Georgia Entertainment recently released the names of the 200 Most Influential of Georgia’s Creative Industries. The individuals are highlighted in the bi-annual printed publication – Georgia Entertainment: The Creative Economy Journal. See the digital version. Our 200 Spotlight series showcases many of those that were included.
By Carol Badaracco Padgett, Senior Writer
Keith Perissi, Director of the Joel A. Katz Music & Entertainment Business (MEBUS) Program at Kennesaw State University
Long-time experience as a professional touring musician and recording artist enables Keith Perissi, MBA, to intimately understand the entertainment industry. The fact that he started his career in Atlanta and is now director of Kennesaw State University’s Joel A. Katz Music and Entertainment Business (MEBUS) Program illustrates that he also understands the intricacies of Georgia’s unique and thriving creative industries firsthand.
Perissi spent more than 15 years on national music tours and recorded five albums and multiple singles. In addition, throughout his career he gained experience in songwriting and audio/video engineering, as well as in the fields of promotion, talent management, talent booking, marketing, concert and event production, and entertainment business entrepreneurship.
Under his leadership, the Joel A. Katz MEBUS Program has been featured as one of Billboard Magazine’s Top Music Business Schools for four years (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022). In 2019, Perissi – a longtime Grammy Voting Member — was appointed to the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office Advisory Board for Governor Brian Kemp.
Perissi’s professional life has taken him on tours throughout the United States, Great Britain, Europe, and most parts of the globe, he reports. Drawing on his experiences, he and his MEBUS team have created vibrant London Study Abroad and Disney Study Away programs for customized student learning, as well as engagement opportunities with global entertainment businesses.
While traveling, Perissi is committed to safety and ethics for the MEBUS program. His leadership skills and ability to provide quick solutions to any global challenge have proven invaluable in planning, teaching, and implementing both the London Study Abroad and Disney Study Away trips each year.
Through his partnership with MEBUS benefactor Joel A. Katz, Perissi continuously connects with contacts to develop opportunities for students to gain direct access in London and Disney. Beyond these programs, he is dedicated to giving students additional life-changing global business experiences.
Today, Perissi remains active in Atlanta’s thriving entertainment industry, both offstage and on. Yet, he says the classroom is his preferred venue for student teaching and learning. As he notes, it is students who inspire him most, and he is energized by sharing his knowledge, experience, and industry relationships with them.
Through his life’s work, Perissi has contributed greatly to Georgia’s Creative Economy — where he actively encourages the next generation of entertainment industry professionals.
