Andy Gesner

Birthday: February 19, 1961

HIP start date: October 26, 2000 (founder)

College: BA / Journalism Rutgers '89

Favorite Artists: Talking Heads, Velvet Underground, Elvis Costello, Gary Wilson

Andy has been a survivor on the indie rock playing field for over twenty five years. After playing in bands throughout the eighties and nineties, he started booking shows in the NJ/NYC area and released compilation CDs from worthy area talent. With HIP Video Promo, Andy has found the perfect promotional niche for his boundless energy and enthusiasm for the bands and artists he respects and admires. Andy credits his hard working and dedicated staff for the growth HIP has enjoyed over the past six and a half years, and still pinches himself every morning to confirm it’s actually him with the best and most fun job in the music biz.

Rick Brown

Birthday: November 29

HIP start date: November 2, 2002

College: BA English Literature/RTVMP North Carolina '80

Favorite Artists: The Who, Television, Brian Eno, John Prine

Favorite HIP Artists: Johnny Cash, Eagles Of Death Metal, The Decemberists

Rick, like Tim Wakefield of his beloved Red Sox, is a long standing member of the team and has always been willing to do whatever is best for the team, be that starting, closing, setup, or middle relief. He comes from a background in writing and video production, including directing and editing music videos; and has a sharp eye for the technical aspects in both of those areas. Other than being pals with Andy longer than the rest of the staff has been alive, his greatest asset remains his laconic demeanor .

Rob Fitzgerald

Birthday: October 22, 1979

HIP start date: January 2, 2006

College: William Paterson University '03

Favorite Artists: Sunny Day Real Estate, Superdrag, Army Of Me

Favorite HIP Artists: Placebo, Against Me!, Calexico

When he's not running things here at HIP HQ, and keeping the ever excitable staff in order, Rob plays bass for New Jersey's best band, Hero Pattern - which makes us lucky to have him on the staff. His intuitive knowledge of music and his instinct for what works in a song or on a record are priceless assets for us. His indefatigueable work ethic, possibly a legacy from the time he's spent as a house painter and indie rock road warrior, inspires all of us here at HIP. His easy familiarity with all respects of the music industry has made him HIP's "Go TO" guy.

Megan Albert

Birthday: November 17th, 1984

HIP start date: June 21st, 2006

College: Monmouth University '06

Favorite Artists: Q And Not U, Spoon, Aloha

Favorite HIP Artists: The Stills, Supersystem, Modern Skirts

Megan came to us when we most needed her and we welcome her keen attention to detail (and punctuation prowess). After a couple of music industry internships working in retail, digital, and tour marketing, Megan got word that HIP was looking, and she came knockin'. As our brand new Director of National Music Video Promotion (and Intern Wrangler), she creates the drumbeat that the entire office tunes into. Megan is a remarkably quick study with boundless enthusiasm and is a fanatical supporter of the local music scene and indie music in general. Megan hails originally from the Baltimore, MD area, and is a devoted UM Terps fan. She recently completed her BA in Music Management at Monmouth University and has become a key member on the HIP front lines.

Andrea Manalese

Birthday: July 18, 1987

HIP start date: January 11, 2007

College: Rutgers '09

Favorite Artists: Tegan & Sara, Rilo Kiley, Cold War Kids

Favorite HIP Artists: Death Cab For Cutie, Northern State, Good Old War

     Andrea came to HIP in early 2007, (courtesy of the Journalism and Mass Media Department at Rutgers), and it was as if an indie-rock angel had descended from above to help us fight the good fight. Quickly identified as a hard worker with keen attention to detail, Andrea is much loved by her fellow HIPsters and is already mentoring our new batch of interns! Always ready with a smile and a kind word, we hope Andrea remains a part of our team for years to come. Her voracious need to rock hard, combined with her inclination to "always keep busy", make Andrea a perfect fit on the HIP championship team!

Michael Kundrath

Birthday: March 6, 1984

HIP start date: April 8, 2009

College: Kean University

Favorite Artists: Nada Surf, Little Brother, Nine Inch Nails, Underoath, J Dilla, The Beatles, The Wrens, Biggie Smalls

Favorite HIP Artists: Dinosaur Jr, Zion I, Metric, Pearl Jam, The Little Heroes

     Mike Kundrath has been a friend of HIP ever since we started this promotions business back in the early part of the decade. As the drummer of the band Hero Pattern, he lived the rock and roll life here in the great Garden State and along with bassist, and HIP Senior VP of Video Promo, Rob Fitzgerald traveled far and wide bringing their compelling music to new audiences across the country. In the spring of 2009 when Rob mentioned that Mike was looking for work, we all knew he'd be a perfect fit within the HIP family. Mike's attention to detail and enthusiastic persona make him an excellent co-employee and his passion for music is unflappable.

Misha Safonov

Birthday: February 8, 1985

HIP start date: August 29, 2007

Favorite Artists: The Matches, Blink 182, The Used

Favorite HIP Artists: The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack, The Postal Service

    After an extensive search for a new "HIPster" that lives and breathes the non-stop rock action, we are thrilled to welcome Misha Safonov to our championship team! When Misha is not helping us here at HIP HQ promoting videos, he fronts Doghouse Records latest buzz band, Jet Lag Gemini. As someone who has seen first hand the effectiveness of organic, grassroots approaches to modern music marketing, Misha brings lots of enthusiasm and experience with him to HIP from his years "fighting the good fight" performing and writing songs in Jet Lag Gemini. Misha's passion for music, humble demeanor and unflappable attention to detail are very much appreciated by his fellow staffers, and the best part is, he's a young man with a genuine, full-on rock and roll heart!

Dwayne Henry

Birthday: July 13, 1987

HIP start date: January 20, 2009

College: Full Sail University '08

Favorite Artists: NAS, Jim Croce, Jay Z, Queen, Demic and Bawsten

Favorite HIP Artists: Bishop Allen, of Montreal, D. Willz

     One of the best parts of 2009 was having Dwayne Henry come onto the HIP Video Promo radar screen! Only two weeks after graduating college in Orlando, FL, Dwayne moved home to the great Garden State and started helping us "fight the good fight"! Dwayne has lots of video production experience, so along with all the daily scut work he's responsible for, Dwayne is proficient in preparing Quicktime and Windows Media files, as well as our very popular HIP Clips. We are thrilled to have Dwayne as a part of our championship team.