BROOKLYN, USA // Strategic marketing is an acquired skill, one which Carolyn Williams has mastered through technical training and hands-on execution.

As Senior Vice President, Marketing, at RCA Records, Williams oversees the label’s urban marketing division. She also serves as the project management lead for Grammy Awardwinning artists including Chris Brown, D’Angelo and Alicia Keys, as well as A$AP Rocky, H.E.R., WizKid, Grammy-nominated newcomer, SZA, and the soundtracks for HBO’s Insecure.

A New York native and graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Williams began her career as an entertainment journalist. Upon segueing into the music industry, she joined Soul Brother Records as Director of Operations and later, assumed the role of Production Manager of Soul Brother #1 Productions, where she worked alongside legendary hip-hop producer, Pete Rock. Eager to expand her resume, she transitioned to marketing at Penalty Records. As Director of Marketing, she spearheaded grassroots campaigns for then-budding hip-hop stars, Capone-N-Noreaga. Her next stop was Tommy Boy Records, where she was afforded the opportunity to expand her reach to include gospel, dance and alternative music projects.

A veteran of the independent label experience, Williams made her way to a major label in 2001 when she signed on as Director of Marketing at J Records, the brainchild of Clive Davis. While honing her project management skills, she also crafted lifestyle marketing campaigns for the likes of Busta Rhymes and R&B singers, Monica and Mario. Two years later, she was promoted to Vice President, Urban Marketing, and fulfilled a key marketing role at the company, meanwhile overseeing an artist roster which included American Idol winner, Fantasia, Grammy-winning rapper, Rhymefest, and Grammy-nominated R&B singer, Jazmine Sullivan, among them. By 2008, she was promoted to Senior Vice President.

A solid, business acumen, coupled with good instincts, has propelled her up the corporate ladder, but it’s her love of music that keeps her energized. Looking toward the future, Williams, who’s been featured in Billboard, Essence and Marie Claire, welcomes the challenge of expanding her creative vision and continuing to map out a limitless path to success for her artists.