Point Park's On-Campus Record Label Produces Annual Artist Showcase with Four Dynamite Acts
"My involvement with Pioneer Records has helped me flourish and grow in my marketing knowledge and event management skills. If it weren't for this organization, I wouldn't have found what I truly want to do in my future."
Indie pop, alternative jazz, folk, hard rock and rap: The 2024 Pioneer Star Showcase featured a diverse, high-energy slate of performances and packed The Club at Stage AE with Point Park University students, alumni, staff and faculty. The event is made possible through the hard work of students who run Pioneer Records, the University's on-campus record label created by the Rowland School of Business within the Sports, Arts, Entertainment & Music Business program.
The showcase is held annually to highlight several artists that Pioneer Records works with throughout the academic year to develop and promote their brand and record their music at Red Caiman Studios. This year's talent included students representing the Conservatory of Performing Arts, School of Communication, School of Arts & Sciences and School of Education:
- Leandro Bilello, a sophomore theatre arts major from Buenos Aires who blends jazz, folk and R&B. The event featured the premiere of his music video created in collaboration with the Department of Cinema Arts at Point Park with an all-student cast and crew.
- James the Seventh, off-stage name Bethany Latham, a senior public relations, advertising and social media major who creates indie-pop and alternative-pop music. She was awarded a Gibson guitar at the end of the night, provided by the Gibson foundation, Gibson Gives.
- The Pit Crew, a hard rock group featuring Emily Stroup, a sophomore psychology major, and Anna Bansemer, Max Alexander, Mackenzie Butler and Nick Diperna.
- Jeanbo, a rap act led by Jean Santos, a 2023 interdisciplinary studies alumnus, graduate student in the athletic coaching and administration program and member of Point Park's baseball team from Puerto Rico.
The Pioneer Star Showcase is an ambitious undertaking that pays dividends in experiential learning and real-world exposure to working in live entertainment. In the Q&A below, hear from Pioneer Records' board of directors about how their involvement has benefited their college experience and contributed to their career readiness.
Sandamini Sinley '24, director of operations
Major: Sports, Arts, Entertainment & Music Business
Hometown: Fort Collins, Co.
High School: Fossil Ridge High School
Describe some of the duties you were tasked with this year.
I developed and organized new events throughout the year and fostered relationships with businesses in Pittsburgh. I maintained and managed our new office space and managed artists. I oversaw communication, artist development, time management, recording studio sessions, low-level expenses for the label, music video production and live concert event production. I delegated upcoming responsibilities for other directors, led meetings and applied for grants.
How has your involvement with Pioneer Records enhanced your college experience?
Being a part of Pioneer Records significantly improved my college experience. Point Park is amazing regarding curriculum and opportunities. Pioneer Records is one of the best opportunities at Point Park that I have been a part of. It helped me solidify my long-term career goals and gave me the hands-on experience I needed to understand the industry. It gave me a stronger meaning to the degree I am completing.
What were your key takeaways from this year’s Pioneer Star Showcase?
Preparation makes the execution easy. Communication and presentation can entirely change the outcome of your choices. The arts and entertainment Industry is a small world. The final product makes every late night worth it.
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Delaney Metikosh '24, director of marketing, PR and social media
Major: Sports, Arts, Entertainment & Music Business
Minor: Public Relations, Advertising and Social Media
Hometown: Jefferson Hills, Pa.
High School: Thomas Jefferson High School
Describe some of the duties you were tasked with this year.
I focused heavily on brand awareness for the record label's events and artists throughout the year. A huge part of my job has always been to create the full branding packages for our Pioneer Stars and campaigns for the showcase, which include cover photo shoots, press releases, video content and social posts. This year, I also created full marketing campaigns for our PR VIPs who are a part of our talent agency roster and our staple events, like Karaoke Nights and the IEBA Music Conference in Nashville.
Why would you recommend getting involved with Pioneer Records?
Pioneer Records really has something for everyone! We are one of the only colleges in the country to have its own student-run record label. You can help the directors with their respective tasks in marketing, talent and booking, operations and graphic design; however, you can also help out at events. If you like music in any capacity or are interested in gaining real-world entertainment experience, this is the place to be. My involvement with Pioneer Records has helped me flourish and grow in my marketing knowledge and event management skills. If it weren't for this organization, I wouldn't have found what I truly want to do in my future.
Anything else you would like to add?
Pioneer Records has been one the best experiences of my college career. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the memories, friendships, lessons and guidance I have gained over these past three years in the organization. I would like to thank Professor Ed Traversari for always believing in me and for pushing me to be the best I can be in everything I do!
Nichole Bartolomeo '26, director of talent and booking
Major: Sports Communication
Minor: Sports, Arts, Entertainment & Music Business
Hometown: Ellwood City, Pa.
High School: Commonwealth Charter Academy
How has your involvement with Pioneer Records enhanced your college experience?
I initially joined Pioneer Records as a freshman last year after attending a karaoke night. I just wanted to have fun experiences and make friends. I didn't expect to become an intern and eventually take on a director role. I have worked with so many amazing artists and student leaders and gained valuable connections on campus. I have made lifelong friendships because of this organization, and I get to be immersed in the one thing I love most in this world: music.
What did you enjoy most about putting together the Pioneer Star Showcase?
I am very interested in pursuing event planning, so I was in my element while planning this showcase. I loved being able to decide what order the artists went in and create the run-sheet for the event. It was so much fun for me to create those crucial documents and communicate with our artists, Stage AE, the other directors and everyone else involved in this process. Seeing it all come together as well as it did was one of the best feelings in the world, and I can't wait to do it again!
What were your key takeaways from this year’s experience?
I learned a lot from this year's experience. I hit some roadblocks, but I was able to learn from those experiences, and now I know I can do them even better next year now that I have had a good first run. I learned to ask for help, and the previous talent and booking director has been immensely supportive, walking me through all my duties.
Olivia Curti '26, director of graphic design
Major: Graphic Design
Hometown: Industry, Pa.
High School: Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School
How has your involvement with Pioneer Records enhanced your college experience?
Pioneer Records has certainly kept me on my toes this year. There are so many more aspects to running a school club that I wasn’t aware of before stepping into this position, and it has helped me prepare for a real job in every imaginable way. It has also allowedme to make some valuable connections and gave me something to look forward to during the week.
What did you enjoy most about putting together the Pioneer Star Showcase?
My favorite part of the Pioneer Star Showcase was getting their album covers sent on to be created into stickers and put on plaques to present to the artist. My heart was so full when each artist received their plaque with our collaborative album cover shining on the front. I learned just how important our club is in giving these performers a voice and a platform to share their artwork with the University community, as well as the world, with the venue open to the public and their songs available for streaming on Spotify.
Why would you recommend getting involved with Pioneer Records?
Getting involved with Pioneer Records is truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity. You get to experience so many fun things and meet genuinely kind people. The Stage AE experience is certainly the most exciting one, and it makes you feel amazing knowing all your hard work paid off.
Photos by Ethan Stoner '26
Watch the student-produced music video for "Breakdown Boogie" by Leandro Bilello:
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