David Spelman
Founder & Artistic Director
David Spelman is a dynamic, highly resourceful arts administrator & programmer with 20 years experience across the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Public relations consulting, producing music festivals (up to $4M budget), film & television music supervision, presenting in higher education settings, and TEDxNavesink artistic advisor. Profiled in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Rolling Stone, and on NPR, Spelman’s eclectic events have featured classical & flamenco guitarist Pepe Romero, children’s music superstar Dan Zanes, performance artist Laurie Anderson, and blues, jazz & rock legends Taj Mahal, Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny, and Bruce Springsteen. Public relations clients have included the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Vladimir Ashkenazy. Selected as one of the New England Conservatory's "100 Most Distinguished Alumni." Spelman also serves as a frequent conference panelist & speaker as well as magazine contributor. His productions have attracted support from the Government of South Australia, the NEA, New York Public Radio, J. D'Addario & Company, L’Oréal, and Apple. www.davidspelman.com
John Schaefer
Co-Founder & Host/MC
John Schaefer is the co-founder of the New York Guitar Festival, and is the host of WNYC’s innovative music/talk show Soundcheck, which features live performances and interviews with a variety of guests. Schaefer has also hosted and produced WNYC’s radio series New Sounds since 1982 (“The #1 radio show for the Global Village” – Billboard) and the New Sounds Live concert series since 1986. Schaefer has written extensively about music, including the book New Sounds: A Listener’s Guide to New Music (Harper & Row, NY, 1987; Virgin Books, London, 1990); the Cambridge Companion to Singing: World Music (Cambridge University Press, U.K., 2000); and the TV program Bravo Profile: Bobby McFerrin (Bravo Television, 2003).
Zingi Mkefa
Development
Zingi Mkefa is a writer and development specialist for nonprofit organizations. He graduated from the New School in 2014 with a master’s degree in International Affairs. In 2006, he received a Fulbright scholarship to complete a master’s degree in Journalism at New York University, where he specialized in Cultural Reporting and Criticism. His career as an arts journalist in South Africa spans ten years and has included bylines in notable publications such as the Sunday Times and THISDAY (South Africa), an arts talk show on RadioToday, and he has served on a variety of arts awards judging panels including the Naledi Theatre Awards. In 2010 and 2011, he served as advisor and mentor for the student theatre program at South Africa’s annual National Arts Festival. Zingi has authored two essays, one published in a 2010 collection called Positions: Contemporary Artists in South Africa, and another to be published as part of a 2015 critical anthology on South African drama. Zingi married his life partner Elliot in 2014; they live together with their dog Augie in New York.
Kyoko Takenaka
Multimedia
Kyoko Takenaka is a musician, photographer, & videographer based in New York City. Recently her interest lies in combining all three mediums. As a multi-media artist, she has a passion for stretching boundaries -- whether it be between fiction vs documentary, music vs visual art, or performing vs capturing. Her goal is to experience the world through a wider lens.
Neil Thompson
Marketing & Communications
A once (and future?) radio DJ, Neil Thompson first carved a path to stardom by spinning on air certain dusty volumes of vinyl (jazz, mostly) on the hallowed 5th floor of his college radio station. Announcer jobs in public as well as commercial FM eventually followed, yet the gig Neil misses most was his brief stint as the "unused portion guy" at Cracker Jacks, where his duties entailed reading letters of woe from snack food junkies who were disappointed by the quality of the prize—or, even worse, had munched their way through to discover the box contained no prize at all. Recent years have found Neil marketing himself as a fashionista, based on his ability to write phrases like, "pairs well with lime-green for a hazy, summertime feel." Other eclectic career moves have included time served as an audio book engineer and a feisty film critic. The NYGF, however, has restored him to his first love: delightfully esoteric music.
A.J. Benson
General Manager & Producer/Curator
NYGF General Manager/Producer/Curator A.J. Benson’s earliest musical memories are of puzzling over his parents’ Mamas & Papas, Dave Brubeck, Trini Lopez and Herb Alpert LPs as a kid in Connecticut. He’s spent the last fifteen-plus years in the music industry, in a number of executive and consulting capacities at A&M/Octone Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Arista/J/RCA Records, Virgin Records America, and Cherry Lane Music, overseeing various aspects of projects for Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith, Maroon 5, Ben Harper, OutKast, Johnny Cash’s estate, Barry Manilow, The Roots, Whitney Houston, Foo Fighters, The Notorious B.I.G., Dave Matthews, K'NAAN, several American Idols, and many other artists in between. He is currently running his own music and arts consulting venture called I Float Down The Liffey, LLC. He joined The New York Guitar Festival in 2005.
Prior to becoming a productive member of society, and when not diligently studying in high school and working on his journalism degree at the University of Connecticut in the 1980s, he followed the Grateful Dead around the continent and wrote numerous published pieces covering music, politics, and social issues. He recently overcame his fear of the classroom and is nearing completion of New York University’s Arts Management program.
Biggest career coup to date: somehow persuading Bruce Springsteen to show up and perform at the Festival’s 2006 launch concert, The Nebraska Project. (Close runner-up: Landing Justin Vernon of Bon Iver to compose and perform an original score to several Charlie Chaplin silent films for the 2010 Fest.)
Mary Wagner
Graphic Design
Mary Wagner is the founder and creative director of Verdant Studios. Together with a team of collaborators, she creates vibrant brands, sustainable communications and engaging web experiences for a variety of businesses and nonprofit institutions. Mary also serves on the board of Bowery Arts + Science and Project U.S.E., two organizations that foster creativity and holistic education. Off the grid, you can find Mary dancing, painting and in the mountains of Boulder, CO.
Joe Chellman
Web Development
Joe Chellman is a web developer, drummer, and author based in Los Angeles. A lifelong Mac nerd, he builds websites for a wide variety of artists, small businesses, nonprofits, and others under the guise of ShooFly Development & Design. He is an active author with lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning, and O'Reilly in JavaScript, WordPress, Drupal, and more. He has written and served as a tech editor for a couple of books, and is a member of the LA Drupal community, one of the largest Drupal users groups in the world. As a musician, he has performed and recorded in many styles of music with some wonderful people, including Chicago's master saxophonist Von Freeman, modern folk duo Mouths of Babes, klezmer-fusion weirdos Balkano, cabaret-pop crazies Chameleon World, pop-rock wonder purveyors Diana and the Dishes, harmony folk-pop superheroes Girlyman, and many others.
Nick Kiefer
Graphic Design
Award-winning graphic designer, art director, skateboarder, and traditional tattoo collector Nick Kiefer resides in the glorious city of Asbury Park, NJ. He’s designed record covers and local music posters for more than half his life. Currently on staff at a small advertising agency close to home, he shapes local brands (Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!), keeps his commute to a minimum, and catches waves before the sun sets. His steady flow of freelance clientele, which ranges from local musicians to national broadcast television, constantly pushes his creativity to the limits.
Jason Munn
Graphic Design
Jason Munn is originally from Wisconsin, but now calls Oakland, CA home. He began making posters almost ten years ago for local venues and independent musicians, designing under the pseudonym The Small Stakes. Now, working under his name, Jason continues to focus on posters, as well as design and illustration commissions.
Jason's work has appeared in numerous exhibits and publications. A selection of his posters are part of the permanent collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Denver Art Museum.
In 2010, Chronicle Books published "The Small Stakes" which focuses on Jason's posters created from 2002-2009.
Luciana Diehl
Social Media
Luciana Diehl is a graphic design artist based in NYC, but originally from Brazil. She likes to creates clean, simple but intelligent visual designs that shows insight and filter out distraction to add focus, doing more with less. Currently she's enjoying her career as a freelance designer and joined NYGF 2013. You can learn more about her and view some of her work at www.lucianadiehl.com
Dylan Wise
Intern
Dylan Wise is a visual artist, and a recent fine arts graduate at Monmouth University. He joined the New York Guitar Festival as an intern in 2011 and works with the festival team on graphic design and marketing assignments.