Sarah Lewitinn
Encyclopedia
Sarah Lewitinn also known by her nickname Ultragrrrl, is an American record producer
, music critic, DJ, and blog
ger. She began her career as an assistant editor
at Spin Magazine, and soon helped champion rock bands like My Chemical Romance
and The Killers, which led to her starting her own record label, Stolen Transmission. In 2006, New York magazine named Lewitinn as one of "The Most Influential People in Music", citing that "she has more power than any print music critic".
to Egyptian-Jewish
parents, Lewitinn was raised and educated in Tenafly, New Jersey
. She began her career as a teenager writing for the AOL
-based ABC
Kidz site before interning at Spin Magazine. It was at that time she received the moniker of "Ultragrrrl", by which she continues to be known. After briefly working at the defunct Kurt Andersen
-run Inside.com in 1999, Lewitinn was hired as an assistant to Michael Hirschorn at VH1
. In 2002, she was the first manager for both rock bands stellastarr* and My Chemical Romance
, both prior to their first major record deals. Her blog, Ultragrrrl.com (launched in July 2003), further established her as a taste-maker in the New York indie rock scene, as did her early championing of the rock band The Killers before they were signed to Island Def Jam. She returned to Spin several months later, this time as an assistant editor with her own column.
In 2005, Lewitinn quit Spin to start her own record label, Stolen Transmission
in partnership with Island Def Jam and Rob Stevenson
, the Island Def Jam A&R
executive responsible for signing The Killers as well as Fall Out Boy
, Thrice
, and The Bravery
. Bands which were signed or had releases by Stolen Transmission include The Oohlas, The Horrors
, PlayRadioPlay!, Monty Are I
, Permanent ME
, Schoolyard Heroes
, The Photo Atlas, Innerpartysystem
, and Bright Light Fever. Though Stolen Transmission severed its official relationship with Island Def Jam in December 2007, Lewitinn edited IDJ's parent company Universal Music Group
's short-lived Web site, Almack's Dance Hall.
In January, 2008, Lewitinn, along with Stevenson, launched For The Win! Media, an Internet marketing company focused on promoting bands and Web sites. Clients have included Pet Shop Boys
, Lady Sovereign
, The Verve
and The Futureheads
as well as the film "Anvil! The Story of Anvil
". However, in August 2008, Stevenson was named president of EMI
's Virgin US
label.
In November, 2008, Lewitinn became a featured presenter and on-air talent for FUSE
's show "Fuse On Tour" where she presents "The Ultragrrrl Report".
Lewitinn left For The Win! Media in 2009 and is now a member of the Digital Strategy Team at the public relations
firm Edelman
.
Lewitinn is also a DJ and, along with New York-based publicist Karen Ruttner, threw a weekly party also called "Stolen Transmission" at various locations on Manhattan's
Lower East Side
, including Pete Wentz's bar, Angels & Kings. The Stolen Transmission party won two Paper Magazine Nightlife Awards for People's Choice Best Party in 2005 and 2006 and Lewitinn herself won People's Choice for Best Deejay those two years as well.
In October 2009, Lewitinn went on tour as the backing DJ for Grammy-nominated R&B
singer-songwriter
Melanie Fiona
.
Lewitinn has published two books, both released by Simon Spotlight, a division of Simon & Schuster
. Her first was "The Pocket DJ", a guide to "building the best music library", divided into "Essential Genres" the best music of certain eras and genres, "Essential Artists" a list of musicians who are important to pop culture or have "a profound influence on music" including such diverse artists as Eminem
, The Beatles
, Nirvana
, Madonna
, Björk
and Queen
, "Celebrity Playlists", recommended music from DJs, musicians and others and "Other Playlists", a list of various situations with recommended songs for them, ranging from pool parties to playlists for going back to school. Her second book, "Pocket Karaoke" featured karaoke song lists, including those contributed by Simon LeBon of Duran Duran
and Mikey Way of My Chemical Romance.
Lewitinn graduated with a degree in Advertising and Marketing from Fashion Institute of Technology
in 2001.
The book character, Natalie "Motorrrju" Levine, from Marc Spitz
's 2006 novel Too Much, Too Late, was based on Sarah "Ultragrrrl" Lewitinn.
Lewitinn also joined the 9th annual Independent Music Awards
judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, music critic, DJ, and blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger. She began her career as an assistant editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
at Spin Magazine, and soon helped champion rock bands like My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
and The Killers, which led to her starting her own record label, Stolen Transmission. In 2006, New York magazine named Lewitinn as one of "The Most Influential People in Music", citing that "she has more power than any print music critic".
Biography
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Egyptian-Jewish
History of the Jews in Egypt
Egyptian Jews constitute both one of the oldest and youngest Jewish communities in the world. While no exact census exists, the Jewish population of Egypt was estimated at fewer than a hundred in 2004, down from between 75,000 and 80,000 in 1922. The historic core of the indigenous community...
parents, Lewitinn was raised and educated in Tenafly, New Jersey
Tenafly, New Jersey
Tenafly is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 14,488. Tenafly is an affluent suburb of New York City....
. She began her career as a teenager writing for the AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
-based ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Kidz site before interning at Spin Magazine. It was at that time she received the moniker of "Ultragrrrl", by which she continues to be known. After briefly working at the defunct Kurt Andersen
Kurt Andersen
Kurt Andersen is an American novelist who is also host of the Peabody-winning public radio program Studio 360, a co-production between Public Radio International and WNYC. In 1986 with E. Graydon Carter he co-founded Spy magazine, which they sold in 1991; it continued publishing until 1998...
-run Inside.com in 1999, Lewitinn was hired as an assistant to Michael Hirschorn at VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
. In 2002, she was the first manager for both rock bands stellastarr* and My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
, both prior to their first major record deals. Her blog, Ultragrrrl.com (launched in July 2003), further established her as a taste-maker in the New York indie rock scene, as did her early championing of the rock band The Killers before they were signed to Island Def Jam. She returned to Spin several months later, this time as an assistant editor with her own column.
In 2005, Lewitinn quit Spin to start her own record label, Stolen Transmission
Stolen Transmission
Stolen Transmission was an American independent record label founded in 2005 by Sarah Lewitinn and Rob Stevenson. They have released albums from well-known artists such as Innerpartysystem, Monty Are I, and Schoolyard Heroes.-History:...
in partnership with Island Def Jam and Rob Stevenson
Rob Stevenson
Rob Stevenson is an American music executive and currently the Executive Vice President of A&R at Universal Republic Records, reporting to both President/CEO Monty Lipman and Co-President/COO Avery Lipman....
, the Island Def Jam A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
executive responsible for signing The Killers as well as Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
, Thrice
Thrice
Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school....
, and The Bravery
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band from New York City that consists of Sam Endicott , Michael Zakarin , John Conway , Mike Hindert , and Anthony Burulcich...
. Bands which were signed or had releases by Stolen Transmission include The Oohlas, The Horrors
The Horrors
The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...
, PlayRadioPlay!, Monty Are I
Monty Are I
Monty Are I is an American rock band from Cranston, Rhode Island. Monty Are I is titled after the band instructor, Arthur Montanaro. The "Are I" portion of the name is a pun on "RI", Rhode Island's postal abbreviation.-History and Achievements:Monty Are I won Takeover Records' "Sign My Band"...
, Permanent ME
Permanent ME
-History:Permanent Me first formed while its members were in high school, first as "The Madison Chase", then "Crown Victorian", and then thirdly as "Yes, Virginia". The group benefited from online promotion on sites such as MySpace, and after catching the ear of Sum 41 lead singer Deryck Whibley...
, Schoolyard Heroes
Schoolyard Heroes
Schoolyard Heroes was a horror punk/alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington, consisting of four members: Ryann Donnelly , Jonah Bergman , Steve Bonnell , and Brian Turner .-History:...
, The Photo Atlas, Innerpartysystem
InnerPartySystem
Innerpartysystem is an American electronic rock band. The group consists of Patrick Nissley, Jared Piccone and Kris Barman. The band is also well known for their live performance lighting largely by Andrew Nissley and videos directed by Stephen Penta....
, and Bright Light Fever. Though Stolen Transmission severed its official relationship with Island Def Jam in December 2007, Lewitinn edited IDJ's parent company Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
's short-lived Web site, Almack's Dance Hall.
In January, 2008, Lewitinn, along with Stevenson, launched For The Win! Media, an Internet marketing company focused on promoting bands and Web sites. Clients have included Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
, Lady Sovereign
Lady Sovereign
Louise Amanda Harman , better known by the stage name Lady Sovereign, is an English rapper & grime artist. She is noted for her professional success in performing styles of music generally dominated by males...
, The Verve
The Verve
The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
and The Futureheads
The Futureheads
The Futureheads are an English post-punk band from Sunderland. consisting of Ross Millard , Barry Hyde and David "Jaff" Craig...
as well as the film "Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a 2008 documentary film about the Canadian heavy metal band, Anvil. The film is directed by screenwriter Sacha Gervasi, whose previous credits include The Big Tease and The Terminal....
". However, in August 2008, Stevenson was named president of EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's Virgin US
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
label.
In November, 2008, Lewitinn became a featured presenter and on-air talent for FUSE
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
's show "Fuse On Tour" where she presents "The Ultragrrrl Report".
Lewitinn left For The Win! Media in 2009 and is now a member of the Digital Strategy Team at the public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
firm Edelman
Edelman (firm)
Edelman is a global public relations firm with consumer, finance, healthcare, technology and industrial practices. It employs over 3,600 people in 53 offices around the globe. Edelman was founded in 1952 by Daniel J. Edelman and is today led by his son President & CEO Richard Edelman...
.
Lewitinn is also a DJ and, along with New York-based publicist Karen Ruttner, threw a weekly party also called "Stolen Transmission" at various locations on Manhattan's
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
, including Pete Wentz's bar, Angels & Kings. The Stolen Transmission party won two Paper Magazine Nightlife Awards for People's Choice Best Party in 2005 and 2006 and Lewitinn herself won People's Choice for Best Deejay those two years as well.
In October 2009, Lewitinn went on tour as the backing DJ for Grammy-nominated R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian R&B and Grammy-nominated recording artist from Toronto, Ontario. She was born to Guyanese immigrant parents of African, Indian, and Portuguese descent and grew up in the inner city of Toronto. Living in a music filled household, Fiona says she always knew music...
.
Lewitinn has published two books, both released by Simon Spotlight, a division of Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. Her first was "The Pocket DJ", a guide to "building the best music library", divided into "Essential Genres" the best music of certain eras and genres, "Essential Artists" a list of musicians who are important to pop culture or have "a profound influence on music" including such diverse artists as Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
and Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, "Celebrity Playlists", recommended music from DJs, musicians and others and "Other Playlists", a list of various situations with recommended songs for them, ranging from pool parties to playlists for going back to school. Her second book, "Pocket Karaoke" featured karaoke song lists, including those contributed by Simon LeBon of Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
and Mikey Way of My Chemical Romance.
Lewitinn graduated with a degree in Advertising and Marketing from Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...
in 2001.
The book character, Natalie "Motorrrju" Levine, from Marc Spitz
Marc spitz
Marc Spitz is a music journalist, author and playwright. Spitz's writings on rock n' roll and popular culture have appeared in Spin as well as The New York Times, Maxim, Blender, Harp, Nylon and the New York Post...
's 2006 novel Too Much, Too Late, was based on Sarah "Ultragrrrl" Lewitinn.
Lewitinn also joined the 9th annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers.