Executive coach
for senior leaders in music, entertainment, and tech
I coach senior leaders who are talented and successful enough to be in the room but still figuring out how to lead it.
They're usually in the middle of something real: a new role, a reorg, a team that isn't working.
The coaching happens in real time — we get into what's actually in your way, the gap between how you see yourself and how you're landing with the people around you. Then we work on what needs to shift, in the context of what you're actually dealing with.
It's not a program. There's no curriculum. It's built entirely around you.
Jump to a Topic ↓
My Approach
I bring two things to every coaching engagement: the rigor of business strategy, and the lived experience of building something creative from nothing.
Over 20 years running a music and entertainment brand taught me how leadership actually works in practice — how to develop a vision and bring people into it, how to build and lead teams, how to read a room in real time, and how to keep things moving when there's no script and no safety net. Formal training — MBA, OD studies at NYU, thousands of hours of coaching — gave me the tools to translate that experience into coaching that works for the people in front of me.
That combination is how I coach: grounded in real experience, disciplined in approach, built around the specific person in front of me.
Real experience. Disciplined approach.
Built around you.
Past Clients
I've had the privilege of coaching hundreds of leaders at:
Why This Work
I co-founded The Rub, a music and entertainment brand — over 20 years building it from nothing into something The New York Times called the "best club night in New York," performing in 62 cities across four continents. I know what it takes to build a creative business, lead a team without a script, and stay successful through changing markets.
I built and ran programs within Paramount/ViacomCBS's culture transformation work that reached hundreds of leaders. I know how change actually happens inside a complex organization — and what gets in the way.
I now coach senior leaders at Google, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Universal Music Group, Microsoft, and American Express.
Different industries, same kind of complexity.
“Joe’s thoughtfulness in asking tough questions and pushing me to re-think some baseline assumptions I’ve held for a long time was great! He hit the perfect balance of high-level, more abstract topics and tactical steps.”
Credentials
MBA, Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business
BA, African American Studies, San Francisco State University
Professional Certified Coach (PCC), International Coaching Federation
Hudson Institute of Coaching Certification
Certified in Hogan and DISC assessments
Outside the Work
I split time between New York City and Palm Springs. I collect art books, vinyl, and 1980s Italian lighting. I have six nieces and nephews who keep things in perspective.