EMPIRE Hires Two Senior Vice Presidents for New York Office
EMPIRE has hired two senior executives for its New York office, according to Music Business Worldwide, which reported the appointments on 27 October 2026. Leesa Brunson-Boland becomes Senior Vice President, A&R Operations, and Bina Fronda becomes Senior Vice President, Marketing.
A&R, short for artists and repertoire, is the part of a record company that finds, signs and develops musicians. Brunson-Boland's title places her in the operational side of that work. She comes to EMPIRE from 300 Entertainment, where she was Head of A&R Operations.
Her career started earlier. She joined 300 Entertainment in 2020 after nearly two decades at Def Jam Recordings, and Billboard reported her arrival there at the time. Def Jam, one of the best-known names in American hip-hop and R&B, had employed her in a senior role before that move.
Fronda joins from Ultra Records, where she was Vice President of Marketing. Marketing is the team that plans how a record is introduced to listeners, from advertising and social media campaigns to radio and playlist pitches. EMPIRE says she will focus on strengthening its dance, pop and general market artists. "General market" means music aimed at the broad mainstream audience rather than a specific niche.
Both new hires are based in EMPIRE's New York office. The company was founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami and is headquartered in San Francisco. Tina Davis is its President, and Peter Kadin is Executive Vice President, Marketing.
Senior appointments like these are often quiet on the surface. Behind each title is a working team, with artists to sign, campaigns to plan and schedules to keep. For the people in those teams, a new boss in a new office can change the week ahead.
