Troy Carter, Founder and CEO of Atom Factory
THREE NEW MEMBERS were elected to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Board of Trustees, including entrepreneur and venture capitalist Troy Carter.
A relatively young addition to the museum’s board, Carter, 44, is the influential founder and CEO of Atom Factory, a talent management firm and film and television production company based in Los Angeles. Through Atom Factory, Carter runs SMASHD Labs, a startup accelerator, and he is also co-founder and managing partner of Cross Cultures Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs creating next generation technology and consumer products—tomorrow’s culture. Carter’s portfolio includes early investments in Uber, Lyft, Dropbox, Warby Parker, and Thrive Market.
His roots are in the music industry. Carter shepherded the rise of rapper Eve and guided the skyrocketing success of Lady Gaga, largely through harnessing the then-nascent medium of social media. He went on to manage John Legend, Meghan Trainor, and actress Priyanka Chopra, among many others. Last year, Carter was hired as global head of creator services at Spotify where he manages the company’s relationships with artists, songwriters, and record companies. In April, he was named entertainment advisory to Prince’s estate.
Carter was elected to the LACMA board along with Allison Berg, a journalist, art collector, attorney, and philanthropist, and Carter Reum, a tech entrepreneur and brand strategist.
“We are thrilled to welcome Allison Berg, Troy Carter, and Carter Reum to LACMA’s board of trustees at a particularly exciting time in the museum’s history,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Director. “With LACMA’s ambitious building campaign underway, we value these forward-thinking leaders who have a vested interest in shaping the cultural landscape of Los Angeles.”
“With LACMA’s ambitious building campaign underway, we value these forward-thinking leaders who have a vested interest in shaping the cultural landscape of Los Angeles.” — Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Director
Diversifying museum leadership is essential for American museums to be more responsive to a new generation of museum visitors and more representative of the communities they serve. Museum trustees help shape the institution’s vision and objectives and influence key hiring and acquisitions of art. In addition to lending their insights and expertise, trustees often bolster museums through gifts of art, monetary contributions, and encouraging their peers to give.
With the new members, the museum’s board has grown to 51 trustees. Existing board members include Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, major art collectors and leaders in the worlds of entertainment, media, business, education, and technology. CT
TOP IMAGE: Troy Carter of Atom Factory at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2015 on Sept. 23, 2015, in San Francisco. | Photo by Steve Jennings, Getty Images for TechCrunch
New board member Troy Carter earlier this year at LACMA 2017 Collectors Committee Breakfast and Curator Presentations with, from left, LACMA curator Lauren Berman, LACMA Vice Chair Willow Bay, and LACMA Director Michael Govan (April 22, 2017). | Photo by Stefanie Keenan, Getty Images for LACMA
