Ron DeStefano
PRODUCING DIRECTORAs Producing Director of EPIC Arts Management and Extraordinary Performers In Concert, Ron DeStefano oversees the internal logistics and day-to-day operations of the company. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Florida State University with degrees in Vocal Music and Chemistry, Ron moved to New York City immediately following graduation to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. As an actor, he has performed at some of the most historic and well-reputed venues in the United States including New York City's Lincoln Center (Babes in Toyland), Connecticut's Goodspeed Opera House (No, No, Nanette) and New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse (Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella). Nationally, Mr. DeStefano appeared opposite Academy Award nominee Theodore Bikel in the Broadway Tour of Fiddler on the Roof, and he received the coveted Back Stage Bistro Award for his cabaret work. Ron is also an accomplished pianist, and he previously enjoyed working with Royal Caribbean Productions as a vocal director for their multi-million dollar production shows.
In 2009, he joined forces with longtime friend Melissa Giattino to create a full-length variety show utilizing the Great American Songbook and tap dance, and the act (Two on Tap) has since performed for tens of thousands at performing arts centers and cruise ships worldwide. Since then, the EPIC team has proudly launched three new in-house concert productions, Shades of Bublé (a three-man tribute to Michael Bublé), NYC3 (a modern boyband featuring contemporary pop), and Bachelors of Broadway (showcasing contemporary and classic music from stage and screen); Ron has been thrilled that each show's immediate success on land and sea have allowed him to provide opportunities for his incredibly talented artist friends to share their gifts with the world. Utilizing the knowledge built through years spent as self-represented artists and independent producers, Ron and Melissa began curation of the EPIC Arts Management Artist Roster in 2018, providing full-service career management to independently-created acts discovered through rolling nationwide searches for high-level talent. Ron is a former member of the Board of Directors of NAPAMA, the North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents, focusing his efforts on continuing education via leadership of the Professional Development Committee.
Melissa Giattino
ARTISTIC DIRECTORMelissa Giattino is the Artistic Director of EPIC Arts Management and Extraordinary Performers In Concert, and she oversees the creative content and artistic integrity of all of the company's in-house productions. As a performer, she began her professional career at the age of 17 in the National Tour of A Chorus Line and later found herself singing and dancing alongside an all-star cast on London's West End (Show Boat), dazzling audiences at holiday time as a member of the Radio City Rockettes, and making her Broadway Debut as an original revival cast member of the tap-dancing spectacular 42nd Street. Melissa has also assisted and dance-captained for some of the most famous tap choreographers in the business (including Tony Award winner Danny Daniels and Tony Award nominee Randy Skinner), and she was recently named Best Director by BroadwayWorld San Francisco for her work with the award-winning Transcendence Theatre Company.
Following a multi-year passion project of creating and workshopping unique and exciting song-and-dance numbers with noted tap choreographer Richard Schwartz, she and longtime friend Ron DeStefano expanded the concept to create the headline act now known as Two on Tap, and since 2009 she has since traveled from Alaska to Australia and from Virginia to Vietnam bringing their trademark blend of song-and-dance to audiences worldwide. Her experience as a choreographer and dance educator were instrumental in co-creating Two on Tap's multiple outreach programs, including the critically-acclaimed "Tea for Two Outreach" that provides opportunities for local dance studios and their students to perform alongside Broadway professionals while learning important lessons about discipline and technique. Melissa finds great satisfaction in blending her show business experience with her creative passion for new works, and she is excited to collaborate with Ron to create new material and shows to be managed by EPIC in upcoming seasons.
Adam Denison
AGENT-MANAGERAdam Denison is based in Nashville, Tennessee. As an Agent-Manager with EPIC Arts Management, he manages the day-to-day communication between artists and presenters, handling bookings, routings, and contracting for EPIC’s growing roster of artists. Adam is a graduate of Murray State University in Kentucky (Magna Cum Laude) with a degree in Vocal Music Performance. After graduation, Adam combined his twin passions for musical theatre and travel and embarked on a successful career as a Singer/Dancer and Featured Vocalist on cruise ships all over the world, visiting six of the seven continents! For almost a decade, he worked primarily for Royal Caribbean Productions but also enjoyed performing with Carnival Entertainment, Dollywood Entertainment, and the American Queen Steamboat Company among others.
After settling down in Nashville, Adam focused on his additional skillsets and started to find success beyond the entertainment industry. He is an accomplished Graphic Designer and Photographer and was voted Nashville’s #1 Group Fitness Trainer in 2018 by Nashville Fit Magazine. Immediately prior to joining the EPIC team, he was the Special Project Manager for a large Airbnb Management Company in Nashville. Adam is thrilled to be back in the entertainment industry, fostering talent and growing opportunities for incredible artists. He is a member of NAPAMA, the North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents.
Gina Handy Minyard
AGENT-MANAGERGina Handy Minyard is an award-winning actor, producer, director, and educator based in Dayton, OH. As the Founding Artistic Director of Magnolia Theatre Company (a female-driven theatre company that produces shows with strong female characters), she has been recognized as a "Woman to Watch" from the Ohio Women in Business Network and is a member of the Junior League of Dayton. Gina is a licensed theatre teacher and was a part of the inaugural teaching artist think tank at Lincoln Center Education; additionally, she has worked as an educator with Dayton Public Schools, Wright State University, Sinclair Community College, and Miami University. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Mars Hill University with additional training in theatrical intimacy and Michael Chekhov technique.
As a performer, her favorite regional credits include: What the Constitution Means to Me, The Full Monty, Sunset Blvd., The Glass Menagerie, Motherhood the Musical (Philadelphia Cast), Anything Goes, Nunsense, Company, Les Misérables, Thoroughly Modern Millie, I Love A Piano, 42nd Street, Swing!, Seussical, and the national tours of A Christmas Carol and Tomás and the Library Lady. Gina was in the original cast of the new play 26 Pebbles by Eric Ulloa. Early in her career, she was a featured singer on Renaissance Cruise Line and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and as a director she has helmed over twenty productions with professionals, college theatre majors, and high school students. Gina is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Lili Torre O’Connor
BOOKING SPECIALISTLili Torre O'Connor is based in Kansas City, Missouri. As Booking Specialist for EPIC Arts Management, she assists with every aspect of contract administration, making sure all engagements move through the pipeline from 'deal memo' to 'fully executed contract' seamlessly! Prior to calling the Midwest home, Lili worked for nearly ten years out of New York City as a musical theatre director and actor, sharing her talents at performance venues worldwide (on land and at sea!). She received her BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois and is currently pursuing a Masters in Mental Health Counseling at University of Missouri - Kansas City. Lili is also a podcast host and a business coach, and she loves to find the intersection between creativity and business... making her work at EPIC a perfect fit!
Carly Kincannon
PRODUCTION COORDINATORCarly Kincannon is thrilled to join the EPIC team as Production Coordinator for Extraodinary Performers In Concert, marking an exciting new phase in her varied and exciting career in the performing arts field. After obtaining a degree in Opera Performance from Northwestern University, Carly lent her voice to iconic roles like Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and The Blue Fairy on the high seas with Disney Cruise Line. Returning shoreside, she founded vintage vocal trio America's Sweethearts (an exclusive EPIC rostered act) in 2016, utilizing the most incredible female vocal talent in New York City. The "Sweets" have since traveled to over 25 states, singing music from the 1930s to the 1960s in the style of the girl groups of yesteryear. In 2021, Carly began singing with touring band The Little Mermen... a second marriage with Disney music, but with a rock n' roll twist (and bubbles!). Favorite musical theatre roles have included "Wendla" in Spring Awakening, "Heather" in American Idiot!, and "Cinderella" in Into the Woods. In this newest role with the EPIC family, she works behind the scenes, managing schedules, staffing, tracking leads…and offering emotional support when needed!
Helena Rankin
BOOKING SPECIALISTHelena Rankin is excited to be EPIC Arts Management's newest Booking Specialist! Originally from Ithaca NY, she studied Arts and Stage Management in college while working as a Stage Manager for various summer stock theater companies. Her post-collegiate career began in 2019 as a Stage Management Intern at Sarasota's Florida Studio Theatre, and she's been a resident of Sarasota ever since! During her time at Florida Studio she took on a plethora of roles (including a Piano/Composition Internship!) eventually joining the Literary Department staff full-time as an Associate; her final position prior to joining EPIC was in the Development Department as FST’s Grant Writer. Helena continues to enjoy a relationship with Florida Studio Theatre, playing piano weekly for FST Improv and teaching musical improv education classes. She is passionate about the work that EPIC does with and for the rostered artists, and she's excited to play a part in bringing these acts across the country for people to experience the power of live music. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, composing/playing music, going to the gym, hiking, contemplating life, and learning Portuguese!
Karen Kissel
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTA longtime supporter of the arts, Karen Kissel handles the always-growing behind-the-scenes needs of EPIC Arts Management, supporting the executive team and updating the information they need to book the company's extraordinary acts. Coming to the company from a first career in the fields of medicine and education, she provides the necessary detail-managing skills to take care of the always-growing piles of digital “paperwork” and comprehensive custom database updates to keep the EPIC machine running smoothly. Karen particularly enjoys watching the creative process unfold for new EPIC in-house productions, and she is always ready to assist with whatever needs to be done to get a new show to the stage.