Jay Maldonado
jmalla@mallaentertainment.com
Jay “Malla” Maldonado is the founder and Principal at Malla Entertainment Group (MEG). A former rock musician and performer, Jay Malla is known for his work as the front man and vocalist/songwriter for various music groups such as Capitol Records recording group The Koala, The Magic Tramps, BEST and Revolver NYC.
He joined the Joe Perry Project as the lead vocalist in 1980, opening for such artists as Journey, Heart, Judas Priest, Jeff Beck and Rossington Collins. After graduating from NY Film School, he relocated to Los Angeles and launched Malla Entertainment/Laguna Moon, producing music videos for local Sunset Strip bands. When a talent agent suggested his background was well suited for artist management, he was introduced to a group of young rock musicians from the Bay Area called “The Persuaders”.
Changing the band’s name to Babylon A.D., Jay brought them to the attention of Clive Davis at Arista Records where they were subsequently signed to a recording contract and a 6-figure publishing deal with Virgin EMI. These deals resulted in two studio albums and multiple music videos on MTV heavy rotation, including the title track "The Kid Goes Wild" for the Orion Pictures release of ROBO COP 2. Jay went on to represent SleezBeez (Atlantic Records),
BlitzSpeer (Epic Records), Flesh (EMI Records), Jetland (Red Bullet International Records), Bang The Drum, Vicious Fish, singer/songwriter/ actress, Lin Liu, film directors Martin Denning and Robert Pfitzner and screenwriters, Brett Schneider and Anne Phelan.
Jay was also the Co-founder and President of Lightforce Films, LLC., a film and music video production development company based in Culver City, CA. An early adapter to new media content, the company aggressively invested in developing and creating original programming for distribution on its streaming platforms LFITV, Force10200.
As the former Chairman and CEO of FILMMATES ENTERTAINMENT, a privately-held motion picture, television distribution and finance company, he spearheaded the acquisitions of “American Reunion”, “Living
Life” and the World Wide Multi-Media film and television library. He was the driving force behind FME’s strategic distribution partnership with Vivendi-Universal Entertainment. Prior to joining FILMMATES ENTERTAINMENT, Maldonado co-founded the Producers Guild of America, New Media Council (PGA), served on the Board of Governors, chaired the finance and sponsorship committees and managed, together with PGA President and Producer, Kathleen Kennedy, the Guild’s strategic partnership with INTEL Corporation.
He was appointed to the Council Vice Chairmanship in 2006. Maldonado's production experience includes five years on staff at WPIX TV Channel 11, New York and the United Nations Television Broadcasting Studios.
He earned a BFA in Film Production at the City College of New York Picker Film Institute. His undergraduate film was a recipient of the
Sydney Meyers Award.
Member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA)