Sarah Lewitinn
Sarah Lewitinn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sarah Lewitinn February 3, 1980 |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer Music journalist Blogger |
| Years active | 1995-present |
| Website | Ultragrrrl.com |
Sarah Lewitinn (born February 3, 1980), also known by her nickname Ultragrrrl, is an American record producer, music critic, DJ, and blogger. She began her career as an assistant editor at Spin Magazine, and soon helped champion rock bands like My Chemical Romance and The Killers, which led to her starting her own record label, Stolen Transmission. In 2006, New York magazine named Lewitinn as one of "The Most Influential People in Music", citing that "she has more power than any print music critic".[1]
Biography
Born in New York City to Egyptian-Jewish parents, Lewitinn was raised and educated in Tenafly, NJ. She began her career as a teenager writing for the AOL-based ABC Kidz site before interning at Spin Magazine. It was at that time she received the moniker of "Ultragrrrl", by which she continues to be known. After briefly working at the defunct Kurt Andersen-run Inside.com in 1999, Lewitinn was hired as an assistant to Michael Hirschorn at VH1. In 2002, she was the first manager for both rock bands stellastarr* and My Chemical Romance, both prior to their first major record deals. Her blog, Ultragrrrl.com (launched in July 2003), further established her as a taste-maker in the New York indie rock scene, as did her early championing of the rock band The Killers before they were signed to Island Def Jam. She returned to Spin several months later, this time as an assistant editor with her own column.
In 2005, Lewitinn quit Spin to start her own record label, Stolen Transmission in partnership with Island Def Jam and Rob Stevenson, the Island Def Jam A&R executive responsible for signing The Killers as well as Fall Out Boy, Thrice, and The Bravery. Bands which were signed or had releases by Stolen Transmission include The Oohlas, The Horrors, PlayRadioPlay!, Monty Are I, Permanent ME, Schoolyard Heroes, The Photo Atlas, Innerpartysystem, and Bright Light Fever. Though Stolen Transmission severed its official relationship with Island Def Jam in December 2007[2], Lewitinn presently edits IDJ's parent company Universal Music Group's Web site, Almack's Dance Hall.
In January, 2008, Lewitinn, along with Stevenson and former Stolen Transmission general manager Joanna Noyes, launched For The Win! Media, an Internet marketing company focused on promoting bands and Web sites. Clients include The Verve and The Futureheads. However, in August 2008, Stevenson was named president of EMI's Virgin US label.
In addition to For The Win! Media, in November, 2008, Lewitinn became a featured presenter and on-air talent for FUSE's show "Fuse On Tour" where she presents "The Ultragrrrl Report.
Lewitinn is also a DJ and, along with New York-based publicist Karen Ruttner, threw a weekly party also called "Stolen Transmission". Originally held at Orchard Bar on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Stolen Transmission party was changed a block south at The Annex and moved to Thursday nights. The Stolen Transmission party won two Paper Magazine Nightlife Awards for People's Choice Best Party (2005 and 2006) and Lewitinn herself won People's Choice for Best Deejay (2005 and 2006). In April 2007, Lewitinn and Ruttner moved the party to Angels & Kings (sometimes referred to as "AK47"), the East Village club owned by Pete Wentz though by early 2008, the two felt the party needed a more "dive" atmosphere and relocated once more, this time to The Hanger Bar, also in the East Village. The Stolen Transmission party discontinued when The Hanger Bar closed at the end of August, 2008.
Lewitinn has published two books, both released by Simon Spotlight, a division of Simon & Schuster. Her first was "The Pocket DJ", a guide to "building the best music library", divided into "Essential Genres" the best music of certain eras and genres, "Essential Artists" a list of musicians who are important to pop culture or have "a profound influence on music" including such diverse artists as Eminem, The Beatles, Nirvana, Madonna, Björk and Queen, "Celebrity Playlists", recommended music from DJs, musicians and others and "Other Playlists", a list of various situations with recommended songs for them, ranging from pool parties to playlists for going back to school. Her second book, "Pocket Karaoke" featured karaoke song lists, including those contributed by Simon LeBon of Duran Duran and Mikey Way of My Chemical Romance.
Lewitinn graduated with an Associate's degree in Advertising and Marketing from Fashion Institute of Technology in 2001.
Lewitinn recently adopted a Brussels Griffon dog which she named Monkey. Monkey has developed a small cult following of her own and has been mentioned in several newspapers, including one mention in The Boston Phoenix which referred to her as a "creepy tiny dog" and two mentions in The Village Voice, which named her as the "Best Dog Owned by a Club Personality".
The book character, Natalie "Motorrrju" Levine, from Marc Spitz's 2006 novel Too Much, Too Late, was based on Sarah "Ultragrrrl" Lewitinn.
References
- ^ "The Most Influential People in Music". New York Magazine.
- ^ CMJ News Story