Heavy Duty Projects Taps Maura Gaudio and Sebastian Ade for New Posts

They’re turning up the volume at the bicoastal music company Heavy Duty Projects, as two new positions have been added that underscore the company’s robust growth. 

The music-for-picture studio has named Maura Gaudio as Director of Business Development and Sebastian Ade as Associate Producer, both based out of New York. Their appointments were announced by Josh Kessler, Founding Partner of Heavy Duty Projects, and Kate Urcioli, its New York-based EP and Partner. 

Gaudio’s newly-created role underscores Heavy Duty’s ongoing expansion; she’ll lead business development, strategy and partnerships as the company continues to rack up impressive credits.  

As Associate Producer, Ade will be joining the HP’s heavy-hitting team of producers as they broaden their work with blue-chip-brands and agencies while fueling the careers of producers and songwriters. 

Prior to joining the Heavy Duty team, Gaudio served as Founder and Managing Partner at Happening Entertainment, an experiential and marketing studio based in New York. While leading Happening Entertainment’s growth, she brokered partnerships and produced on behalf of festivals, artists and brands, including Bumble, CAVA, Participant Media, Focus Features, Hypebeast, Calvin Klein for Something Special Studios, Time’s Up, Moncler, All Things Go Festival and many more. 

Before that she worked on partnerships for Cara Lewis Group and at MAC Presents, and also spent time on the agency side at IPG Mediabrands. Her previous work includes Uber’s Grammy’s “Road to Best Nominee” commercial featuring Khalid, Hollister’s Back-To-School anti-bullying campaign featuring Noah Cyrus & Khalid and Foo Fighters Cal Jam music festival, as well as pitching artists such as Travis Scott, Eminem and Chance the Rapper. Her previous clients and artists include Unilever, USTA/US Open, Sony, Uber, Metallica, Childish Gambino, Phoenix and many more.  

Ade arrives at Heavy Duty, with a storied career in the industry, previously coming from varied production experiences in advertising and entertainment, including stints at Saatchi & Saatchi, The Webby Awards and Ogilvy. At Ogilvy he helped usher in the careers of songwriters and producers through facilitating syncs for Ikea, Xfinity and a 2020 IBM x Grammy’s spot.  

A Brooklyn native who’s always been inspired by connecting people through music, Ade champions brilliant creative voices that are often overlooked. A musical artist himself, he spends free time performing and collaborating with local artists. Last year, one of his tracks was featured in TIME Magazine’s “Top 5 Songs to Listen To” list, amongst superstar company Solange Knowles, The Jonas Brothers and Zara Larsson.  

The studio is capping a busy summer with some high profile (dare we say ‘heavy duty’) projects. Tapping an ominous remix of “Get Free” by Major Lazer, it scored the trailer for the much-anticipated new HBO series “The Vow,” which recounts the scandals surrounding the cult NXIVM.  

And in a truly excellent endeavor, Heavy Duty composed the six-minute, head-banging epic at the heart of “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” in which the time-travelling stoners return as middle-aged dads, tasked with cranking out a hit song to save the universe. (Spoiler alert: They succeed.)  

The Heavy Duty team is excited about the expansion that Gaudio and Ade’s hires represent, and is eager to tap the contributions of these new players. “Maura and Sebastian represent different and essential parts of our growing business,” said Kessler. “As individuals they bring a wealth of experience and energy, and we’re thrilled to welcome them into the Heavy Duty family.”