Béco Dranoff/ Regional Director, Brazil Region

Beco is an award winning music and content producer with a multi-faceted career of over 20 that includes work as label founder and A&R, record, film and radio producer, events curator, music supervisor, compiler, branding and more.

His international expertise positions him as a unique cultural bridge for the development of culturally relevant projects between Brazil and the world. Starting out in Brazil as Music Programmer at São Paulo’s Jovem Pan II  FM, Dranoff worked as producer at prestigious venues 150 Jazz Club  and Projeto SP  while obtaining a Bachelors degree in Mass Communications from FAAP College.

Relocating to New York in 1988, Dranoff founded the Artmosphere Inc. agency to manage international tours for artists Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso and Margareth Menezes and joined the pro-social multimedia production company Red Hot Organization to co-produce the acclaimed AIDS benefit compilations Red Hot + Rio, Novabossa and Red Hot + Lisbon.

Through the 1990’s Beco produced important album projects such as Bebel Gilberto ’s Grammy nominated Tanto Tempo  (with producer Suba) and compilations Capiríssima: Batucada Eletrônica  (Caipirinha), Best Of Os Mutantes: Everything is Possible with David Byrne  (Luaka Bop), the soundtrack for Next Stop Wonderland  directed by Brad Anderson (Miramax), Chico Science's  project CSNZ  (Sony) and Angelique Kidjo's  Grammy nominated Black Ivory Soul (Sony).

In 1998, Dranoff co-founded the music label Ziriguiboom Discos  in association with Belgium’s Crammed Discs to sign and launch the international careers of Bebel Gilberto , Celso Fonseca, Cibelle, Zuco 103, Trio Mocotó, Bossacucanova, Apollo Nove, DJ Dolores  and Suba , and compilations SambaSoul70, Brasil2Mil: Soul Of Bass-O-Nova  and Now Sound Of Brazil. To date Ziriguiboom has released over 30 albums receiving five Grammy nominations. Dranoff also created compilations for brands such as Sagatiba, Smoking Rolling Paper  and Sambazon  and curateed the music for special events in venues such as Urban Zen DKNY, Waldorf Astoria, Cielo, Nublu, Le Poisson Rouge, Espasso, Hudson Hotel, Americano Hotel, Megu Lounge, National Arts Club to name a few.

Over the years Dranoff has produced live events in several capacities in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Central Park SummerStage  (8 years on Advisory Board), BAM, Portugal’s Expo ’98  and more. Recent projects includes the Red Hot + Rio Live  concerts at Brooklyn Academy of Music  (BAM 2008) , the NY production of Deborah Colker Dance Company, Brazil’s acclaimed modern dance group (City Center Theater), as well as original music projects Sambismo and Ondular.

In 2009 Dranoff and director Guto Barra co-produce the feature documentary Beyond Ipanema: Brazilian Waves in Global Music,  focusing on the international reach of Brazilian music from Carmen Miranda through today The film premieres at MoMA’s Premiere Brazil  Festival and is screened in over 40 international film festivals including SXSW, HotDocs, Chicago Film Festival, Mostra de São Paulo and Festival do Rio, receiving awards and critical acclaim.

In 2010 Dranoff launches Sonoridade , the monthly online Brazilian music program streamed at Art International Radio  (www artonair org) and in July 2011 co-produced Red Hot + Rio 2.

In March 2012 Lincoln Center premiered the feature documentary 'How To Survive a Plague'  directed by David France in which Dranoff is the project’s co-music supervisor.

Beco Dranoff joined the Empire Entertainment team in May 2012 to head up Empire's expansion plans in Brazil and to oversee business development and account management in the Brazil region.