LUTHIER SOCIETY
Luthier Society, Inc. is a boutique multi-media firm that provides all aspects of online communications and public relations to the entertainment industry with a deep emphasis on viral marketing, social media and grass-roots outreach for the music, film, fashion, lifestyle and technology industries. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Luthier Society, Inc. was founded by Johnny Royal in 2007.
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Board of Managers
Management Team
Johnny Royal, Founder/CEO & Chairman of the Board
Johnny lends a unique experience to the Luthier Society as CEO & Chairman of the Board. With over 10 years experience in the entertainment industry as a viral marketing expert, publicist and touring musician, Johnny offers not only practical knowledge but also passion for the industry. Johnny has run viral marketing, social media and public relations campaigns for The White House, Universal Records, Casio, Schering-Plough, Warner Bros., Allergen, EMI and The Climate Project. Recently Johnny was nominated for the 2009 PRSA Silver Anvil Award and also for the PRSA PR Professional of the Year Award; two of the highest nominations an individual in the industry can receive. During his tenure in the financial markets on Wall Street, Johnny worked for Morgan Stanely’s investment brokerage division where he managed over $72 million in assets that have attributed to Johnny’s abilities in financial management. Johnny holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Vincent College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Westminster University in London, England. He resides in Los Angeles, CA.Max Webb, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Max has a wealth of professional experience in the software industry, spanning a wide range of areas such as software engineering & architecture, identity management, technology roadmapping and IT consulting. Max has a deep understanding of the technical and business aspects of building, creating and planning for software products. Max was the chief architect for rebuilding the Caps Lock infrastructure after the Chinese DDOS attack. Max designed and oversaw the implementation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s database which manages hundreds of thousands of user-identities and secures access between the front end and back end servers for other interface programmers. Max attended Drexel University majoring in Electrical Computer Engineering and was inducted into the global E4 program. Max currently resides in Hollywood, CA.Gerry Shear, Vice President and Treasurer
Gerry brings over 18 years experience in finance, real estate investment and corporate start-ups. He serves as a board member on many privately-held and non-profit organizations including his family-run business, the GENCO corporation, which was started in 1890 and continues to thrive today. Mr. Shear resides in Las Vegas, NV.Johnny Royal, Founder/CEO & Chairman of the Board
Johnny lends a unique experience to the Luthier Society as CEO & Chairman of the Board. With over 10 years experience in the entertainment industry as a viral marketing expert, publicist and touring musician, Johnny offers not only practical knowledge but also passion for the industry. Johnny has run viral marketing, social media and public relations campaigns for The White House, Universal Records, Casio, Schering-Plough, Warner Bros., Allergen, EMI and The Climate Project. Recently Johnny was nominated for the 2009 PRSA Silver Anvil Award and also for the PRSA PR Professional of the Year Award; two of the highest nominations an individual in the industry can receive. During his tenure in the financial markets on Wall Street, Johnny worked for Morgan Stanely’s investment brokerage division where he managed over $72 million in assets that have attributed to Johnny’s abilities in financial management. Johnny holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Vincent College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Westminster University in London, England. He resides in Los Angeles, CA.Max Webb, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Max has a wealth of professional experience in the software industry, spanning a wide range of areas such as software engineering & architecture, identity management, technology roadmapping and IT consulting. Max has a deep understanding of the technical and business aspects of building, creating and planning for software products. Max was the chief architect for rebuilding the Caps Lock infrastructure after the Chinese DDOS attack. Max designed and oversaw the implementation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s database which manages hundreds of thousands of user-identities and secures access between the front end and back end servers for other interface programmers. Max attended Drexel University majoring in Electrical Computer Engineering and was inducted into the global E4 program. Max currently resides in Hollywood, CA.Kristin Loretta, Chief Communications Officer/Director of Public Relations
With a background in journalism and an ear for music, Loretta swiftly became one of the music industry's leading lights. Her career took of right after graduating from New School University with a journalism degree in New York City, when she accepted an offer to assist the head of press at Sony Epic Records right after school. Taking the music industry by storm, Loretta implemented successful press campaigns for artists like: Tori Amos, Augustana and The Fray. She was quickly promoted to West Coast Director of Public Relations for Sony and shipped off to Los Angeles in 2008 to handle press for the label on the West Coast. In 2009, Loretta joined forces with Johnny Royal at Luthier Society as the Chief Communications Officer and Director of Public Relations. When she's not working away feverishly at her computer and concocting absurd ideas, Loretta can be found drinking large amounts of coffee and babbling about music. She current resides in West Hollywood, CA.Farhaad Esfandiary, Director of New Media
Farhaad has led viral marketing and social media campaigns for some of the biggest talent in the entertainment industry including Hillary Duff, My Chemical Romance, Disney and Hollywood Records. Farhaad is also the Senior Editor for several online publications including God’sGirls.com. He attended the history program at UCLA, and then came to realize his true passion was the world of music and new media. He then attended the Music Business Program at The Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, CA. Farhaad currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.Steve Ayers, Archimedes Technology Developer
Steve provides the perfect balance of technical knowledge and entertainment savvy to the Luthier Society. Steve is a Sun Certified Java Programmer for the Java 5 platform and has over 5 years experience in the design and development of J2EE architecture. He is proficient in languages and technology stacks such as Java, Oracle PL/SQL, Ajax, LAMP, HTML and XML. His vast knowledge of web development coupled with his expertise using multiple web-tier architecture frameworks including JSF, Struts and Spring makes for a comprehensive knowledgebase and a cutting-edge skill set. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Duquesne University. He currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and daughter.
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