JENSEN COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

Jensen Communications, Inc. is a media, marketing and management firm specializing in public relations serving a diverse range of clients in entertainment, business, cause-related politics and the arts.

At JCI, the global management of outstanding artists, public figures, entertainment projects & events, cause related initiatives, corporate products and corporate branding is both a finely tuned art and a driving passion. Since its inception in 1982, JCI – founded by Michael Jensen – has conceived and executed well over one hundred major media relations and marketing campaigns that build widespread public and industry awareness and recognition far above and beyond the parameters of any specific project. JCI is recognized as a premiere boutique media, marketing and management firm with truly international reach, serving a diverse range of clients in the realms of music, media, new media, fine art, corporate business, independent film and progressive politics.

Michael Jensen, President/Founder

Michael Jensen is CEO/Founder of Jensen Communications, Inc. His core areas of expertise are music/entertainment, sustainability/clean energy, new media/technology, corporate initiatives, cause-related marketing, fine arts, progressive politics, education, crisis management and major international events.

Jensen began his career as a journalist for Knight-Ridder’s Star News in Pasadena. He moved to Columbia Records in 1977, rising to the post of National Director of Tours & Special Projects, where he managed media for the entire roster including Billy Joel, Journey, Toto, Santana, and Bruce Springsteen among many others. Jensen Communications is unique to the entertainment community as it has represented the interests of Carlos Santana and Crosby, Stills, Nash (and sometimes Young) for decades plus.

Michael Jensen and JCI have also contributed to many globally recognized, forward-thinking events and achievements including: entertainment liaise for President William Clinton’s first Inaugural in 1992; multiple projects for former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev including the launch of The Gorbachev Foundation in the U.S.; Jensen was also the co-creator of The State of the World Forum, handled media management for Billy Joel’s historic 1987 tour of the Soviet Union, and guided photographic book deals for Michael Collopy’s official biography for Mother Theresa and Architects of Peace among many other high profile events.

Jensen has received more than seventy awards, including five years of Reader's Poll Awards from Performance, over fifty platinum & gold record citations from the Recording Industry Association of America, and many civic and charitable commendations. He is a longtime social activist and supporter of non-profit organizations, and sits on the Board for Artists For A New South Africa, for whom he has the great honor of working alongside its friend and supporter Archbishop Desmond Tutu. All of JCI’s endeavors are driven by Michael Jensen’s passionate commitment to creating intelligent, influential campaigns and building meaningful relationships, public recognition and industry visibility for extraordinary individuals, companies and initiatives making a difference in their specific realms and on the global stage.

LEO LAVORO, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

Leo Lavoro, Senior Vice President

Music industry veteran Leo Lavoro provides JCI with strategic direction for the company’s roster of clients in the areas of PR, marketing and brand building.

Over the span of a 25-year career, Leo has demonstrated a passionate, versatile, high-energy approach to the craft, and continues to be as receptive as ever to new forms of technology and expansion.

Prior to joining JCI, Lavoro served as VP, Publicity at BMG in New York City, where he orchestrated successful press and marketing campaigns for an array of international artists including Lenny Kravitz, Kylie Minogue, Diane Warren, Rufus Wainwright, Corey Taylor, In This Moment, Cheap Trick, Betty Who, Perry Ferrell, David Crosby, Bryan Adams, Journey, Anaïs Mitchell, Marianne Faithfull, John Fogerty, and Richard Ashcroft, among others. During his tenure, Lavoro played an instrumental role in bringing legendary British rock band the Zombies into the BMG system and helped to usher their path to their 2019 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Lavoro has worked at such companies as Zero Hour Records, Webster Hall Records, Escapi Music, Big Machine Media and The End Records.

As a member of the Recording Academy, Leo enjoys being a GRAMMY U Mentor and lending his time to various philanthropic activities. Leo is a competitive long-distance runner and six-time marathon finisher having completed three NYC Marathons.

Erin Cook, Vice President

Erin Cook is a media strategist and storyteller fueled by compassion, curiosity, and questioning the status quo. Her expertise lies in public relations, strategy, branding, content creation, and legacy-building in the fields of music, environmental conservation, social justice, nonprofits, and art.

From music legends and virtuosos like Carlos Santana, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, Kenny Loggins, Jake Shimabukuro, Joe Bonamassa, and Gingger Shankar, to environmental non-profits like Rainforest Connection and Blue Planet Foundation, social justice art projects like “American Civics,” a collaboration between Shepard Fairey and photographer Jim Marshall, and the annual Autism Speaks benefit ‘Light Up the Blues,’ the projects in which she is involved touch on the realms of music and art, activism, and social and environmental consciousness.

Clients for which she serves, or has served include Carlos Santana, CSN, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Steve Winwood, Kenny Loggins, Jake Shimabukuro, Yanni, Joe Bonamassa, Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Black Country Communion, The Rides, Billy Talbot, Keb’ Mo’, Chef Grant MacPherson, SF Art Exchange, Genesis Publications, the Blue Planet Summit (a world energy forum), Akicita: The Battle of Standing Rock (Official Sundance Film Festival selection), the feature film Crazy, the film documentary Rock Prophecies, Casa Noble Tequila, MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy), Barack Obama: The Official Inaugural Book, the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival, The Love Ride, Artists For A New South Africa, X-Prize, the Wyland Foundation, and more.

Nichole Peters-GOOD, DIRECTOR OF Public Relations

Seasoned veteran Nichole Peters has worked in the music industry since 2007. Her expertise lands in the realm of various genres, from indie rock and heavy metal to adult contemporary and some in between. She got her start in promotions and marketing for a heavy metal record label, working alongside artists such as Ill Nino, Godhead, and Revolution Mother (featuring pro skater Mike Vallely). After being involved in all facets of the company, she found that PR was her niche and landed her first job working for well-known independent firm Big Hassle. While there, she worked with indie rock and classic rock artists such as Tom Petty, Weezer, Ok Go, Metric, The Joy Formidable, Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zero’s, Good Old War, Stars, School of Seven Bells, Nico Vega, Kings Of Leon, Jarred Gorbel, Mansions, Codeine Velvet Club, Bonnaroo, Coachella, and SXSW. Additionally, she has PR experience working with films, authors, events, and corporations, as well as corporate and artist branding.

An Arizona native, Nichole holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature & Psychology from California State University, Channel Islands. Nichole came to JCI, bringing her expertise, commitment, and smiles to campaigns for artists such as Con Brio, Goodnight, Texas, Jake Shimabukuro, Marc Cohn, Al Di Meola, Tommy Emmanuel, Laurence Juber, Colt.22, Furiosa, BEL HAVEN, and others.

MIKAYLA MCGARVEY, public relations coordinator + social media manager

As a recent addition to the Jensen Communications team, Mikayla McGarvey brings diverse experiences and a unique perspective to her role as Publicity Coordinator and Social Media Manager. With a Bachelor's Degree in Music Business and Entrepreneurship, Mikayla has ten years of production experience, specializing in event curation and coordination, creative branding, and artistic direction.

Over the years, Mikayla has worked as a freelance stylist, event planner, and copywriter, helping various artists, non-profits, and e-commerce brands curate experiential events and campaigns. In her role at Jensen, Mikayla combines her expertise in these areas to manage social media platforms, develop content, and create promotion strategies that capture each client's unique brand essence, tell their story, and connect them with their audience.

Mikayla is passionate about sustainability, and social impact and firmly believes in using the arts as a catalyst to ignite dialogue and bring about cultural change.

Joe Bosso, Writer

Joe Bosso is a music journalist who approaches each piece he writes from the perspective of a fan. Whenever he talks to an artist, whether it’s for a bio to announce a new project or for a comprehensive career overview, he always tries to imagine himself as the reader, and in doing so, he’s able to elicit “the stories behind the songs.” Over the course of his career, Joe has served as editor-in-chief of Guitar World magazine and MusicRadar, and he currently writes for a number of publications such as Guitar World, Guitar Player, Classic Rock, and Cigar and Spirits. Over the course of his career, he’s interviewed a veritable who’s who of the music world: Paul McCartney, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, John Fogerty, Chrissie Hynde, Keith Richards, the Edge, Jimmy Page, Linda Ronstadt, Carlos Santana, Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, Donovan, Tom Jones, and many others.

In addition, Joe worked on the “other side” of the business as VP of A&R for Polydor and Island Records, where he signed a number of artists like the pioneering power-duo Local H and the seminal hardcore band Quicksand. A graduate of New York University Film School, he has written episodes for TV shows such as The Sopranos and The Chris Isaak Show.