Meet our team
Jean Marie Altema
Founder and CEO
Jean Marie Altema is an accomplished Information Technology expert and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in data analytics. With over 20 years of experience, he has a diverse skill set spanning capacity development, internet governance, telecom regulation, cyber security, digital strategy, and digital transformation. Jean Marie is the founder and CEO of profIT Development Consulting, a digital strategy and governance consulting firm. His background demonstrates a strong blend of leadership in regulatory environments and strategic planning in both governmental and business contexts. Jean Marie is the visionary behind the Music Tech Conference, reshaping the music industry. This platform, designed to encourage, empower, and engage the emerging generation of artists and musicians, is a testament to Jean Marie's belief that leveraging digital technologies and platforms can open doors for aspiring musicians and artists from diverse backgrounds. The Music Tech Conference is committed to ensuring no one is left behind in this transformative wave of innovation, enabling music professionals of all backgrounds and skill levels to create, distribute, and enjoy music like never before.
Charles Dye
Director of Program
Charles is a Grammy-winning mixer/producer, award-winning filmmaker, and passionate educator. Dye has recorded and mixed records for artists from Ariana Grande to Aerosmith. As a recording and mixing engineer Dye's work has sold 95 million records for Ariana Grande, Kiss, Jon Bon Jovi, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Selena, Sammy Hagar, Lauryn Hill, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Jimmy Buffet, Alejandra Guzman, and Frank Sinatra. Dye has recently completed Dolby Atmos projects for Kiss, Ariana Grande, and many others. As a filmmaker Dye studied screenwriting at UCLA. He wrote & directed TWO SECRETS, an award-winning film (Best Short, Best Actress) officially selected for sixteen film festivals (Taos Shortz, Sante Fe, London), and his screenplay BUTTERFLY ranked as a Top 7 Thriller Short on Coverfly's The Red List. Dye was also the Director of Production for the Emmy-winning dubbing company The Kitchen for four years, where he lead the team to deliver 30 hours of TV & films every week for HBO, CNN, Lionsgate, Showtime, IFC, Universal, Fox, Turner Broadcasting, Discovery, E!, Cartoon Network, PBS, MTV, and A&E.
LaShawn Thomas, Esq.
Director of Legal Affairs
LaShawn N. Thomas, Esq. is a distinguished Celebrity Attorney at Miami Entertainment Law Group, specializing in Entertainment, Sports, Arts & Media law. A proud alumna of Florida International University College of Law, LaShawn has dedicated over a decade to legal advocacy, passionately supporting creatives across the entertainment spectrum. LaShawn's client portfolio is impressive, featuring record labels, concert promoters, musical artists, athletes, composers, actors, and film producers. Her expertise encompasses sponsorship package creation, rights acquisitions, and corporate structuring. She protects her clients' artistic visions while facilitating successful collaborations that enhance their brand presence. Throughout her career, LaShawn has negotiated and closed numerous high-profile agreements, advocating for clients in partnership with industry giants such as Viacom, Reach Media, Atlantic Records, Universal Music Group, Purveyors of Pop, Fremantle, Monami Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Scripps Network, Discovery Channel, Dreamworks, and ReachMedia. Ms. Thomas stands out as one of the few Black women serving as General Counsel for independently managed entertainment venues on the East Coast. Her commitment to innovation and legal excellence continues to amplify her clients' success in the dynamic realms of entertainment, sports, arts, and media.
David Frangioni
Lead of Mentorship and Coaching
David is a multi-platinum, award-winning renaissance man of the music & technology industries, with notable expertise ranging from being a drummer & producer to a public speaker, consultant, technologist, integrator, businessman, immersive audio engineer & educator. He started playing drums at 2 yrs old, found the future of drumming in technology, started his career with a MIDI consulting business, then worked with Aerosmith as their in-house engineer/technologist for many years on their records, tour systems, and even the theme song for Spider-Man with Joe Perry, Joe’s first-ever all-digital recording; 9 albums in total with sales of over 50 million records. As a technology pioneer, David worked globally on the development and creation of Pro Tools, built the first-ever All-Pro Tools studio and worked on the first-ever All-Pro Tools #1 Billboard hit, Ricky Martin’s “Livin La Vida Loca” with Desmond Child, launched ProToolsTraining.com, wrote the curriculum for Pro Tools training still in use today, innovated MIDI, digital, sampling and hard disk recording technologies as well as being CEO of Modern Drummer, the #1 drum magazine in the world, established in 1977. His credits include Ozzy Osbourne (incl. appearing on 2 seasons of MTV The Osbournes), the Stones, Ringo Starr, Ricky Martin, Elton John, Sting, Bryan Adams, Journey, Styx, Phil Collins, Shakira, Rascal Flatts, Cher, Chick Corea, the Beckhams, Simon Cowell, Ariana Grande, Kiss & many more.
