About Us
Leyla Turkkan
Founder & CEO
Leyla founded The Catalyst Group in January 2007. A respected music and media visionary, Leyla’s integrated marketing expertise includes creating branded entertainment and digital content as well as strategic marketing, brand evolution, media strategy, event planning, public relations and corporate philanthropy. In her 25 years in the entertainment industry, she has worked closely with artists ranging from David Bowie and The Cure, underground stalwarts Sonic Youth, Built to Spill, and Belle and Sebastian, singer-songwriters such as Jeff Buckley and Bob Dylan, and legendary hip-hop artists from Public Enemy to the Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest, among countless others.
Leyla has conceived of and advised many of the entertainment industry’s most successful philanthropic endeavors, including co-founding the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, and has consulted Russell Simmons for over 20 years. She has also been on the Board of Directors of the New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and done pro bono work for DemocracyNow.org and the Bowery Mission.
Able to move effortlessly through all genres of music, Turkkan founded and ran the groundbreaking Set to Run public relations firm with a 17-member staff and offices in New York and Los Angeles. Their roster included a unique mix of hip-hop and alternative rock, including A Tribe Called Quest, the Beastie Boys, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, and Public Enemy, indie-rockers The Breeders, New Order, Sonic Youth and Suicidal Tendencies, and superstars David Bowie, Duran Duran, The Cure and the B-52s.
She went on to senior positions with various major label divisions and subsidiaries, including: heading up Media Relations at Columbia Records; Executive Vice President and General Manager at TAG/Atlantic Records, where she launched the pioneering alt-rock label with Danny Goldberg and Craig Kallman; SVP, A&R/Marketing at EMI/The Enclave with Tom Zutaut, including the stateside signing of Belle and Sebastian and Sloan; the management of Built to Spill, alternative rock critics darlings and a Warner Brothers signature signing; 6 years at BET as VP marketing for the network and BET.com.
Victoria Tsigonis
Catalyzer
Resident online ninja Victoria is a seasoned digital marketer for the music and entertainment industries, who has executed top-notch campaigns for the likes of MySpace, Vel and Wichita Records under the guise of her company Weapon of Choice. She has also served as the US Editor for the most-visited independent music portal, Gigwise. As Marketing Director for acclaimed independent company Wiredset, Victoria oversaw online campaigns for Debbie Harry and a number of Universal Records artists. She began her career on the Columbia Records street marketing team, segueing to Assignment Editor for acclaimed photo agency WireImage. She is a graduate of Emerson College.
Perry Serpa
Catalyzer
In 2002, veteran flack Perry Serpa left his former outlet of nearly a decade, Nasty Little Man (Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys, Spoon), opting to run his own small boutique PR agency, Good Coop PR and collaborate with folks like The Catalyst Group. Perry represents such esteemed clientele as Autechre, All Tomorrow's Parties, American Music Club, Bumbershoot, the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), David Poe, Mosquitos, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Paul Weller, Jonathan Richman, Sonic Youth, Ron Sexsmith, Jay Farrar, Erin McKeown, The Divine Comedy, The Get Up Kids, Dispatch, The Starlight Mints, and more.
Donna Torrence
Catalyzer
Donna served as Director of National Publicity and Media Relations for Gee Street/Island Records before moving on to Arista Records. At Arista, she was responsible for further raising the profiles of such stellar artists as Sean “Puffy” Combs, Whitney Houston, Usher, TLC, Faith Evans, Q-Tip and Run DMC.
Branching out on her own, Donna created her own PR firm, Mediasavvy, where her first clients were The Source magazine and Sean “Puffy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records, Master P and his New No Limit records and films. She has handled all media for the hip hop entrepreneur and his superstar teenage son Lil’ Romeo since 2001.
Donna also has a strong background in film and television representation, including God’s Gift (Urbanworks); Romeo! (Nickelodeon); America’s Top Model cycle 3 (UPN); Taye Diggs’s “Kevin Hill” (UPN); Marques Houston’s “Cutz” (UPN); Crush on U (First Look/Urbanworks); Uncle P (New Line Home Entertainment); Lockdown (No Limit/Palm Pictures); ‘Bout it (No Limit Films); Undisputed (NewLine); and Dark Blue (MGM).
In addition, Donna has an expertise in sports, events and publishing, having represented The ABA Las Vegas Rattlers Basketball team as well events such as NBA’s Allstars 07 “Diddy’s Press Play Lounge” event; NBA Allstar “How the West Was Won” Pre-Game event; and “The Source Hip Hop Music Awards” (UPN). In the world of publishing she has represented Hip Hop weekly; The Source; and The Source Sports magazine, Ambermag.com.
Jamie Roberts
Catalyzer
Jamie Roberts is the founder of Forest Media Consulting (FMC) with more than 13-years of experience in publicity and artist relations. Current FMC publicity clients include independent labels Bieler Bros Records and Mercy Records, as well as Solid State Records’ critically acclaimed rockers He Is Legend, and million-selling, all-female rock powerhouse Kittie. Before starting FMC, Roberts oversaw the media and artist relations departments at Roadrunner and Universal Republic Records. She’s also worked for music PR firms KSA Publicity and MFPR, in addition to indie label The Enclave. She has planned and executed successful campaigns for Nickelback, Slipknot, 3 Doors Down, Nick Lachey, Paulina Rubio and Junkie XL, among many others. FMC is also engaged in a strategic relationship with Big Machine Media, who represent celebrities, products and multi-genre musicians including Stephen Baldwin, Janice Dickinson, Sandra Bernhardt, Erika Jayne, Sun, Tricky Bizness and more.
Ellen Zoe Golden
Catalyzer
Ellen Zoe is a 25-year-plus veteran of publicity, marketing and music supervision on the international stage. Her database of media contacts ranges across business, entertainment, trend, travel, sports, real estate, general interest, Latin, and more. She also handles a number of properties in Costa Rica (considered by CNBC and the New York Times as the fastest-growing North American high income, baby boomer second home market).
Ellen Zoe’s most recent work has also included Sports Music Marketing for NFL Properties; Major League Baseball; and the United States Tennis Association. In addition, her vast career--including a stint starting up the Media Relations department at Universal Records, and her training as a publicist under the wing of the legendary Howard Bloom--has encompassed Public Relations and Media Strategy for the likes of Damon Dash, Chris LIghty’s Violator Management and Brand Asset Digital, Nelson George, Russell Simmons’ Hip Hop Action Network, ABC’s “One Life To Live,” Billy Idol, Chumbawamba, Warren G, Live Nation’s Country Getaway Cruise starring Tim McGraw, Bette Midler, The Jackson’s Victory Tour, Kiss, Billy Joel, Deep Forest, Front 242, Roger Waters “The Wall” in Germany, Midnight Oil, Judas Priest Trial Crisis Press.
Marilyn Lopez
Catalyzer
Marilyn has over 10 year’s experience in publicity and media relations in the music, lifestyle, fashion and entertainment industries. Over eight years at Jive Records included working on campaigns for The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, R. Kelly, Ciara and Chris Brown. Her success in conjunction with The Catalyst Group includes clients such as Just Jack, Q-tip and Chris Lighty. Marilyn Public Relations represents a variety of musicians, actors, producers, accessories and clothing lines. Her current roster consists of Kevin Federline, Layla El, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Daniel Cage, Trina, Slip-N-Slide Recods (Dirtbag, Trina, Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, Plies), Joe Hound, Erika Rose, Ky-Mani Marley and Bosko Kante.