run through the Communications Committee.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee is composed of the four Board of Directors officers and three additional board members who meet weekly to ensure work within NITO is progressing. Issues are discussed and voted on within the Executive Committee or brought to the full board, depending on NITO’s by-laws.
FUNDRAISING & SPONSORSHIPS COMMITTEE
Member dues are only a part of NITO’s operating budget. The rest comes from fundraising and sponsorships. This committee engages with potential outside partners for sponsorships, such as NITO’s partnership with Prism, and plans ways to organize NITO members for fundraising efforts. Two Tickets to Paradise and Guitar Auction, the latter of which raised nearly $100,000 for NITO’s operations, were both fundraising efforts organized by this committee. The Board of Directors approves all sponsorship deals prior to accepting.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
NITO is nothing without the independent companies and individuals who are members, and we’re always working to bring more voices into the community. This committee is responsible for brainstorming, developing, and maintaining all of the various member benefits. If you’ve got an idea to make our organization better, or a passion project you think NITO should pursue, this is the best place to start. The Membership Committee is also responsible for recruitment.
OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
The NITO Operations committee is tasked with exploring opportunities for our members to work more efficiently and smarter day to day. Our workflows all differ in many ways, but ultimately cross over when it comes to operational functions like contracting, deposits/finances, insurance, and more. The Operations Committee is currently focused on ways to standardize performance T&Cs with major promoters for NITO member use, and set reasonable FEC and deposit expectations/timelines.