PepperHorn Music
Director, Editor & Arranger
Oct 2010 – Present
Leading digital music publishing platform serving professional musicians and educational institutions worldwide
- Content Platform & Marketplace Operations
- Built and scaled digital marketplace serving professional musicians and educational institutions with catalog of 1,500+ arrangements from independent creators and major publishers
- Designed content ingestion workflows managing everything from creator submissions through editorial review, metadata enrichment, quality assurance, and publication
- Implemented content discovery systems optimizing search, recommendation algorithms, and personalized browsing experiences based on user behavior and content attributes
- Developed catalog metadata architecture supporting multi-dimensional classification (difficulty, instrumentation, genre, pedagogy) enabling sophisticated content understanding and surfacing
- Built digital content delivery infrastructure (AWS Lambda) handling DRM, watermarking, encryption, multi-format rendering, and territorial access controls
- Creator & Partner Ecosystem
- Negotiated and executed licensing partnerships with major international publishers (Hal Leonard, Universal Music, Sony Music, EMI) establishing sustainable commercial frameworks
- Structured territory-specific licensing agreements accommodating regional copyright requirements and collecting society compliance
- Developed creator compensation models balancing fair royalty structures with platform sustainability and market competitiveness
- Built creator workflows from onboarding through content submission, review feedback, publication, and performance analytics
- Managed ongoing commercial relationships with rightsholders, navigating creative interests, legal requirements, and business objectives
- Content Quality & Review Systems
- Designed multi-stage quality assurance processes ensuring professional-grade output across diverse content types and creator skill levels
- Implemented editorial standards and guidelines maintaining consistency while enabling creative expression
- Built feedback loops between creators, users, and review teams to continuously improve content quality and relevance
- Created metadata validation systems ensuring content discoverability and accurate classification
- Product Strategy & Platform Development
- Migrated platform from legacy PHP/MySQL/WordPress to modern Node.js/PostgreSQL/Astro.js stack, improving scalability, performance, and maintainability
- Integrated multiple payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, Square) supporting multi-region commerce with regional tax compliance
- Conducted customer research identifying unmet needs, designed and tested product hypotheses through iterative experimentation
- Implemented customer segmentation driving personalized recommendations and targeted content surfacing
- Restructured CMS architecture to enable creator self-publishing with approval workflows and tiered derivative licensing
- Managed end-to-end P&L from rights acquisition through distribution and revenue management
- Technical & AI Innovation
- Implemented AI-powered content tagging and classification using GPT and Claude APIs to accelerate catalog enrichment
- Experimented with generative AI for content variations and format transformations to expand utility of existing catalog
- Built recommendation systems leveraging user behavior data and content similarity algorithms
- Developed analytics dashboards tracking content performance, creator engagement, and revenue attribution
Creative Ranges Foundation
CEO & Board Member
Oct 2025 – Present
Leading non-profit music education organization serving 1,000+ students across 12 schools
- Content Operations & Platform Leadership
- Leading content production operations for team of 11 across curriculum materials, educational videos, performance documentation, and learning resources serving 1,000+ students
- Built scalable content platform (Directus/PostgreSQL/React) managing content authoring, review workflows, multi-channel distribution, and usage analytics
- Designed content delivery systems for diverse audiences (students, parents, educators, administrators) with personalized experiences and access controls
- Implemented AI-augmented content workflows using Claude API for lesson planning assistance, content summarization, and administrative task automation
- Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Coordination
- Manage distributed team of 22 staff including educators, content creators, producers, and administrators across 12 locations
- Coordinate cross-functional collaboration between curriculum development, technical implementation, operations, and stakeholder relations
- Lead resource prioritization balancing concurrent initiatives across program delivery, platform development, and partnership expansion
- Present strategic roadmaps to board, translating technical capabilities into clear business value and educational outcomes
- AI Training Data & Content Understanding
- Developing RAG systems extracting actionable insights from lesson notes, student feedback, and educator observations
- Building content classification frameworks enabling personalized learning pathways and adaptive curriculum recommendations
- Implementing quality evaluation systems at scale using AI to identify content gaps and improvement opportunities
- Experimenting with custom model training for music education applications and creative arts pedagogy
- Stakeholder & Partnership Management
- Negotiate and execute partnership agreements with 12 schools (government and Catholic), councils, and community organizations
- Structure multi-stakeholder commercial arrangements balancing institutional requirements, funding constraints, and community needs
- Lead P&L management for organization across multiple revenue streams and program segments
Ranges Music Network
Founder & Program Director
Jan 2020 – Oct 2024
Founded and scaled accessible music education program across Macedon Ranges region
- Content Development & Program Scaling
- Built comprehensive curriculum library including lesson plans, instructional videos, assessment frameworks, and performance repertoire serving 12 schools
- Designed content creation pipelines supporting rapid curriculum development while maintaining pedagogical quality and consistency
- Developed feedback systems connecting content creators, educators, and students to continuously improve materials based on usage data and learning outcomes
- Successfully transitioned program assets, content library, and team to Creative Ranges Foundation (2025)
- Product Management & Iteration
- Conducted continuous experimentation testing program formats, content delivery methods, and engagement strategies
- Built operational systems managing complex scheduling, resource allocation, and multi-site coordination
- Tracked KPIs for enrollment growth, student retention, content engagement, and educational outcomes
Braemar College Woodend
Director Of Music
Jan 2014 – Dec 2019
Led instrumental music program across two campuses serving Years 5-12
- Team Leadership & Operations Management
- Developed and directed a team of 12-15 Instrumental Music Tutor and Ensemble Direction staff across two campuses
- Continuously iterated on ensemble options and performance outcomes to align with student interests and the College objectives for the year
- Supporting College events across a two campus school with a busy calendar of Yr 5 to 12 events
- Connected the curricular Music and Arts teams with the Lead Teacher Performing Arts to build a cohesive and integrated program
- Designing For Growth
- Designed and implemented a new Instrumental Music curriculum for Yr 5 to 12 students, incorporating a mix of ensemble and individual instruction
- Connected with multiple departments to find tie-in performance opportunities for our musicians
- Actively pursued external performance and workshop opportunities through community and industry connections
- Always aiming the spotlight on our student performers of all ages in order to engage and inspire their peers to get involved
- Curated a mix of both structured and unstructured music, performance, recording and product-based activities to meet young artists where they were at
- Inclusive and contemporary forward program that engaged our musicians' interests and tastes, while broadening their horizons with World and Classical influences
Freelance Arranger & Composer
Arranger, Editor, Composer, Producer
Oct 2005 – Oct 2010
Freelance music production and arrangement services for diverse clients
- Recording
- Appeared on two albums with Trinidadian Soca legend David Rudder, on the initial release with Toronto World ensemble Canefire
- Freelance session horns on a number of projects in Toronto, Canada and Las Vegas, NV
- Arranging & Orchestration
- Designed a number of stage shows for leading Cruise Lines, Casino showrooms and Hotel musicians
- Worked with a number of professional events companies to expand their product and brand
Carnival Cruise Lines & Royal Caribbean International
Music & Entertainment Director | Woodwinds
Oct 1999 – May 2005
Led entertainment departments on international cruise ships, working with renowned artists and managing large production teams
- Team Leadership & Operations Management
- Managed entertainment departments leading teams of 50+ performers, technicians, and production staff across international operations since age 17
- Worked on and rehearsed shows with internationally reknown entertainers with quick turn around times
- Coordinated multi-discipline creative teams across music, technical production, and stage management
- Built international network across entertainment and creative industries, learning to navigate corporate environments and diverse cultural contexts