Our Team
officialCOMMUNITY boasts a dedicated staff of talented Coordinators, Customer Service Representatives, Designers, Developers, Producers, Project Managers and System Administrators.
If you think you've got what it takes to join our team, visit the our careers page.
Key Staff
Kevin Leflar - President and CEO:
Kevin Leflar is the Founder, President and CEO of officialCOMMUNITY. Kevin is a former recording artist manager who founded and co-owned a label distributed worldwide by BMG. In 1995, Kevin left the entertainment industry to work in high tech by joining NAME, a professional services consulting firm that specialized in finance middleware and content management systems. Kevin has become one of Canada's best-known authorities on the impact of digital technology on the music industry. He is highly sought for speaking engagements and interviews.
Jim Sweatman - Chief Operating Officer and General Manager:
Jim Sweatman is a seasoned senior manager with significant relevant experience in scaling business operations that involve technical systems. Prior to officialCOMMUNITY, Jim held a variety of roles from GM to Senior VP and ultimately the Exec VP of Operations for NAME. He managed the growth of NAME from a start up operation of 10 employees to a TSE-listed company of 250 employees.
Keith Blackhurst - Senior Vice President, UK:
Keith has had a long and storied career in the music industry. He co-founded DeConstruction Records with Pete Hadfield in 1987. The duo released a wave of cutting edge contemporary dance music from such successful acts as M People, Black Box, Beth Orton, Republica and Death In Vegas earning them the reputation of expert hit-makers. They are also credited with being responsible for the explosive resurrection of Kylie Minogue's career in 1994. Keith acted as General Manager of RCA UK where he signed deals with acts such as The Hives.
Barry Bergman - Vice President of Artist Relations:
Barry lives and works in New York City and is officialCOMMUNITY's conduit to the American artist community and music industry. Barry is a high profile, 30-year industry veteran who played a key role in signing and the launching the careers of such premiere acts as Meat Loaf and AC/DC. Barry publishes more than 150 songs for various artists including Cher, Kiss and Joan Jett. He founded and is president of the Music Manager's Forum (US) and testified as a music industry expert in congressional hearings and music industry trials on several occasions.
Barry was the subject of a Celebrity Access Industry Profile in 2003.
Amber Authier - Director of Communities:
Amber has accumulated 14 years of experience in the music and entertainment industries. Her innovative approach to media relations, project and event management was developed while working on large-scale Canadian festivals and events such as the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto - Rolling Stones concert, the North by Northeast Music Festival and Conference and the Juno Awards. Amber has led media relations campaigns that resulted in coverage valued at over $2.6 million. Amber is also a nationally published writer appearing in the Globe & Mail and Exclaim.
Alanna Uhrich - Ticketing & Retail Operations Manager:
Alanna has worked and played in the entertainment industry for the past 15 years. Her background as an actor, director, administrator and producer in live theatre coupled with 7 years of administration and project management in the corporate sector provide a unique and effective approach to Customer Service, Ticketing and Retail Operations. As an administrator and producer, Alanna started with Calgary's Shakespeare in the Park Festival, then developed a passion for working with international artists at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, working on the World Leaders Festival, World Stage Festival 2002/03, World Moves Dance Season 2002/03, and the Milk International Children's Festival 2002/03. Since arriving at officialCOMMUNITY in 2005, Alanna has negotiated and administered "best seat" ticket sales for all our artist communities. In 2007 alone, this accounted for over 40,000 tickets to 398 concerts, including 12 tours that spanned 26 countries in support of 13 new records. Alanna is looking forward to topping that in 2008!
Nelson Boucos - Financial Controller:
Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Economics from the University of Guelph, Nelson has honed his finance skills in multi-currency retail environments for international companies such as FW Woolworth, Purolator Courier, TJ Lipton, Diversey Corporation and Identicam Systems. He has been responsible for budgeting and forecasting, sales reporting and inventory control, payroll and benefits management, auditing, and the development of policies and procedures. He has extensive experience in the implementation of automated reporting systems, software system customization (Dynamics) and upgrades (Hyperion/Platinum). Nelson led a team that facilitated a smooth company acquisition process. Nelson joined officialCOMMUNITY in 2007.
Yvan Couture - Chairman and Advisor:
Yvan is the President & CEO, as well as Chairman of Primal Fusion, a Waterloo-based emerging technology company. He is also an angel investor and member of the Board of Directors of three other technology companies. Until January 2002, Yvan was the Executive Vice President of Mitra Imaging Inc., a 400 person global technology leader in the healthcare informatics industry. He led the negotiations that saw Agfa Gevaert Group of Belgium buy Mitra in January, 2002. Prior to joining Mitra, he was President of Taaz Corporation, a firm providing marketing, software documentation, and business consulting services to technology clients in the Waterloo Region and the greater Toronto area. Yvan was also one of the early driving forces behind Communitech, the Waterloo Region's technology association.