Craig
A. Melone, President
As
a company that represents Grammy Award winning artists,
hilarious comedians, destination resorts, restaurants, talented
thespians and corporations who thrive on cutting-edge technology,
Hands On PR & Marketing prides itself on a unique ability
to deliver on all levels.
A twenty year veteran of the music and entertainment business,
Craig Melone's experience within the industry is as vast
as it is varied. Melone, the son of a concert violinist
mother and father, mastered the art of percussion and played
with various symphony orchestras and concert bands, touring
Europe and the states. He entered the University of Miami's
prestigious school of music on scholarship where he majored
in music and business. Simultaneously, as chairman of entertainment,
he booked a number of successful shows for the University
including Santana, Christopher Cross and Bonnie Raitt, among
others. While at Miami, Capitol Records recruited Melone
and placed him in their regional office located in Dallas,
Texas.
At
Capitol Records in Dallas, Melone had the opportunity to
work within the company's sales and promotion force whose
artist roster at the time included Bob Seger, Duran Duran
and The Steve Miller Band, among others. Melone was promoted
to a promotion position based in Detroit, Michigan and was
fortunate enough to take part in resurrecting the career
of Tina Turner to superstar level. Next, the company promoted
him to a marketing and publicity position for Capitol/EMI's
International Division based at the company's headquarters
at the famed Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles, California.
The International Division was the launching ground for
the company's efforts to break acts worldwide and an opportunity
to work with the various licensing company's throughout
the world. Acts there at the time included Diana Ross, David
Bowie and Tina Turner. After a stint in television production,
Melone joined the Norman Winter/Associates staff, handling
Michael Jackson and the Jackson's Victory Tour, Bob Dylan,
Morris Day, Eric Burdon, Grammy Award winning producers,
Jimmy "Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson,
LA & Babyface and others.
He
joined Wilkinson/Lipsman Associates, whose talented staff
handled a client roster that included Robin Williams, Billy
Crystal, Sammy Davis, Jr., Fran Drescher and a host of others
including Producer/Director Jerry Kramer, who won a Grammy
for Michael Jackson's "The Making of Moonwalker."
It was at this time that Melone produced the documentary
"And Then There Was One," the story of the last
living member of the world famous "Murderer's Row"
1927 Yankees.
Next, at Public Image PR, as VP of Entertainment, Melone
went on to represent such talents as Shelley Duvall and
her Think Entertainment, Grammy nominated record producers
including Shel Talmy (The Who, The Kinks) and Andre Fischer
(Natalie Cole's "Unforgettable"), as well as The
Family Channel Television Network who made a splash teaming
with George Lucas for his first foray into series television
with "Maniac Mansion."
In
1991, Melone founded the Public Relations firm, Hands On
Public Relations & Marketing. The company's success
stories include the one and only multiple Grammy award winning
legend, Ray Charles, the ground breaking artist, the Beach
Boys' Brian Wilson and comedian turned Grammy nominee and
now television star, George Lopez.
Other
Hands On clients, past & present include nine time Grammy
winner, Gospel great Shirley Caesar, Grammy and Golden Globe
winner/New Age guru Kitaro, the Winans Family and the Godfather
of Soul, James Brown. In addition to many other record labels
and independent projects, Hands On handles publicity duties
for the cutting edge DVD corporation, AIX Media Group. Actors
& actresses repped by Hands On include individuals from
smash films and hit television series including HBO's OZ,
NBC's ER, the record-setting feature, Barbershop and one
of the stars, Khandi Alexander, from CBS' very popular top
10 series, CSI:Miami.
On
the corporate side, the talented staffers at Hands On have
enjoyed success representing high profile corporations including
Warner/Chappell Music, BMI, ASCAP, and recording companies
including Tommy Boy, Epic, Sony and Capitol Records. In
the club, restaurant and resort hotel arenas, the company
was responsible for the revitalization of classic LA nightspots
such as Vertigo nightclub and the venue's award-winning
restaurant. Additionally, when the owners of the popular
restaurant, Cha Cha Cha were ready to re-launch the popular
eatery, Hands On was selected to tackle the task. In Palm
Springs, the owners of a Water Park and a Condominium Complex
needed a NEW concept to bring together the two entities.
The Hands On team went to work with Winter & Associates
and the Oasis Water Resort Villa Hotel was born. The popular
resort hotel plays host to numerous celebrity events each
year, from Volleyball to golf tournaments.
Since
their debut, Hands On has been successful in their representation
of numerous corporate and high profile clients from the
world of music, film, comedy and television.
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