Creative Lab Hawaiʻi

Amy Hānaiali’i’s success as a recording artist speaks for itself and is evidenced by a multitude of awards and acknowledgements, including 6 GRAMMY® nominations for Best Hawaiian Music Album & Best Native Roots Music Album. Hanaiali’i’s talent emerges from a disciplined classical training, fused powerhouse vocals, and honoring her family’s worldly heritage and rooted ancestral ...
Read More Amy Hanaialii, President, Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts; Recording Artist

Charles Michael Brotman is a GRAMMY Award-winning composer/producer. Placements of his music include Saturday Night Live, Chicago Med, Black-ish, Portlandia, America’s Most Wanted, Oprah,  Hawaii Five-0, CNN Newsroom, The Tonight Show, The Descendants, Entertainment Tonight, etc. He is president of the Hawaii Songwriting Festival, director of the Creative Labs Music Immersive, co-founder of Palm Records, ...
Read More Charles Brotman, President, Hawaii Songwriters Festival; Director, Creative Lab Music Immersive Program; Recording Artist

Georja Skinner is the Chief Officer of the Creative Industries Division (CID) in the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) where she has lead the state’s efforts to define, build and strengthen Hawaii’s creative economy since 2007. Skinner’s career in prime time television lead to an Emmy nomination for sound mixing, the first ...
Read More Georja Skinner, Chief Officer of Creative Industries Division, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, State of Hawaii

Kris Ahrend serves as Chief Executive Officer for The MLC, where he leads the organization’s mission to ensure songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers receive their mechanical royalties from streaming and download services in the U.S. accurately and on time. Most recently, Ahrend led the development and launch of Warner Music Group’s Center of Excellence ...
Read More Kris Ahrend, CEO of The Mechanical Licensing Collective

BA in Business, University of Denver and completing Masters in Org Leadership: Strategic Change and Innovation in 2021. Former retail/commercial banker.  1/3 of Nā Leo Pilimehana – managed all aspects of the record label, touring, branding and marketing. Musician/singer/songwriter, entrepreneur.  Mother to 3 lovely grown kids, and Jamma to 3 grandbabies.

Mazie K. Hirono was elected to the Senate in 2012 and sworn in as Hawaii’s first female senator and the country’s first Asian-American woman senator. Throughout her time in the Senate, Hirono has fought on behalf of Hawaii families and communities whose voices are not often heard in Congress. Hirono serves on the Committee on ...
Read More United States Senator Mazie K. Hirono

This is going to be an amazing public panel discussion, with a broad spectrum of creative sector entrepreneurs of Asian American decent. We expect this panel to cover all kinds of topics, insight and incredible advice as to how to put yourself ahead in the creative industry. Please come and join us. As always, our ...
Read More May 1, 2021 at 1:00p HST: AAPI Heritage Month! Free 90-Minute Public Panel

Join us for a conversation that explores opportunities for local singer/songwriters, composers and lyricists to generate, collect and access digital audio royalties and new revenue streams for their work. Event is hosted by US Senator Mazie K. Hirono, who has been instrumental in introducing legislation to address IP protections and improvements at the U.S. Copyright ...
Read More May 5 at 9:30a HST: Generating & Collecting Music Revenues for Hawaii Artists, Hosted by U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono