Greg Scholl Named Executive Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) announced today that Greg Scholl will assume the position of Executive Director of JALC, beginning June 1. Mr. Scholl joins JALC as the not-for-profit arts organization enters its next phase of growth and celebrates its 25th anniversary in the upcoming 2012-13 programming season.
Working with Founder and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, Mr. Scholl will be responsible for managing the storied American institution, including its landmark venues in the Time Warner Center, dynamic programming schedule, rich and growing catalogue of music and video, wide array of education programs, and international expansion. At the same time, Mr. Marsalis has agreed to deepen his engagement with JALC, taking formal responsibility for long-term strategic planning and for leading JALC into a new era of innovation around education and programming. Mr. Scholl will report to and work directly with Mr. Marsalis and incoming Chairman Robert Appel.
“It gives us great pleasure to welcome Greg Scholl as our new Executive Director. His leadership and understanding of content distribution will help make our curatorial and educational offerings available to a broader audience. He has a global cultural vision, a practical management sensibility, and a creative restlessness born of a dedication to uplift people’s lives through music,” said Wynton Marsalis, Artistic Director of JALC. “Greg loves Jazz and brings great intelligence, intensity, and integrity to the service of our mission. The staff and I look forward to working with him.”
“On behalf of the Board, we mirror Greg’s excitement and energy about meeting our future goals and making the music accessible to everyone,” said Lisa Schiff, Chairman, JALC. “This is a thrilling time to be part of Jazz at Lincoln Center.”
“We’re honored that Greg will join our team of dedicated and enthusiastic Board and staff members,” said Mr. Appel. “Matched with our desire to broaden audiences for jazz and his dynamic approach to business through technology, this is the propitious time in our growth to welcome Greg to Jazz at Lincoln Center.”
“This opportunity is the culmination of all I’ve worked towards after two decades in media. The chance to work closely with Wynton Marsalis, for whom I have great respect and admiration, on behalf of music I love, and for the unimpeachable mission of bettering the cultural fabric of our country and world is a dream come true,” said Mr. Scholl.
Most recently, Mr. Scholl served as President, Local Integrated Media at NBC Universal, where he oversaw a portfolio of businesses including all digital businesses for NBC’s 10 owned television stations, the production company LX.TV, the Nonstop cable network, and NBC’s digital out of home properties. In this role, he was responsible for NBC’s local strategies around social media and multi-platform audience engagement. During Mr. Scholl’s tenure, NBC experienced strong audience growth, particularly around social media engagement, and Mr. Scholl oversaw the launch of a suite of new mobile products for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices and a slate of new local digital entertainment and news franchises.
Prior to NBC, Mr. Scholl served as President & CEO of The Orchard, a leading distributor and marketer of independent music and video. Mr. Scholl joined The Orchard in 2003 over the next six years, built it into one of the world’s preeminent digital media enterprises, representing many of the biggest independent artists and labels and pioneering many of today’s industry-standard digital marketing and distribution practices. Under Mr. Scholl’s leadership, The Orchard was recognized by Deloitte as one of the 50 fastest-growing companies in North America from 2003-08.
Prior to The Orchard, Mr. Scholl was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Associates and a Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton (for both, in their media practices) and ran a venture capital fund investing in media and technology companies on behalf of Edwin Cohen (founder of General Atlantic Partners). Mr. Scholl graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude in History and Science.
Mr. Scholl is also a blues, jazz and roots music aficionado; avid 78rpm record collector; guitar player and collector; and occasional record producer. In 2006, Mr. Scholl was nominated for a Grammy as Executive Producer (along with his colleague and partner, the legendary producer and songwriter Richard Gottehrer) for Dion’s “Bronx In Blue” and in 2009, Mr. Scholl produced and mastered the critically acclaimed release by The Peter Bernstein Trio, “Monk”. Mr. Scholl resides in New York City with his wife Chloe Breyer (who is the Executive Director of The Interfaith Center of New York) and their two children.