Home Front

NEW JOBS AT NIELSEN

Nielsen Business Media's Licensing & Events Group has launched a new central conference group that will be responsible for the execution, marketing, promotion and sales for The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Billboard and multibrand events.

The group will be led by Michele Jacangelo, executive director of conferences and events. Prior to the new position, she was responsible for running the Billboard events team. Also joining the group is Karl Vontz, as director of sponsorship sales. He was previously responsible for sponsorship sales for Billboard events.

Jacangelo and Vontz report to Nielsen Business Media VP of licensing and events Howard Appelbaum.

Reporting to Jacangelo are Matt Pollock, who returns to Nielsen Business Media as director for multibrand conferences; Margaret O'Shea, who is promoted to conference director for Billboard; and Bobbi Frank, who is named conference manager for THR. The team will collectively execute more than 20 events in 2007.

Nielsen Business Media also names Lila Gerson director of marketing for the events group. She most recently worked with the Rosen Group, overseeing publicity.

creating a quintet

Teen band Creation has announced a worldwide "Join the Band" contest on YouTube sponsored by Gibson Guitar and Billboard that will run through April 23. The members of Creation are four young musicians committed to promoting peace through the universal language of music. Their current mission is to find another band member between 12 and 15 years old who lives in the New York tri-state area. Eligible teens can enter by going to creationband.org/contests or youtube.com/creationband.

The winner will be announced April 23 by Gibson Guitar chairman/CEO Henry Juskiewicz at Nile Rogers' We Are Family Foundation Gala at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.