LOS ANGELES, USA // Innovation, resourcefulness and unconventional thinking have defined Caron Veazey’s illustrious career; one that has seen the industry vet go from various high-level marketing gigs at record labels to her current role as co-founding partner of i am OTHER, a creative collective formed by Pharrell Williams.

At the start of her career, as a marketing assistant at MCA Records, Veazey joined famed producer Dallas Austin (Madonna, TLC) at Rowdy Records — her first taste of the necessity of being a Jill-of-all-trades. Having to multitask on a consistent basis prepared Veazey well for future gigs — marketing jobs in the late 1990s at Epic Records and V2 Records. With an international role at the latter, Veazey gained a global perspective, seeing firsthand how people interface with music and culture around the world. The new perspective energized Veazey, pushing her to leave a comfortable major label gig and co-found Carovan, a music and lifestyle marketing/consulting firm focused on “progressive urban culture.” As co-founder, Veazey earned a newfound sense of discipline, confidence building, and learned how to master both the creative and business ends of the industry.

Veazey returned to major labels beginning in 2002, holding executive positions at RCA, Island Def Jam and Sony Global Marketing, overseeing marketing for projects by Mariah Carey, Rihanna, and Christina Aguilera, among many others. In 2011, she joined Pharrell Williams as his General Manager, and as partner in his then nascent endeavor, i am OTHER. The job was a perfect synthesis of Veazey’s past experience; an amalgam of Rowdy’s startup mentality and major labels’ need for efficiency and organization. She focused on identifying opportunities to lift Pharrell’s visibility across various mediums such as music, film, design, fashion and philanthropy.

As one of the lead team members on “Happy,” Pharrell’s 2013 global hit from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, Veazey helped push the producer-singer’s groundbreaking 24-hour video that earned worldwide headlines, shifted culture, and brought Pharrell two Grammy awards and numerous, worldwide accolades. For Caron Veazey, the thrill and excitement of an ever-changing entertainment marketplace continues to inspire. With nearly three decades in the industry, her zest for new music, new artists, and new innovation is as strong as ever.