Category: Puffy

HARVE PIERRE NAMED PRESIDENT OF BAD BOY RECORDS; DEVELOPS CRAZY JOINT PRODUCTION IMPRINT

Harve Pierre has been named President of Bad Boy Records, it was announced today by Bad Boy Entertainment founder and CEO Sean “P Diddy” Combs. Pierre will continue to report directly to Combs, and as President, he will oversee the finance, creative, promotional, marketing, A&R, International, and Sales divisions at the label. In addition, his Crazy Joint production imprint will develop artists and projects for the Bad Boy label. Bad Boy Records is a worldwide joint venture between Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group and Warner Music Group.

Pierre, who initially joined Bad Boy upon its inception in 1993, was most recently the label’s Executive Vice President/General Manager/Vice President of A&R. Having literally advanced from intern to President, he has personal, hands-on experience in virtually every area of record company operations. With a career spanning over 20 years, Pierre has evolved into one of the most accomplished members of the new generation of music executives whose work integrates both the creative and business spheres. In addition to his role as senior label executive and A&R head, his numerous creative credits include executive producer, vocal and music producer, artist, songwriter, video director, editor, and TV cast member.

Pierre has worked closely with dozens of artists, among them P Diddy, Notorious B.I.G., SWV, Faith Evans, Cheri Dennis, Total, Mario Winans, The Lox, 112, Shyne, Method Man, Boyz N Da Hood, B5, Cassie, Danity Kane, Yung Joc, Tyrese, Black Rob, Gorilla Zoe, Elephant Man, New Edition, and many more. He has served as Executive Producer on 50 Bad Boy albums, plus 5 projects during a 2-year stint with RCA Records.

“Harve’s promotion to President is well deserved” says Combs “he has been with Bad Boy since the beginning and has worked hard to learn all aspects of the business. He has always been an important part of the A&R process and it is only fitting that Bad Boy would house his imprint, Crazy Joint. I look forward to Harve’s continued success.”

“Harve Pierre is truly a modern day renaissance man,” said Atlantic President Julie Greenwald. “He A&R’s records, directs music videos, spearheads marketing campaigns and runs the Bad Boy label. Harve has become an invaluable partner to us. I join with my entire team on congratulating his much deserved promotion.”

“Harve’s diverse business background has made him a valuable addition to the Bad Boy team and this promotion is in recognition of all the hard work he has put in over the years,” says Lyor Cohen, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Recorded Music for Warner Music Group.

“Harve is one of the chief architects of the Bad Boy culture and this promotion reflects the dedication, consistency, and commitment he has brought to the company,” said Kevin Liles, Executive Vice President, Warner Music Group. “Harve has done much more than work at Bad Boy Records — he lives the Brand and has helped provide the foundation that will lead Bad Boy into its next decade.”

Harve first met fellow New Yorker Sean “P Diddy” Combs at Howard University in Washington D.C., where the two students promoted campus parties, both together and separately. When Combs began to shuttle between D.C. and New York City to intern at Uptown Records, Pierre remained at Howard, earning a degree in Business and Hospitality Management. Following graduation, he worked in hotel management and owned his own restaurant.

In 1992, Harve returned to his first love, music, when he joined P Diddy at Uptown, where Combs had become the label’s VP of A&R. He started out as an intern for his college buddy, setting up studio sessions for the likes of Mary J. Blige and Jodeci. When P Diddy was notoriously fired from his Uptown post, Harve left with him to help launch Bad Boy Entertainment. Starting out as P Diddy’s assistant, he was quickly promoted to Director of A&R, overseeing the production of Craig Mack’s Project: Funk Da World, among other projects.

In 1995, Harve left Bad Boy to broaden his experience in the music industry. He became Associate Director of Black Music at RCA Records, giving him invaluable major label experience. In 1997, with hit albums from SWV, Rome, and Shante Savage under his belt, Harve returned to his home, Bad Boy.

Back at Bad Boy, Harve advanced from Vice President of A&R to Senior Vice President in 1999 and Executive Vice President/General Manager in 2003, all the while retaining his role as head of A&R. In 2002, when Bad Boy inked a deal with MTV, Harve made his television debut when he was cast in the hit show, Making The Band 2, for two seasons.

Pierre has also earned a reputation as an innovative video director and editor, pioneering a number of video techniques. Among his video credits are serving as director of “Dead Wrong” for the Notorious B.I.G. and “Special Delivery” for G-Dep, as well as editing most of director Hype Williams’ earlier work. Pierre has edited 35 music videos to date which includes “Victory” for P Diddy featuring Notorious B.I.G., “One More Chance” for the Notorious B.I.G., OutKast’s breakthrough first video, “Playalistic,” and “Flava In Ya Ear” by Craig Mack – the first artist and #1 smash single released by Bad Boy. Among his recent work, Pierre edited the chart-topping videos for Block Ent’s Yung Joc smash singles, the #1, Grammy-nominated “It’s Goin’ Down” and “I Know You See It,” just to name a few.

Pierre has also started building his Crazy Joint imprint, to be distributed by Bad Boy/Atlantic Records beginning in May 2008.