Nikki Sixx
New board members bring strong mix of experience and position that will help GRI expand philanthropy for people in early recovery from substance use disorder (SUD)
SILVER SPRING, MD—March 11, 2020—The Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI) announced today the addition of four new members to its board of directors: international rock icon Nikki Sixx; entertainment industry legend Allen Kovac; Fors Marsh Group’s (FMG) Director of Special Initiatives Matt Escoubas, and iHeartMedia VP Alexandra Cameron.
Pam Cytron, CEO of Pando Systems and board chairman of the GRI said, “We are thrilled to add these new board members who will bring their wisdom, expertise, and networks to expand philanthropy for people in early recovery from substance use disorder (SUD)—a nationwide problem that affects every sector of American life—from individuals and their families to the country’s employers and communities.”
About the New Board Members:
Nikki Sixx is a founding member and the bassist of the band Mötley Crüe (over 100 million albums sold worldwide) as well as the author of three New York Times bestselling books, including his memoir The Heroin Diaries, which will debut as a musical in 2020. He is 18 years sober and has been a dedicated recovery advocate, philanthropist, and public speaker. He is a frequent media contributor to CNN, Fast Company, MSNBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone. He has also spoken to members of Congress for National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.
Allen Kovac, a 40-year veteran of the entertainment industry, founded Better Noise Music (AKA, Eleven Seven Music Group), Tenth Street Entertainment, and TDA Productions. He has developed and promoted a wide range of artists, including Tom Petty, Talking Heads, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Duran Duran, The Cranberries, Mötley Crüe, and Meatloaf.
In 2006, Allen founded Better Noise Music to give artists an integrated worldwide marketing platform and direct distribution with iTunes, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and Deezer. Better Noise has been named the #1 Active Rock label by Mediabase two years in a row (2018 and 2019).
In 2019, Allen was honored by Sir Richard Branson with the Innovator Award at the Association of Independent Music (AIM) Awards.
Allen has produced a number of programs that focus on SUD. He co-produced the highly successful Netflix biopic, The Dirt, based on the best-selling autobiography of the band Mötley Crüe. He also produced Sno Babies, a gripping story about a 16-year-old heroin-addicted honor student that shows how one can begin recovery; the movie is scheduled for release in 2020. In addition, he is the producer of The Heroin Diaries, a theater show based on the bestselling memoir of the same name by Nikki Sixx, which will run in 20 cities across the United States beginning in fall 2020.
Matt Escoubas is Director of Special Initiatives at Fors Marsh Group (FMG) where he oversees the company’s social purpose division tasked with addressing social challenges through in-kind, employee-led project teams. Throughout Matt’s career he has championed causes that strive to improve lives through evidence-based research. He brings more than 25 years of experience to his current role having led a wide array of public health and social change campaigns on behalf of federal and private sector clients. His work spans a range of topics, including opioid use disorder, addiction recovery, heart disease and stroke prevention, tobacco prevention, and pediatric palliative care. His efforts have received multiple industry awards, including a PR News Platinum Award, Bronze Anvil Award, two National Health Information Awards, and three Thoth Awards.
Alexandra Cameron is Vice President Strategic Partnerships & Government Initiatives for iHeartMedia. She also leads iHeartMedia’s significant commitment toward combatting the opioid epidemic, including its role as cofounder of The National Opioid Action Coalition (NOAC). iHeart’s active role in responding to the crisis has included thought leadership events and multiple audio and digital campaigns to heighten awareness and break stigma around substance use disorder, including a National Recovery Month effort which enlisted artist support from Macklemore, Camila Cabello, Dan + Shay and others. iHeartMedia and NOAC have adopted GRI as a charitable partner for SUD issues. Alexandra is also on the Advertising Week Advisory Council and is the former CEO of Keek, a startup social video network, growing it to 75 million users. She has served as Chair and Board Director for numerous industry trade organizations and spent over 5 years as Market Manager for 3 iconic NY radio brands.
About Better Noise Music
BETTER NOISE MUSIC is the premiere independent music label under BETTER NOISE ENTERTAINMENT, a content creation and marketing company that produces music, books, films, documentaries, TV shows, theatrical productions and tours. Better Noise Music (formerly Eleven Seven Music), founded in 2006 by music industry veteran and independent pioneer Allen Kovac, focuses on artist development and has grown into a music industry independent powerhouse, with a roster including Five Finger Death Punch, AWOLNATION, Mötley Crüe, Atlas Genius, Papa Roach, Bad Wolves, Nothing More and The Hu. Partnering with FUGA, AMPED and Membran, the company operates a global marketing and distribution platform with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Berlin, Toronto and Sydney. https://betternoise.com/
About FMG
Fors Marsh Group (FMG) applies science and strategy to create positive behavior change in people and program and policy improvements in large organizations and government. This work is conducted within seven core U.S. markets: health, defense, technology, finance, homeland security, policy, and consumer. As a certified B Corporation, FMG’s business practices create positive impact beyond our client portfolio, extending into the community through pro bono service to nonprofits aligned with FMG’s corporate values.
About GRI
The Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI) is the first and only national community foundation dedicated to building philanthropy for organizations that deliver recovery support services to people with SUD.
GRI funds the expansion of organizations that have demonstrated success in:
- Deploying public, private, and pop culture resources to strengthen the field of recovery;
- Engaging philanthropy leaders to invest in nonprofit, recovery-focused programs and making grants in local communities throughout the United States; and
- Reducing the stigma around SUD and recovery.
For more information, visit: https://globalrecoveryinitiatives.org/
Contact: Caitlin Carroll
310.824.3997
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