Our Foundation and Roots

MONIQUE SMITH

President

Monique Smith, Los Angeles-based event planner, embodies the time-honored spirit of creativity and professionalism in her style of project management.

As the former Marketing Manager and Special Events Planner at Motown Records, Monique has maintained her commitment to producing first class events through her leadership at Hammond Entertainment, a LA-based entertainment company. Beginning her term as an Event Planner, Monique’s excellence quickly landed her in the position of Vice President and Creative Director of Hammond Entertainment.

Since 2002, Monique has organized and executed private and corporate events for an impressive portfolio of our_clients, representing companies from all industries. Among these our_clients are Black Enterprise, American Express, Pepsi, Essence Communication and the Harlem Globetrotters. Events for these our_clients have included golf and tennis tournaments, concerts, celebrity fund-raisers, product launch parties, media tours, and corporate management meetings.

Monique has also worked with some of American culture’s most influential personalities including Shaquille O’Neal, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Starr Jones. Monique’s leadership, strategic planning and coordination with respect to mailing lists, sponsorship support, production needs, creative consulting, and event staff support specifically address common oversights in event production.

In 2004, Monique’s earnest desire for event excellence led her to open ELMS Entertainment, her own full service entertainment company. In her role as President of ELMS Entertainment, Monique has worked with and produced events for our_clients such as Reebok, Timberland, Carol’s Daughter, Southern Company, The United States Tennis Association Eastern Section and The National Medical Association. Partnering with Infusion Media Partners, ELMS Entertainment has worked on several Vibe Magazine events as well.

Monique was born and raised in Colorado before she migrated to San Diego where she received her B.A. in Business Administration from San Diego State University. In 1985 Smith relocated to Los Angeles, California, where she currently resides, enjoying the sunshine and unlimited opportunities that Southern California provides.

GREG PHILLINGANES

Chief Musical Officer

As one of the world’s most prolific keyboard artists, Greg brings over 30 years of musical experience, key industry contacts and relationships to ELMS Entertainment.

A Detroit native, Greg began his career with Stevie Wonder as part of his band Wonderlove. Since branching out on his own in 1979, he has recorded, performed, toured and/or written for a “who’s who” of recording artists including Quincy Jones, Alicia Keys, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Herbie Hancock, Christina Aguilera, Patti LaBelle, Santana, Usher, Aretha Franklin and the late Ray Charles.

Greg also served as music director for Lionel Richie’s and Michael Jackson’s first solo tours, Quincy’s “VIBE” TV show, and numerous special events such as the 1999 Super Bowl Halftime show, MUSICARES’ Person of the Year honoring Stevie Wonder and the 20th Annual Midsummer Night’s Magic concerts.

As a producer, Greg has been a cornerstone in the making of countless GRAMMY Award winning albums, including “We Are the World” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. He is also an ASCAP Pop Award Winner for the song, “Love Will Conquer All” and member of the GRAMMY Award winning band Toto.

KEISHA DIXON

Executive Director, Atlanta Office

Keisha Dixon is a sponsorship and event management professional with over 10 years of experience in the business. As the former sponsorship accounts manager for Black Enterprise magazine, she worked with companies such as Pepsi, AXA Advisors, Chrysler, Absolut Spirits Company, Polo Ralph Lauren, American Airlines, IBM, Coors, BellSouth and Xerox on the golf & tennis tournament, ski event, business conferences and financial seminars. Because of her impeccable attitude and commitment to excellent client service, she still maintains active relationships with several of them today.

Since early 2006, she has organized and managed events for our_clients such as Aetna, Bacardi Silver, BET, Rashan Michel: custom clothier and IOU magazine. The events range from large red carpet productions to small local promotions across the metro Atlanta area. She is best known for executing first class events with her first class smile.

Born and raised in Detroit, Keisha earned her B.A. in Marketing from Eastern Michigan University. Currently, she resides in Georgia where she heads the ELMS Atlanta office growing our client base in the Southeast region.

JOANN TOMINAGA

Director, Talent Management & Booking

JoAnn is involved in talent-related fields including records and live concerts as well as television and films. She brings to ELMS an active history as a recording production coordinator and consultant, a producer of live concert shows, talent executive and music contractor for films.

JoAnn began her career in entertainment while still in college, when she was selected to tour with The Carpenters. After graduating, JoAnn continued performing and recording commercial jingles before landing a production coordinating position at Warner Bros. Records. Working in the Artist & Repertoire department for 12 years, she was able to assist in the creative process of record productions and soundtrack coordination. She then went on to work with the legendary Quincy Jones at his company Qwest Records as Director of Artist Development. Honing her skills in marketing, video production, packaging, music supervision on soundtracks and other facets of the company, JoAnn advanced to V.P./General Manager before embarking on an independent path, and eventually joining ELMS Entertainment.

BRUCE CECIL

Director/Production Manager

With a significant background in lighting, sound, video, Bruce brings a wealth of production knowledge to ELMS Entertainment. Bruce has also produced and directed major shows for television, commercials and live events for numerous prominent figures in entertainment, including Tom Joyner, Don Cornelius, Magic Johnson, Bill Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Nelly, Brian McKnight, Kirk Franklin, The NBA, The Democratic National Convention, BET, and The Essence Awards. He also co-produced one of the largest outdoor event in Los Angeles for seven years, “The Black Family Reunion.” The event spread over five city blocks, eight stages and 150 vendors and drew a crowd over 250,000 people over its three day span.

From an early age, Bruce knew he was destined for a life in entertainment. Prior to being an independent director and producer, Bruce served as the audio/visual supervisor for a major hotel in Los Angeles. Bruce also has a background as a musician, touring as the drummer for “The Fifth Dimension” for two years and can still be found drumming in side projects in his free time.

PAUL RAKSIT

General Manager

Prior to joining ELMS Entertainment, Paul worked as an independent consultant, compiling an impressive list of credits as both a production manager and talent executive for corporate concerts, large stadium shows, festivals, and national tours.

Paul learned “in the trenches” many of the crucial skills needed to coordinate talent in a live show setting. In his years in the industry, he worked with artists that run the spectrum of musical genres and eras, ranging from R&B legends (Earth Wind & Fire, the Isley Brothers, Patti Labelle) to hip hop (Ludacris, Nelly, the Roots) to contemporary R&B (John Legend, Jill Scott, Floetry) to rock (Green Day, Lenny Kravitz, Counting Crows).

Through his experience, Paul has also built numerous relationships with travel partners (air, hotel and ground) throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Europe. He has advanced shows for our_clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit foundations, and with his excellent attention to detail, he has become accustomed negotiating artist and travel logistics to meet all levels of budgets.

Working for numerous corporate our_clients, Paul has also refined the ability to bridge the gap between the desires of a client with the needs of the artists they’ve chosen for their event, managing to walk the sometimes fine line needed to assure both sides that their needs are properly and completely met.

He also brings to ELMS a strong background in finance and accounting, which places him in charge of all budget development and management, payables, and most company financial matters. He also oversees the day-to-day management of ELMS Entertainment and supervision of support staff.

BRANDON TOH

Senior Audio Engineer

A graduate of the University of Berkeley and Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles, Brandon brings an impressive combination of musical and technical abilities to ELMS. A talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist in his own right, Brandon has focused his energies on engineering over the past few years and has built an impressive list of credits, including sound design for Eminem, 50 Cent, Ice Cube, System of a Down and Velvet Revolver and commercials for MTV and Honda.

Deanna “Toni” Berardi

Director, Décor

Toni brings more than fifteen years of event experience to ELMS Entertainment. Her specialty is blending corporate branding with trend-setting design, creating events to perfectly match a client’s image, style and vision. Toni’s innovative flair has produced events for a wide variety of organizations including management firms, telecommunications and pharmaceutical companies and professional sports teams.

Toni’s aesthetic sensibilities and creative prowess has led to events of all sizes that have wowed the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Denver Broncos, Wells Fargo, State Farm, Lucent Technologies, Sun Microsystems, Spherion and Pepsi. Before joining forces with ELMS, Toni worked with Monique Smith and Paul Raksit for a number of years as President and Owner of A la Carte Events, providing decor for events including the Vibe Musicfest, Congressional Black Caucus VIP Reception hosted by Southern Company, Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge, TD Jakes Megafest VIP Gala, Official NBA Players Association All-Star Party, Jackie Robinson Foundation Celebrating Excellence Gala and the Reebok House of RbK Hospitality Suite.

Mikel Kilgour

Creative Artistic Director

A conceptual and creative “Renaissance Man”, Michael Kilgore brings a wealth of inspired imagination to the ELMS team that knows no limit in its quest for innovation. A profound and absolute visionary, he is a conceptual art director, creative writer and an interior designer whose style merges his eclectic taste with the personal and/or professional lifestyle of the client.

As an artist, his works have been acquired by the likes of Janet Jackson, Diddy, Dave Winfield, Debbie Allen, Kenny Lattimore, Chante Moore and Carol Connors.

As a fashion designer, his creations can be found in the wardrobes of luminaries such as Lena Horne, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Steve Harvey, Lailah Ali, Dr. Dre, Grant Hill, Blair Underwood, Snoop Dogg, Shaquille O’ Neal, Lisa Leslie, Charlie Sheen, Andrea Fuicynzski (President of CHRISTIES in Beverly Hills) and Carolina Bacardi (heiress to the Bacardi Rum fortune).

As a fashion show producer and choreographer, he has staged stellar presentations for such organizations as The National Council of Negro Women, The Links, The Deltas, Jack and Jill, Shackamaxon Country Club and Black Enterprise Magazine. He has also been instrumental in several shows at the annual Congressional Black Caucus and The African Embassy.

Andrea Morris

Senior Project Manager

Andrea graduated with honors from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Industry. While at USC, Andrea was the Executive House Manager for all major auditoriums and School Of Theater venues on campus. Since graduation, she has worked for companies including Hammond Entertainment, Infusion Media Partners and Dick Clark Productions. She has been working with Monique since 2002, assisting with all aspects of production, sponsorship relations and marketing. Her knowledge of all aspects of the industry and event planning make her a great addition to this team.

Nina Turner

Event Manager

Nina is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s degree in African-American Studies with a concentration in Ethnomusicology. During her time at UCLA, Nina was heavily involved in managing talent, coordinating special events and performing on and off campus. As Head Manager of the 2004 NCAA Championship winning UCLA Women’s Track and Field Team and member of the 2004 McDonald’s GospelFest winning vocal ensemble, Envision Vocals, Nina brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to ELMS Entertainment.

Since graduation, Nina has been working with the ELMS team, assisting with day-to-day operations and executing logistics for numerous events such as Keyshia Cole’s Platinum and Birthday Parties, the Bud Light OT Tour, the ESPY Awards’ Crown Royal Style Lounge, Verizon Wireless’ Don Omar Concert Backstage Lounge and the BET Hip Hop Awards. She believes that it is her responsibility to make every client’s dream a reality.