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Greetings from Raquel

Hello Fellow Creative Souls! Well, this past month has been filled with lots of excitement, and of course a dash of drama… but then again, we wouldn’t be in media if it wasn’t something with lots of energy! Drive continues to wear many hats and we are excited to try them all on! Our mission as a company is to help lift up other creators, fellow Earth travelers and our community through music, content and coaching. Especially as we walk through difficult times in our world, we want to help people feel connected and raise vibrations on this planet.. one beat, one note, at a time. Whether we are spending time together on zoom, at a screening, on stage or at the decks via Twitch or IRL, I always aim to be the best version of myself that I can to help people feel connected. We have a lot of exciting updates for you and I truly hope you are putting your own oxygen mask on so that you can lead with love and raise positive abundance together, collectively. Stay connected and know you always have a choice in life for what serves you best.

In appreciation always- Raquel

CONNECT WITH RAQUEL

John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health

Over the years, I have always said that working with John Ritter was one of the highlights of my career. In fact, in recent podcasts, I have stated that he taught me so much in our industry. He treated everyone with common courtesy and respect: from the assistant to the CEO of a company. Everyone was equal in John’s eyes and he taught others to be kind just in the way he treated those around him. He was one of my mentors and idols and I miss him dearly. He recently visited me in a dream and said, “please reach out to Bob Myman and get in touch with Amy”. I met his longtime colleague and friend, Bob, the same day I met John and we have been friends ever since. Since that dream, Bob connected me with the powerhouse, and wife of John, Amy Yasbeck. She is a gem of a human and when we had our conference call, she said “it is as if John sent you”. I said, “he did” and we truly believe that. I am now officially helping the incredible John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health as their Advisory Board Consultant to help Amy and the team. I’m so honored to help further their vision and sole purpose of raising awareness and changing outcomes of aortic health. As many of you know, we lost John in 2003, when he died suddenly due to a misdiagnosed thoracic aortic dissection. Since then, his family and loved ones have worked tirelessly to ensure his legacy to help save the lives of others. I cannot be more proud of keeping John’s legacy alive and helping his family continue to raise awareness through the organization. As the team says, “Aortic dissections are preventable”. We were also able to cheer on Team Ritter at this year’s NYC Marathon! Go Team!

Join Us

Cabrini Mission Foundation Gala

I started working with the incredible Cabrini Mission Foundation three years ago when I got a call from a childhood friend who saw on social media that I worked on events. I was no more than one month into maternity leave with Miss S when I got the call. That childhood friend was the Executive Director, Christopher LaBianco, who I bonded with in 5th grade when he first introduced me to Rush… and I’m grateful ever since! I jumped back into producing events thanks to him and what a wonderful journey it has been. Every year, we have the distinct honor to work with Christopher to execute his vision for the Cabrini Mission Foundation Gala to help spotlight the incredible work the Missionary Sisters do carrying forward Mother Cabrini’s charism. Established in 1998, Cabrini Mission Foundation exists to respond to society’s needs by supporting programs of healing, teaching, and caring sponsored by the Missionary Sisters of the Scared Heart of Jesus.

This year has been particularly special with the release of Cabrini, a biographical drama basedon the life and work of Mother Francesca Xavier Cabrini, who dedicated herself to supporting immigrants and the underserved around the world. Born in Italy, Mother Cabrini later became a naturalized U.S. citizen and holds the distinction of being the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint by the Catholic Church. She is revered as the patron saint of immigrants.

At the gala, we had the honor of recognizing Cristiana Dell’Anna, the incredible actor who portrayed Mother Cabrini with such spirit, tenacity, and strength. Watching the sisters meet Cristiana was truly special, and the love in the room that night was uplifting. I am excited to see the remarkable journey Cristiana will continue as she brings the essence of strong women to the screen.

If you are inclined, please help the Cabrini Mission Foundation and donate!

Make a Donation

Empowering Creatives: Networking and Collaboration In Entertainment and Media

Join Catharine O’Leary and Raquel, a talent manager and DJ, as they dive into the world of entertainment and creativity. Discover the importance of embracing new opportunities and pushing past comfort zones in the industry. Raquel shares her journey and the story behind founding “In The Mix,” a monthly meetup for creatives, providing a valuable space for connection and idea-sharing. Explore the power of networking and mentorship, especially for underrepresented groups, and learn about the positive impact of the ‘In the Mix’ project. Don’t miss this insightful conversation on empowering creatives and fostering collaboration in entertainment.

Free Gift:

Join “In the Mix” where people meet others in tech, entertainment, media. This is a zoom mingle for creative professionals who are employed, unemployed or underemployed and want to meet new folks for connecting, networking and brainstorming together. Our primary goal is to thrive together.

Updates From The Motels

From their beginnings as The Warfield Foxes in Berkeley, California, to becoming THE MOTELS and achieving major success with hits like “Only the Lonely” and “Suddenly Last Summer,” Martha Davis has been the unwavering voice and heart of the band since 1971. Known for her captivating performances and ability to channel raw emotion into every note, Martha has led The Motels through decades of highs and lows, shaping them into an iconic presence in the world of rock. With a career marked by reinvention, resilience, and relentless passion, Martha has been a force of nature, both on stage and off.

Today, she faces another challenge. Below, Martha shares a heartfelt update with fans, expressing her gratitude, optimism, and a glimpse into her fighting spirit that has carried her through life’s travails:

“I just canceled our remaining shows of the year… I think it’s time i come clean with you lovelies that have purchased tickets for upcoming shows…aside from badly breaking my wrist on September 9, I’m also in the mopup stages of a two year breast cancer thingie…had the estrogen blocker, the lumpectomy and now radiation. The radiation has caused me to lose my voice…so no guitar, no voice…no shows… I’m doing well and will be delighted when all this is over…last radiation is on the 23rd…yay!

In the last two months the universe has been playing dodgeball with me while my feet are velcroed to the ground. Started writing a new song…”I’m starring in my own shitshow!” I love and miss you all so much, and I can’t wait to get back at it!

Thank you to all my wonderful doctors, nurses and technicians. Thank you for making treatment FUN. I also want to thank my new manager Raquel Bruno, she’s had my back through all this…and more than anything i want to thank my band Clint, Nic, Eric and Marty…i love you with all my heart!!

Now that Martha has finished her treatments and is healing quickly, we have lots of exciting updates to announce in the next few months so stay tuned. Also, we are so proud to have had “Total Control” in the recent season of the Emmy Award Winning Series, The Bear!

Thrive With Drive

Over the past few months, I have made the pivot and added Ikigai & Life Coach to Drive’s roster! We have had an amazing group of colleagues in the Thrive With Drive Mastermind Group as well as some incredible 1:1 clients. We wanted to highlight some of these multi-talented creators! If you are interested in joining one of our groups, please reach out to us. Come celebrate these Thrivers with us!

Spotlight on Thrive with Drive Thriver:

Mike Mytnick x Marottes

Mike Mytnick is a video producer with 10 years of experience working in the entertainment industry (Architectural Digest, Disney, GLAAD Awards). Mytnick is also an electronic musician performing under the name Marottes. Inspired by horror, medieval art, and video games, Marottes blends darkwave and synthpop genres to create a hauntingly immersive sound, helping those feeling lost and lonely step into their power and dissolve their anxieties. Ahead of releasing new music and an album in 2025, Marottes has recently covered the 1980s pop hit ‘Major Tom’ and remixed indie pop musician Chayla Hope.

Check Out The Marottes Here

My 2nd Thrive with Drive Thriver

Alexandra Spirer

Withover 20 years of branding and marketing experience, Alexandra Spirer launched her own PR firm in 2019.

Alexandra graduated from Syracuse University with a BS in Consumer Studies in May 1999 and went onto promote her own brand of cookies called Alex & Dani’s light and crispy cookies across the US for 6 ½ years.

Inaddition to branding and marketing, Alexandra has been producing events forover a decade for both corporate and professional clients. Events include asuccessful book launch event for Celebrity Interviewer at Vanity Fair GeorgeWayne for his new book in December 2017 and secured the cover of Industry Rules Magazine for him that was released in January 2018. In December 2018, she wasthe publicist for the Coco 2018 Art event during Art Basel in Miami Beachfeaturing celebrity artists Tom Franco, Justin Suico and up and coming artist Ben Moon hosted by Celebrity Host Emily Leguizamo.

Since 2019 she has also been doing brand sponsorship of liquor, beauty& wellnessand food brands for top award shows such as the Grammys, BET Awards and BET HipHop Awards, Billboard Awards, ESSENCE Fest, AAFCA (African American FilmCritics Awards), Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards, NY Fashion Week, HCA (Hollywood Critics Association) as well as private celebrity events such as Celebrity and Star of Netflix’s The Neighborhood Tichina Arnold’s BeautyBrunches.

She also works with thought leaders in numerous industries.

In 2018, Alexandra became a writer for Authority Magazine on Medium.com and has her own feature series on Female Founders and Entrepreneurs. In 2019, she became a contributor on Buzzfeed. She also is a writer for New York Style Guide and from 2019-2021 was a Contributor on Thrive Global. She has featured Beyonce’s Creative Director Ty Hunter, Movie star and Vegan activist Alicia Silverstone as well as other notable celebrity designers, influencers, CEOs/Founders and Entrepreneurs.

Alexandra’s passion is giving back and she has been involved with numerous charitableorganizations such as Surgeons of Hope, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, serving on the Host Committee for Mercado Global. In December 2017, she workedwith the Global Gift Foundation on two events during Art Basel – Basel on the Bay Yacht Charity event and the Eva Longoria and Ricky Martin Foundation Galaat Eden Roc.

Previous clients include Move For Hunger, a nonprofit that was started in 2009 by Adam Lowy whose main mission is to end hunger but collecting nearly expired food from restaurants and organizations across the US and donating the food to food banks.

Top Endometriosis & GYN Dr. Lawrence Orbuch who specializes in Endometriosis treatment for women in additional to traditional GYN surgery

PR support & pitching for The Industry Collective and its numerous liquor and spirits clients & platforms

I am The Chief Engagement Officer for CLS and Craig Siegel and current clientsinclude as well as Podcast support for A1 & Tommy Mello & Influencer and Content Creator Gina Doost.

Midlife Vices

I was so honored to have been asked to be on Midlife Vices podcast which is hosted by Cher Martinetti & Breezy Weekes. I worked with both of them when Drive booked SYFY WIRE. Please check out these powerhouse women who I am proud to support on their new endeavor.

Russell Bruno gets inducted into University of Tampa Athletics Hall!

Many of you have met my brother Russell along the way over the years. He has been an integral part of me launching Drive and he has also been one of the biggest supporters I could have asked for- not just in business, but in life. As I said when I toasted him a few weeks ago, ‘When they were handing brothers out in the ether, I chose the best one!’. Whether he was jumping on a flight to Thailand for Miss Universe with me after I just had my son, working one of the various red carpets for MTV’s VMA’s or acting as a chauffeur/driver for talent at a film festival, Russell was always there without hesitation. My family was able to return that love a few weeks ago when he was honored and joined the ranks of other inductees for University of Tampa. He played baseball during college for them and since then, he has raised an enormous amount of money and support for the school, especially the UT Baseball Team. The immense pride I hold for my brother is beyond words so I had to highlight him here. He’s not one for the spotlight but he deserves every minute of it. I couldn’t have brought Drive to the level it is today without his endless amount of support. Congrats Russ!! A huge shoutout to him as well as a big thank you to his team at Assorted Internet who help run our website!

Check Them Out Here

Hello In The Mix’ers!

Watch this space for upcoming In The Mix Meet-Ups

A HUGE thank you to Perry Turcotte & Andrew Schiffman to inviting me to speak about our mutual time at MTV! If you want to hear fun stories about some of the talent I had the pleasure to work with during my time there as MTV Radio Talent Director, please check out this episode. Special shout-out to Susan Natoli for the marketing love and support! Keep telling great stories Team Music Lounge!

Listen Here

Soberness with Cat Greenleaf Podcast:

We officially launched in September and we have some very exciting episodes coming up! Cat recently sat down with Hank Azaria, Steve Earle, DMC and others at the Algonquin, so please make sure to tune in!

Tune In

A Pleasant Surprise

Caitlin Penny (our newsletter designer) of Copper Theory Creative was recently published in the ShoutOut Arizona – an online publication that asks questions designed to spark meaningful conversations. Shoutout Arizona is part of the Los Angeles based Voyage Group of Magazines and our flagship publication, VoyageLA was started in 2015. Above was the picture she surprised me with in the article on Stories, Lessons and Insights.

Caitlin and I met at Erin Marcus’ conference back in July in Chicago. We connected instantly and shared some of the same brand elements! **insert lightning bolt here** We spent some time together walking to Lake Michigan and we are both from the East Coast. I can’t wait to see what we collaborate on next!

ShoutOut Article

As I write this, we are in a crucial election. Please make sure you stay informed and find additional information you need for your ballot here:

Stay Informed

IN THE MIX

Watch this space for the next In The Mix Meet Up!)

1-2-1 COACHING

With our mentorship and coaching services, you’ll gain the tools, tips, and tricks you need to navigate this crazy, competitive industry like a pro!

DJ AVIVA

If you ever want to chat about vinyl or hear beats from funk to punk and house to classic hip-hop, you can also find me on Twitch on Wednesdays and Saturdays or on MixCloud.

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