Steve Milton

Steve Milton (born February 28,1979) is an American entrepreneur, artist and musician living in New York City.
== Professional Experience ==
Steve Milton is the co-founder of the Ada Group, which includes the experience innovation and design agency, A_DA, the global sound and voice agency, Listen, and Undercurrent, an immersive art exhibition, where he is working with some of the world's leading musicians and partnering with NGOs to inspire action on climate change. Milton has developed award-winning projects in collaboration with musicians (Brian Eno, Bon Iver, Bjork, Childish Gambino, Moses Sumney, St. Vincent), artists (Mel Chin, Marina Abromovic, Sol Lewitt) and institutions (Smithsonian, The Met, Nobel Foundation, New Museum). His work has been covered in The New York Times, Fast Company, Forbes, Wired, The Verge, and Rolling Stone, and he has been a featured speaker at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and other leading industry conferences.
Prior to A_DA, Milton was as an Associate and later became the Head of Research at Constellation Center, a think tank and tech start-up based in Cambridge MA. With the mission of designing optimal experiences for the performing arts, Milton’s work focused on global practices that included the design of various modes of performance. While at the Center, he also produced a series of innovative hemi-anechoic recordings for auralization with Grammy Award-winning classical musician, including Kris Bezeidenaut, Concerto Palatino, Greek Byzantine Choir and A Far Cry.
Earlier in his career, while in graduate school at the New England Conservatory, he co-founded VoX: A Musicological Journazine with Kathryn Bacasmot and was the Assistant Editor of Sonus (journal). During this period, he consulted with numerous cultural institutions and Fortune 500 companies to develop innovative approaches to brand and design, with a focus on sensory experience and sound.
== Awards ==
* Webby Honoree for Music Video for Moses Sumney's "Bless Me" (Live from Home)
* FastCo Innovation by Design: Honorable Mention for the Sol Lewitt app
* Clio Silver for Music: Marketing—Emerging Technology for Lauv's My Blue Thoughts
* Clio Silver for Music: Use of Music in Experience/Activation for for Sister City: Björk & Julianna Barwick
* Clio Silver for Music: Music Marketing—Emerging Technology for Sister City: Björk & Julianna Barwick
* Clio Silver for Audio Craft—Sound Design for Sister City: Björk & Julianna Barwick
* Clio Bronze for Audio Craft—Sound Design for the X Ambassadors Boom app
* FastCo Innovation by Design Awards: Shortlist for Data Design for Bode Vault
* FastCo Innovation by Design: Shortlist for Hospitality for Björk's Kórsafn
* Adweek Experiential: Best Ecologically Responsible Experiential Activation Award for Mel Chin's Unmoored
* Clio Gold for Music: Digital/Mobile for Muse's Simulation Theory Arcade
* Clio Bronze for Games: Digital/Mobile for Muse's Simulation Theory Arcade
* Clio Bronze for Music: Innovation for Brian Eno's Bloom
* Clio Gold for Music: Partnerships & Collaborations for Childish Gambino's Pharos
* Clio Silver for Music: Virtual/Augmented Reality for Childish Gambino's Pharos
* Clio Bronze for Games: Digital/Mobile for M83's Meet Me at Go
* AICP Next Awards: Silver for Experiential for DELQA
* Cannes Lion Gold for Sound Design for DELQA
* Cannes Lion Silver for Brand Experience for DELQA
* Cannes Lion Silver for Digital Installation for DELQA
* SXSW Finalist for Music & Audio Innovation for DELQA
== Artist & Musician ==
As a musician, Milton has performed around the globe—most notably as a member of the The Cloud Room|Cloud Room and Lavalier. The Cloud Room’s music was featured in, among others, Pepsi’s global marketing campaign starring soccer player, Ronaldinho. The band also made numerous television appearances, including: “TRL,” “The Carson Daily Show,” “MTV Subterranean” and the “Eska Music Awards,” and they received critical acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. Lavalier, created and led by Milton, was a 15-member ensemble based in Brooklyn that often collaborated with a variety of media artists to create videos and short films, including Twilight Lovebite, Mausoleum Key Party , and Santa Claus Ain't Coming with the avant-comedy troupe Everything Is Terrible.
As an artist, his work is focused on generative and interactive processes. Aside from his work with A_DA, he has created numerous installations, including Bach #1 and Expansion/Contraption (2011), both at Issue Project Room, as well as Sound Objects, an interactive sound-based installation that debuted at Sequence of Waves, an art exhibition in Brooklyn, NY, presented by Rabid Hands. Milton also scored numerous works for film, TV and other media, including Scriptura Vitae, a short film by Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic starring famed Japanese actress Miho Nikaido alongside Butoh performer and dancer Maki Shinagawa. He has also scored a number of Electroacoustic music|electro-acoustic compositions for dance and theater, including "Stirrings" and "Dreams" with choreographer Margot Parsons.
== Teaching ==
Milton has been a lecturer, mentor and advisor at various academic and cultural institutions. He currently serves as a founding board member and advisor for Northwestern University's Sound Arts and Industries Graduate Program. In 2016, he volunteered as a mentor with NEW INC at New Museum. From 2004-2007, he worked as a graduate teaching assistant at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA, as well as a lecturer at Lesley University and the Art Institute of Boston. Before that, he worked was Head of the Music Department at Middlesex Academy School of Summer Arts in Concord, MA. He also served as Choir Director and Music Instructor at Waldorf School of Lexington in Lexington, MA.
== Education ==
Milton earned a master’s degree in musicology from the New England Conservatory of Music.
Category:1979 births
Category:American entrepreneurs
Category:Artists
Category:Musicians