Qiana Conley Akinro

Senior Executive Director of The Los Angeles Chapter, Recording Academy/GRAMMYS

In 1999, Qiana Conley Akinro began working in music at Epic Records. Her career started in Promotions/A&R where she contributed to album projects by Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and B2K. As Director of Creative/A&R, Television, and Film, she worked for publishers Notting Hill Music Publishing (UK), Ole (Canada), and with Simon Cowell’s record labels Syco Records/Sony Music on albums for One Direction, Cher Lloyd, and Alexandra Burke. She quickly became known amongst her peers for her innovative curation of the catalogues and talent roster across genres, media platforms, and music markets.

In 2011, Conley Akinro founded Cue The Creatives where she began Music Supervising on projects such as Nickelodeon’s “How To Rock”, Lifetime’s holiday feature “Seasons of Love” starring Taraji P. Henson, Gladys Knight & Method Man, Lionsgate’s release “Public Disturbance” and currently on Showtime’s “Flatbush Misdemeanors”. Conley Akinro has also worked as a Music Supervisor on indie features premiering at festivals like Urbanworld (“She’s Got A Plan”), Pan-African Film Festival (The Muhammad Ali story entitled “The Last Punch”), Blackstar Film Festival (“1 Angry Black Man”), and the Moscow International Film Festival (Puk Grasten’s debut film “37” starring “Orange Is The New Black’s”, Samira Wiley).

She believes strongly in bringing quality music soundscapes to films of all artistic outreach regardless of budget demands. In 2014, Conley Akinro expanded into executive producing for film, TV, and live events, including co-creating/co-producing the Blackout Music and Film Festival with Ryan Coogler’s Blackout for Human Rights Organization. In 2015, she began producing/directing “The Untitled TLC Documentary,” which follows the journey of the iconic pop girl group, after a 20-year hiatus, as they take on the challenges of making their final album. The film offers a unique look at these groundbreaking women who are set on doing it all on their own.

Additionally, Conley Akinro served four years as Governor plus two terms in the Los Angeles Chapter Board Secretary position of the GRAMMYS’ parent entity, the Recording Academy®. In 2023, Conley Akinro became the Senior Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy/GRAMMYS, working with some of today’s most influential music creators and professionals in guiding event programming, membership & board engagement on pioneering programs like “Care For The Culture” and “Stay In, Come Out, Let’s Talk”. Conley Akinro also oversees national and local advocacy efforts for the largest chapter of the Academy’s membership body through partnerships with GRAMMYS on the Hill, MusiCares, and the GRAMMY Museum Foundation.