Our team

Sam has built and led curation and editorial teams for streaming services since the early 2000s. At Rhapsody and, later, Google Play, he wrote the playbook on content surrounding digital music. With Third Bridge, he continues his innovative work on programs with Sonos, SoundCloud, Apple, and various record labels, brands, and startups. He understands the needs of users—and the nuances of ’90s rap.

Garrett is a reluctant entrepreneur, failed novelist, esteemed strategist, and Clio Award-winning producer. As Sr. Director at Rhapsody, he led content strategy for the pioneering music service and video channel. At Third Bridge, he designs solutions for clients like Amazon, Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. He is also a screenwriter and journalist with work in outlets like Billboard, Gawker, and SPIN.

Christopher has developed infrastructure, charted strategy, and provided leadership for blue-chip firms across the streaming and online media space. Before Third Bridge, he was VP of Operations and Strategic Initiatives at wellness platform Sharecare, Supervising Producer at Sling TV, and Senior Producer for MTV’s digital music service—a mix that emphasizes his verve for public-serving products.

Jon Maples has been leading product organizations at some of the most innovative digital companies in the music industry for over a decade. Previously he was the Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Gimme Radio. He also served as VP of Product at the playlisting service 8tracks as well as Rhapsody International. Prior to his product roles, Jon led editorial efforts at several organizations, such as the SF Bay Guardian.

As the former editor-in-chief of Pitchfork, Mark has a knack for making sense of music trends. After more than a decade tracking and shaping culture elsewhere—he’s also WSJ’s rock and pop critic—he joined Third Bridge to help launch curation at SoundCloud. His role has since grown, much like his record collection—when he’s off the clock, you can often find him adding to his Discogs Wantlist.

Andrew’s commitment to seamless, discovery-forward programming is rooted in his dual citizenship as both music fan and maker. As Pandora’s Head of Dance & Electronic, he helped grow listenership exponentially across hundreds of stations and playlists, niche and mainstream alike, plus led their gaming content. And as a drummer and DJ, he’s shared bills with everyone from Paramore to Hot Chip.

Stephanie is a business and financial services expert whose work at Third Bridge has evolved from bookkeeping to a holistic role. Driven by her commitment to personal growth, she is focused on seeing opportunities where others see obstacles and feels like she’s her best self when supporting the team around her. She is also known for her role as Supermom to her four kids and four-legged friends.

Susan brings a long history of TV and movie fandom to Third Bridge, including a stint at Netflix dating back to the DVD days. She enjoys a blend of editorial work and project management, which keeps both sides of her brain happy. A semi-amateur musician, she spends occasional weekends playing ’90s-esque rock at dive bars and formerly served on the board of Portland’s Rock ’n’ Roll Camp for Girls.

Colin is a writer and editor who’s put in his 10,000 hours at gigs in dingy basements and on crowded dance floors. He was the Managing Editor at VICE’s electronic music vertical THUMP and then later he was a Senior Editor at Noisey, where he trained an eye on the untold stories and underrepresented artists in the music industry. His work has also appeared on Pitchfork, The FADER, SPIN, and beyond.

Kristin loves writing about R&B almost as much as she loves listening to it. Before joining Third Bridge, she was a Senior Staff Writer at Noisey, where she profiled rising hip-hop and R&B artists and later interrogated pop culture and race for VICE's Culture Desk. Kristin is a meticulous writer and editor who uses her work to advocate for marginalized artists.

Hannah thrives on the constant need to solve problems and anticipate teammates’ needs. Prior to joining Third Bridge, she was associate editor at The Creative Independent, and provided ad hoc support to Parsons School of Design and Red Bull Music Academy. If she’s not puzzling through a TBC project, she’s likely studying Korean, making bad nightcore remixes, or being tailed by her cat, Scritti.

Rachel enjoys all forms of new music discovery—whether her recommendations come from an editorial playlist, a close friend, or that person on the subway who's cranked up their headphone volume just a little too loud. With a master's degree in publishing and journalism, she's well equipped to write sharp criticism and assist with producing engaging copy on TBC's various content verticals.

Sydney is a strong problem solver and researcher with many skill sets across the production realm. Prior to joining Third Bridge she worked in the podcasting world at Diversion Audio and FilmNation Entertainment. In her spare time she enjoys working on her zines and scouring bins at the local record shop for obscure punk compilations.

Lauren is an interdisciplinary artist-filmmaker, photographer, and musician—who has been creating original content for big brands, as well as indie artists and labels, for almost 20 years. She previously managed Original Content Development for Google Play and Rhapsody. And in 2021, she won a Clio Award for the Third Bridge x Amazon doc Love Me Like You Should: The Brave and Bold Sylvester.

Phat is a brilliant structural thinker who finds as much enjoyment in developing system architecture as he does crafting melodies on woodwinds and observing the vast variety of exotic birds who reside in the central highland of Vietnam, where he lives. A passionate problem-solver with a gift for picking up new skills and languages, he thrives in a collaborative setting—and his collaborators agree.

Mustafa is an art director and designer who’s been leading teams for two decades. Whether overhauling design guidelines for Microsoft Office or art-directing a book of Grateful Dead posters, he knows how to visually connect with a target audience. He’s also overseen UX and design at Rosetta Stone, Napster, and Steyer Content; animated for NASA; and helped Carlos Santana build his first website.