WM CANADA’S GEORGE KALIVAS ALSO PROMOTED TO A&R DIRECTOR

Charlie B and Nicholas Causarano have joined Warner Music Canada as A&R Directors to drive new hip-hop, R&B and pop signings across the country, while existing team member George Kalivas has also been promoted to become an A&R Director.

Charlie B is the stage name of Ajay Saxena. He is a DJ and producer whose career in music started with monthly residencies at clubs across North America and regular appearances on the culturally renownedBET 106 & PARK TV show. Mentored by the likes of DJ Drama, DJ Khaled and Drake, last month he released his debut album Across The Board, featuring the likes of Duvy, Haviah Mighty, Lil Berete, NorthSideBenji, Pressa and Roy Woods.  He is also actively involved in many fundraising projects to support the wider community, notably raising more than CDN$50,000 for the Toronto Black Health Alliance. 

Causarano joins WM Canada after running his boutique artist management company Cause & Effect, which operates in Toronto and Los Angeles.  Since its creation, the company’s roster of songwriters and producers has contributed to hits for such artists as Alessia Cara, bülow, Hailee Steinfeld, Leah Kate, renforshort, Travis Barker and Wiz Khalifa.  He previously worked at various record labels, as well as in the music supervision departments of network TV shows. 

George Kalivas has worked in the marketing department at WM Canada for more than five years, and in his new role as A&R Director he will work at the heart of the team, splitting his time between creative and operational work.  He has worked with a wide variety of artists and has a strong track record of delivering successful campaigns.

The reset of the A&R team also sees Taylor Nishimura promoted into the new role of Associate Manager, A&R Operations.  She has worked with the team for more than a year as A&R Coordinator and has already impressed with her musical acumen, as well as her organisational skills.  She will be reporting to Kalivas in her new role.  

Charlie B, A&R Director says: “I feel privileged to join Kristen’s A&R team. We both share the same passions around positivity, work ethic and getting things done.  We know maximum success is a shared result.  We want to make sure we’re signing and nurturing artists that are moving the cultural dial here in Canada and have the capacity to become global stars.”

Nicholas Causarano, A&R Director adds: “I’ve known Kristen for a while and when she got in touch about the new position it was immediately obvious that we have a shared vision of what a new A&R roll could be.  I’m looking forward to utilizing my network to sign the most interesting and impactful artists through our Toronto office as we enter this new era for the company.”

George Kalivas, A&R Director comments: “I’m so happy to have the opportunity to step up into the A&R Director role to help write this new chapter in WM Canada’s history.  The newfound energy that Kristen has brought to the company has been infectious and the whole team is excited for the future.”

Kristen Burke, President, WM Canada concludes: “I’m delighted that Charlie B and Nick have chosen to join the team – I know they’ll help us become even more culturally relevant and commercially successful.  It’s also fantastic that George and Taylor are stepping up into their new roles. They’ve done an incredible job out of the gate and will be the engine room of the A&R team, driving projects forward.”

Burke joined WM Canada in October 2021 as President and has already been transformational with the business. In addition to her reboot of the A&R team, she helped WMG select and land a new Canadian HQ in the heart of downtown Toronto, hired respected executive Andy West as EVP and General Manager, and last month brought in both Julia Hummel, VP of Digital Strategy and Business Development, and Madelaine Napoleone as VP, Marketing.