Lion Eyes: As reported via Breaking News, former MCA SVP/Promotion Katie Dean and former UMG/Nashville VP/Marketing & Artist Development Rachel Fontenot have been tapped to lead Firebird Music and Red Light Ventures' newly launched Leo33 Records. As co-heads, Dean and Fontenot will oversee promotion/artist development and marketing/operations, respectively, alongside the A&R team of Daniel Lee and Natalie Osborne. More details, including the label's roster, are forthcoming. 

Dean left MCA in January (CAT 1/13) after nearly 18 years at UMGN and seven at the imprint. Previous stops include CMA, Lyric Street, Music.com, AristoMedia and Mediabase; reach her here. Fellow UMGN alum Fontenot left in September after more than three years (CAT 9/21/22). Prior to that, she spent 15 years with Sony before departing in 2016 and launching her own consulting firm. Reach her here. Lee has served as Dir./Creative for Ten Ten Music Group, VP/Creative for BMG, A&R at Warner Records LA and Pres. of Altadena; reach him here. Osborne joined Downtown Music Publishing as their first intern and worked her way up to Sr. Dir./Creative; reach her here.