Ari Simon

Ari Simon is VP of Marketing at EMPIRE and an artist manager, with a passion for bringing champions of local culture to the national stage. At EMPIRE, he develops strategy and leads release campaigns for artists including Larry June, Babyface Ray, BabyTron, P-Lo, and more, and builds strategic collaborations with partners including The Golden State Warriors, Spotify, YouTube, and Red Bull. Since 2015, he’s managed and grown with Berkley’s Rexx Life Raj, now one of the Bay’s most respected rappers who’s released five projects, performed at national festivals, and completed headline tours.

Ari grew up in San Francisco. He’s a proud product of the city’s public school district, and a graduate of San José State University. He joined EMPIRE in 2013, where he was mentored by COO Nima Etminan and helped establish the label’s marketing, social, publicity, and sales functions. He lives in San Francisco, where he enjoys oysters, tells jokes on the internet, and supports projects from his sturdy network of day-one friends.