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Michael Sticka 

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Michael Sticka Reveals Details Behind Latest GRAMMY Museum Projects & Initiatives

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The GRAMMY Museum President talks about the Museum's latest grants and Latin culture initiatives
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Aug 19, 2019 - 1:59 pm

In a new interview with Billboard, GRAMMY Museum President Michael Sticka has revealed more information on the musuem's latest grants and initiatives.

In July, the museum awarded $200,000 to 15 recipients across the country working on research and preservation projects. Projects include work on archiving 960 audio reels belonging to Cajun and zydeco artists and research on how musical training affects complex memories.

When asked why sound preservation and music research are important to the museum, Sticka said that providing funding to educational institutions was very important to the museum. "A museum at its core is an educational institution," he said. "The GRAMMY Foundation was founded 30 years ago to be the educational arm of the Recording Academy."

RELATED: Michael Sticka Named GRAMMY Museum President

Sticka also touched on the Latin Recording Academy's more than half a million dollars investment in the musuem that will go towards Latin exhibits, education programs and the hiring of a Latin curator. 

"One of our main goals out of the plan was to increase our programming to the Latin community through Latin music. It makes sense because our sister organization is the Latin Recording Academy, but it's also a part of our mission, especially being in Los Angeles county where 48 percent of the population Latinx," he said. "We really weren't doing our job or fulfilling our mission effectively with the Latin music gallery so we're very excited and very thankful to the Latin Academy for help with that funding."

To bring new eyes and ears to the new initiatives, the museum has launched a brand campaign called Music Has A Home.

"For the grants program, and any of our programs, we have a deliberate plan that we're putting together with some partners about our social impact and social good. We're doing that via social channels—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin—and through presentations that I’m making throughout the chapters of the Recording Academy," he said. 

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Michael Sticka 

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage via Getty Images 

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Michael Sticka Named GRAMMY Museum President

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Sticka, who first joined the organization in 2014 and formerly held the position of Executive Director at the GRAMMY Museum, will continue to lead the museum's growth and strategy
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jul 30, 2019 - 2:14 pm

The GRAMMY Museum has promoted Michael Sticka to President as the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy make the largest conributions to the museum in either organization's history.

Sticka, who first joined the organization in 2014 and formerly held the position of Executive Director at the GRAMMY Museum, will continue to lead the museum's growth and strategy. He will also "oversee all aspects of Museum operations, including curatorial, development, marketing, grants and awards, public and education programs, and more," a statement said. His contract will extend through 2022. 

“As Executive Director, I’ve witnessed our team’s incredible passion, hard work, and dedication, which has strengthened our impact and presence in the Los Angeles music and education communities,” said Sticka. “I’m honored that the Board has entrusted me in the role as President, allowing me to continue leading this extraordinary team with the purpose of driving our social good within the community and uphold the Museum's mission to educate, inspire, cultivate creativity, and share the significance of music."

Sticka, who created the museum's Community Engagement Department as executive director, said the museum will continue to invest in its community engagement, curatorial mission and education program. Sticka said the museum's goal is to reach 100,000 over the next five years. 

The Recording Academy contributed $5 million for museum renovations and technology updates, while the Latin Recording Academy will donate more than half a million dollars in a three-year period to grow the Latin music exhibits, education programs and the hiring of a Latin music curator. Both presidents of each organization shared their excitement for Sticka's promotion and their investment in the museum's work. 

“Under Michael’s leadership and guidance, the GRAMMY Museum has not only secured substantial new investments from the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy, but has also seen a tremendous increase in visitors, revenue from attendance, merchandise and event sales, and more” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy and Chair of the Board of Directors of the GRAMMY Museum. “The Museum’s growth and path towards cementing its status as ‘the’ steward and place where Music Has A Home, as well as its future financial and business well-being is reflective of and a testament to Michael’s strategic vision, impressive operational skills, and exceptional leadership.”  

“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with the GRAMMY Museum,” said The Latin Recording Academy President/CEO Gabriel Abaroa Jr. “The Latin Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Museum share the commitment of educating the public about the significant contributions Latin music has made in the world. I look forward to expanding our presence inside the GRAMMY Museum in an impactful way that guides the narrative and preserves the stories of Latin music and its creators."

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Michael Sticka

Photo: Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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GRAMMY Museum Awards $200,000 In Grants To Music Health, Research Projects & More

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The Museum's grant program, which awards organizations and individuals annually, has given more than $7.5 million to over 400 grantees to date
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jul 10, 2019 - 11:25 am

15 recipients will have the opportunity to do music related research as well as work on preservation and archiving programs thanks to a generous grant from the GRAMMY Musuem Grant Program.

The grants, funded by the Recording Academy, will award $200,000 to recipients in the U.S. working on various projects, including reasearch on how musical training affects complex memories, musical ahedonia and singing accuracy's relationship to cognitive function. Among preservation projects, some recipients will work on archiving 960 audio reels belonging to Cajun and zydeco artists, uncirculated jam tapes from four-time GRAMMY-winning folk musician John Hartford and "221 rare interview recordings with African-American actors, performers, composers, musicians, and scholars, among many other preservation projects."

"The work we help fund includes an impressive array of projects that are at the forefront of exploring music's beneficial intersection with science, and that maintain our musical legacy for future generations. The initiatives announced today exemplify the Museum's mission to uphold music's value in our lives and shared culture," Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum Michael Sticka said. 

The museum's grant program, which awards organizations and individuals annually, has given more than $7.5 million to over 400 grantees to date, Sticka said.  

The GRAMMY Museum Grant Program strives to aid efforts advancing the archiving and preservation of "recorded sound heritage of the Americas for future generation."

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Peezy International

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Peezy International's 'Noir' Pays Homage To The Black Lives Matter Movement

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'Noir' offers an ode to those killed at the hands of police as the Houston artist finds his way to reflect on his own experience as a Black man and father
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jul 1, 2020 - 2:56 pm

Peezy International's latest EP, Noir, out July 4, launches with familiar sounds heard recently on streets all over the country: "Black lives they matter, yeah," people chant over drums and tambourines.

Calls against anti-Blackness have taken over protests denouncing racism and police brutality the last few months. Noir's intro track goes front-row-center, into the heart of the Black Lives Movement as instruments and music lead the way during a Los Angeles protest that could easily have taken place in any other major U.S. city.

Empowering from its inception, the EP, which follows the "Everything" single release in April, was inspired by the Houston artist's 10 days spent protesting in L.A. Ultimately, the three-track EP has him reflecting on his own experience as a Black man and father. 

"If I kneel and I'm killed then its cool because I will live on forever." he sings in "Too High to Riot," an ode to those killed at the hands of police. 

Peezy also sheds light on Black creators' plight. While Black culture sells, artists have been disempowered in the process, at times even erased. In "Black Power," he touches on exactly that. "We can talk Black business more than rap business or the trap business. Basketball, football, boxing, track, tennis. How we run the f*****g world and feel trapped in it?" he raps.

Noir will call on you to listen—the rapper writes verses highlighting mental health, among other topics—but perhaps one of its greatest statements is its release during the country's most patriotic holiday. 

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Carl Reiner

Photo: Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

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Comedy Great Carl Reiner Dead At 98

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The GRAMMY-winning comedian, director, actor and author had a successful career in the entertainment business that spanned several decades
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jun 30, 2020 - 5:54 pm

Carl Reiner, the director, producer, author and GRAMMY-winning comedian who had a successful decades-long career in entertainment, has died at the age of 98. 

Reiner died the night of Monday, June 29, of natural causes in his Beverly Hills, Calif., home. His son, Rob Reiner, confirmed his death. 

Reiner, born to a Jewish immigrant family in the Bronx, New York on March 20, 1922, began his career in television in 1950 as a writer on the 90-minute variety show "Your Show of Shows." He also made appearances on the show. Before his break into T.V., he served in the army, was later discharged, and made his Broadway debut in 1948.

In 1961, CBS picked up his sitcom "The Dick Van Dyke Show" based on a TV comedy writer and starring actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke. The show ran until 1966.

Reiner would eventually move on to a directing role, including several films starring Steve Martin. He was also a writer who published his 20th book earlier this year. In 1958, he wrote a biographical novel called Enter Laughing. The book was adapted into a screenplay in 1967.

He won Emmys for the "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and earned the award for other projects, including "Caesar’s Hour" and "Your Show of Shows."

Reiner received several GRAMMY nominations for comedy performances and won the Best Spoken Comedy Album GRAMMY for his work with Mel Brooks for the "The 2000 Year Old Man In The Year 2000" at the 41st GRAMMY Awards. 

Last decade, he played roles in Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, and Toy Story 4, among others. He also made T.V. show appearances on "House" and "Parks and Recreation."

Reiner had a talent for sharing entertaining stories about the human experience. 

"My idol, Carl Reiner, wrote about the human comedy. He had a deeper understanding of the human condition, than I think even he was aware of," Van Dyke tweeted about his late co-star. "Kind, gentle, compassionate, empathetic and wise. His scripts were never just funny, they always had something to say about us."

While Reiner will be remembered for entertaining many around the world, his loved ones will remember him as a great friend and father. 

"I don’t think I’ve ever had a better friend than Carl,” Brooks told The Guardian earlier this year.

For Reiner, having a family with his late wife, Estelle, was one of his greatest accomplishments. 

“Nothing pleases me more than knowing that I have lived the best life possible by having met & marrying the gifted Estelle (Stella) Lebost---who partnered with me in bringing Rob, Annie & Lucas Reiner into to this needy & evolving world,” he tweeted a few days before his death.

His son Rob shared how much his father meant to him. "He was my guiding light," he tweeted. 

Of having a successful career in entertainment, Reiner credited enjoying the ride. 

"Enjoy the good times, and walk away from the bumps. That's it. Even failures can turn into something positive if you just keep going," he told the AARP. "I wrote a television pilot called Head of the Family. CBS didn't want it. It was considered a failure. But we reworked it. A year later, it became The Dick Van Dyke Show."

Reiner is survived by his children Rob, Annie and Lucas Reiner. 

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