Charles Driebe

Charles Driebe received his B.A. from Tulane University and his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law. He practices entertainment law in Atlanta and is the founder and CEO of Blind Ambition Management, Ltd.

 Blind Ambition manages the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama gospel group who, during Charles’ tenure, have won five Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, appeared on the Grammy Awards television show, performed at the White House twice, toured internationally with Peter Gabriel, collaborated on CD with Ben Harper and many others, and appeared on numerous national TV shows including the Tonight Show with Jay Leno (5 times), The Late Show with David Letterman (3 times), and Late Night with Conan O’Brien (twice). Blind Ambition also manages Grammy-nominated blues star Ruthie Foster, original Stax Records soul man William Bell, Mississippi raconteur Paul Thorn, Grammy-nominated songsmith Steve Forbert, and Midwest indie-folk icons Over The Rhine. Charles was named the Blues Foundation Manager of the Year in 2007.

Charles’ legal clients have included producer John Keane (REM, Widespread Panic, etc.), Chris Thomas King (who appeared in the movies ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’ and ‘Ray’), the Subdudes, and the Georgia Music and Sports Halls of Fame.

Charles has also served as a board member of the Georgia Lawyers of the Arts, and is the former Chairman of the Board of its predecessor the Southern Entertainment & Art Law Center, both nonprofit corporations dedicated to educating artists and art organizations about legal and business issues. He is a past President of the Clayton County Bar Association, and a former member of both the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia and the Executive Board of the Entertainment and Sports Law Section of the Bar. Charles formerly taught a course on Art and Law at the Atlanta College of Art and he has spoken at numerous seminars, including SXSW and Womex, and on radio and television about entertainment law and management.

Chris Goldsmith

Chris Goldsmith is the creative consultant to Blind Ambition, working on everything from album production to marketing plans to touring concepts.

Chris was co-producer of the 2014 Grammy Award-winning Ben Harper/Charlie Musselwhite album, “Get Up!”, and also produced the 2008 Grammy Award-winning “Down In New Orleans” by The Blind Boys of Alabama.   He has produced Grammy-nominated albums for Ruthie Foster and Charlie Musselwhite, as well as full-length albums for Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Taj Mahal, Karl Denson, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, The Infamous Stringdusters, and more.  He was also executive producer of four other Grammy-winning releases by The Blind Boys, including their double-Grammy effort with Ben Harper, “There Will Be A Light” (Virgin Records), which sold over 750,000 albums worldwide.

Over the years, he has worked on recording projects for Disney, Amnesty International, and HBO, and has produced tracks with Lou Reed, Meshell Ndegeocello, BB King, Tom Waits Vince Gill, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and many others.

A former long-time agent booking agent at the Rosebud Agency, representing clients such as John Lee Hooker, Ben Harper, Los Lobos and Robert Cray, Goldsmith has been consulting for Blind Ambition Management since 2004.  Other clients include the legendary Belly Up nightclub in Solana Beach, CA, and Columbia Artists Management, Inc (CAMI) where he has produced national tours with Keb Mo, Dr. John, Joan Osborne, Patty Griffin, Hot Tuna, and many others.  In 2010, 2012, and 2014 Chris was tapped to be an artistic director/producer for the Lincoln Center Festival in NYC, and presented a series of sold-out events there with Sinead O’Connor, The Roots, Mavis Staples, Jim James other special guests.

Sue Schrader

Sue Schrader received her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin and has spent the past two decades in the music and entertainment industries. She has participated in all aspects of music publicity and promotion, including creating and managing campaigns for various promoters, record labels, bands and venues.

Sue began her career as a talent buyer for her college and also did promotion for Alternative Concert Group. Subsequently she moved on to publicity and promotion at GMR Marketing, where she worked with the Miller Band Network and various other clients. She then managed Narada/EMI’s media relations department and was responsible for publicity and promotion campaigns for a number of artists including the Neville Brothers, The Subdudes, John Hammond, Cracker, Charlie Musselwhite, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Jeff Lorber, Afro Celt Sound System, Kathy Mattea, and many others. She has spent many years building solid regional and national relationships and her broad knowledge and experience are effective in creating and executing successful marketing and media campaigns.

In addition to her work with Blind Ambition Management, Sue also oversees Blonde Ambition Public Relations, an independent music publicity firm for artists from multiple genres. Their roster of current and past musicians includes the BoDeans, Ballroom Thieves, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Charlie Musselwhite, Mingo Fishtrap, Hadden Sayers, John Nemeth, Steve Forbert, Charlie Sexton, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Ruthie Foster, Bo Ramsey, Clarence Bucaro, and others. In her spare time she produces and publicizes several local music festivals and is also an ad hoc instructor at the Madison Media Institute, where she teaches marketing, publicity and promotion classes

Beth Kaczor

Beth Kaczor is the assistant manager for Ruthie Foster, William Bell, and the Blind Boys of Alabama. She is also the office administrator for Blind Ambition. She received a BBA in International Business from the University of Georgia, and was in the inaugural class of their Music Business Program. Since starting work with Blind Ambition in 2011, she has been involved in many aspects of the business, including publishing, licensing, tour planning, album releases, contracts and accounting. Beth enjoys live music, traveling, and discovering everything Atlanta has to offer.

Kathy Lanser

As part of the publicity and marketing team at Blind Ambition, Kathy maintains strong relationships with venues and various partners associated with the Blind Ambition Management Roster. Her focus is on our promoters worldwide to ensure that they receive the exceptional attention that our management group is known for. 

While Kathy has always been a music fan, her career began in Melbourne, Australia at Creata Promotion as VP International Account Services.  An offer from Narada Productions brought her into the music industry and back to the United States.  At the label, she managed alternative marketing and publicity along with the implementation of fan club strategies to enhance touring opportunities. Working chart priorities with the Billboard reporting retailers (pre-SoundScan) became her forte. Later, she transitioned to freelance and also represented the music of Peter Buffett / Independent Sound for licensing opportunities. Kathy loves live music and has been involved with numerous local music festivals.

Kathy enjoys the relationship-building aspects of her position and likes being part of the dynamic and hard-working Blind Ambition Management team.

Stephanie Seibert

Stephanie Seibert has been working in multiple facets of the music industry since she was a freshman at the University of Georgia. Starting with her first experience at the renowned 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA, she then worked at other music venues (Tommy’s Place at the University of Southern California, and Live Wire Athens), with a management company (Silverback Artist Mgmt), at a startup music platform (Fanattac.com), and at a booking agency (Nimbleslick Entertainment). During her junior year of college, she also began her own promotion company, Shiny Eyes Entertainment, LLC.

After graduating from University of Georgia with a degree in Marketing and a certificate in Music Business, Stephanie moved into management - her true passion in the music business. Currently, Stephanie is the point person for Cha Wa and Trae Pierce & The T-Stones. She also oversees social media for all of Blind Ambition Management’s clients.

Ansley Sickeler

Ansley grew up going to concerts and knew from an early age that she wanted to be in the music business. She graduated from Kennesaw State University in 2016 with a degree in Business Management and a certificate from the Joel A. Katz Music and Entertainment Business Program. While in college, Ansley had the opportunity to travel to London and Liverpool to study the music industry there. She also worked as a student assistant to the Music and Entertainment Business Program and then for Sixthman, a company that hosts ‘festivals at sea’ (music-themed cruises). After her time with Sixthman, Ansley connected with Blind Ambition Management through her Mom’s love for their client Paul Thorn and Ansley’s passion for artist management. She currently supports social media efforts, advances shows, handles promoter outreach, and develops tour itineraries. She listens to all types of music, but primarily enjoys the folk and indie genres. Ansley loves concerts, hiking, traveling, and dining out at Mexican restaurants.