David Yamner,  President & CEO
David Yamner, President & CEO of Concept Artists is an attorney and Emmy award-winning entertainment producer, with more than 15 years experience in artist representation, negotiating complex international and domestic talent transactions, as well as in designing, booking and producing all manner of live entertainment.

In 1993 David co-founded Empire Entertainment (www.empireentertainment.com), where he served as co-President between 1993 and 2009. At Empire, David distinguished himself as a pioneer within the corporate events industry, introducing artists from Lenny Kravitz and Sheryl Crow to Aerosmith and Glenn Frey, to their first corporate shows, while helping to build Empire Entertainment into one of the country’s premier full service event production firms serving the corporate and special events markets.

In 1995, David spearheaded the creation of Concept Artists predecessor, Industrial Artist Management, to specialize in representing artists with attractive price points who are uniquely adept at exceeding client expectations in corporate and special events environments.

Over the course of his career, David has been responsible for negotiating thousands of transactions in over 40 countries, including deals with superstar artists such as Elton John, P!nk, Phil Collins, Cher, Jennifer Lopez, Bon Jovi, David Copperfield, Blue Man Group, Jon Stewart, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, and Billy Crystal. David's work has included all manner of talent transactions, including special purpose film projects involving Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Marcia Cross, Nicolette Sheridan, George Lopez, Greg Kinnear, Dana Carvey, Jim Belushi and Danny Glover, as well as sports legends Terry Bradshaw and David Robinson.

David completed his higher education at Vanderbilt University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and earned his B.A., M.B.A. and Law degrees in 7 years. From 1988 until founding Empire in1993, David practiced law at a large Manhattan law firm.

From 1986 to 1988, David backpacked across 25 countries on 5 continents, which included experiences scuba diving along the Great Barrier Reef, ascending to the Mt. Everest Base Camp, and Uhuru Peak atop of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and participating in safaris in the Serengeti Plain and the Thar Desert. Since 1998, David has served as Treasurer of the African Rainforest Conservancy (www.africarainforest.org), an organization dedicated to environmental preservation throughout Africa.

David is married to Jean Lee and lives in Soho (NYC) with his sons Noah and Miles, daughter Audrey and sheepdog Sheba.

Matt Kendall,  Senior Vice President
Matt got his first start in the industry in 2003 with ICM Artists (now Opus 3 Artists), one of the leading agencies for classical music, jazz, dance, theater and world music.  As a member of ICM Artists booking department, Matt had the pleasure of working with such visionary artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Wynton Marsalis and Ravi Shankar.

In the spring of 2005, Matt left the conventional agency world to become an agent with Industrial Artist Management– the world's premier talent agency specializing in private and corporate events, product launches and trade shows.  Lending his professional and creative expertise to some of the most knowledgeable and respected producers, creative directors and event coordinators in the business, Matt has worked on global projects for:  Microsoft, Michael Jordan, Motorola, Snickers, Staples, Google, Nintendo, Nike, IBM, Time Warner, Panasonic, LG, Toyota, PepsiCo, Sony, and many more.

As Senior Vice President of Concept Artists, Matt is excited and enthused to continue his work with a tremendously talented group of performance artists, musicians and speakers.   A dedicated professional, Matt understands the value of excellent customer service; his ability to listen to a client's goals and offer effective entertainment solutions makes him an asset to his loyal client base, and has greatly contributed to Concept Artists' emergence as an industry leader.

Matt recently moved with his wife Shana to the suburbs of  New Jersey for the fresh air, outdoor space and off-the-hook Italian cuisine. In his spare time, Matt plays percussion in a folk rock trio that just released their debut EP.

Ed Aston,  Senior Agent International Division
Ed Aston has been working in the entertainment industry since 1995, starting out on the stage crew at Connecticut’s legendary Oakdale Theatre in the summers while attending Syracuse University’s music industry program from 1992 to 1996.  Eventually becoming an assistant to the production manager, Ed worked in various capacities at Oakdale as the liaison between the theatre and visiting headline touring artists such as The Black Crowes, Tori Amos, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen.

In 1997, Ed joined the booking department at Columbia Artists Management in New York and also worked for one of CAMI’s touring divisions in 1999.

In July 1999 Ed accepted a position at Chaplin Entertainment Inc. and became Vice President of the company in 2003.  Ed was responsible for booking symphony orchestra tours for artists such as Michael Bolton, Olivia Newton-John, Amy Grant, Dionne Warwick and many others.

In 2006, Ed joined the Industrial Artist Management team and quickly began expanding IAM’s international business.   Ed’s extensive worldwide client list and expertise in the Asia/Pacific region has been invaluable to the company’s continued growth internationally.

Ed has worked on events for major global firms such as Nokia, CLSA, Microsoft, BASF, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Cisco Systems, and many more in over 25 countries on six continents.

Ed lives in New York City and is an avid world traveler, having been to over 35 countries around the world.

Andy Hobbs,  Agent
Andy joined the team of Concept Artists during the summer of 2009 to aid in the companies sales and marketing efforts, with a particular focus on colleges and universities. Born in Wilmington, DE, Andy went on to attend Williams College, where he earned a B.A. in History and played varsity football. Shortly after graduation, Andy moved to New York City and began a career in concert booking and production for an event production firm.

With successful shows ranging from Pat Benatar to John Mellencamp under his belt, Andy left to join Concept Artists, seeking the opportunity to work with Concept's unique roster of exclusive entertainment. As one of the youngest members of the Concept Artists staff, Andy feels uniquely qualified to manage its growing list of college and university clients, citing his own recent experience as a college student desperate for quality campus entertainment. He looks forward to making Concept Artists a household name in the spectrum of student entertainment.

Emily Fox,  Director of Marketing and Operations
Emily Fox graduated from Syracuse University in 2007 with a degree in Music Industry and minor in Violin performance. Shortly thereafter, she moved to New York City and began working at Industrial Artist Management as a Sales and Marketing Associate.

Presently the Director of Marketing and Operations at Concept Artists, Emily enjoys interfacing daily with artists and clients, overseeing a wide array of projects, and being an administrative powerhouse. She's very excited to embark on the latest chapter of her career, and looks forward to helping Concept Artists flourish.

Although a true Bostonian at heart, Emily lives in Manhattan with her boyfriend and two cats.

Tony Cacace,  Business Development / Sales
Tony Cacace, Concept Artists most recent addition, graduated from Syracuse University in 2010 with a degree in Music Industry. Originally majoring in piano performance, he switched majors after realizing his true passion lay within the music and entertainment industries. In addition to his studies, Tony was General Manager of the University record label, Marshall Street Records. He also booked and promoted shows, taught advanced recording techniques, and wrote/produced his own original material.
 
Tony is very excited to be working at Concept Artists, and feels his creativity, along with his knowledge of the current industry will greatly benefit the organization. He looks forward to supporting the team and providing innovative ideas that will benefit both the artists and the company. Embracing his Italian heritage (and his love of pizza pies), Tony recently moved to Northern Little Italy (NoLita) in Manhattan.

Alicia Lind,  Agent
Alicia Lind has joined Concept Artists as an agent.   Prior to joining the team, Alicia spent five years working as an Executive Producer and Director of Marketing at Empire Entertainment.  In her role she booked and produced a multitude of acts for private events all over the world, and helped to redesign all of the company's marketing materials including both print materials and the company’s website.

In the early stages of her career, she ran and aided in the sale of a floral events company, worked at two separate fortune 500 companies in their corporate communications departments and worked as a Director of Events for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Phoenix, Arizona.  Alicia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and Business from Arizona State University

Alicia currently resides in Brooklyn with her husband, two sons and cat.

Lisa Carnemolla, Vice President of Concept Speakers
Lisa has been enthusiastically assisting clients with achieving their meeting goals for over 15 years.  She has worked on a wide variety of meetings and events throughout the US and internationally with corporations from a remarkably diverse list of companies such as Nationwide, WalMart, Prudential, Blue Cross, GM, Pfizer and Raytheon, to name a few.

She began her sales career in retail management with Origins Cosmetics.  It was in this industry that she developed her passion for serving clients on a personal basis and built strong relationships which continue to this day.

Lisa entered the Speaking and Entertainment industry as a Customer Service Manager with Goodman Speakers Bureau Inc, where she worked for 15 years. After five years she was promoted to Vice President of Client Services where she focused on creating a culture where clients come first and relationships are long term and based on trust.  

Through the years, her skills in creating win-win negotiations, talent management, event management and extensive knowledge of speakers have fostered many strong relationships and created thousands of successful events and meetings for executives around the country.

Lisa is a native of Connecticut and is now excited to be a New York City transplant.  She lives in Marble Hill and enjoys exploring and getting to know the ins and outs of Manhattan in her free time.

Bill Herz,  President of Magicorp at Concept Artists
For over 20 years, Bill Herz, master magician and founder of Magicorp Productions has made thousands of events truly magical. Bill has worked with such heavyweights as David Copperfield, Penn and Teller, Lance Burton, David Blaine, and hundreds of other magicians throughout the magic and variety arts world. The largest supplier of magical entertainment for corporate audiences, Magicorp has worked with scores of clients to deliver the best in variety entertainment.

Now joining the Concept Artists team, Bill’s lengthy and reputable career will serve as a valuable asset in the realm of variety arts and magic. The point person for magicians all over the world, Bill is looking forward to lending his talent and expertise to Concept Artists.