RAY COSTA (COSTA COMMUNICATIONS)

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Ray Costa is the founder and president of Costa Communications. Costa earned his BA in Communications from the University of Memphis. While a student, he became a news reporter and talk show host at WHBQ, winning two Associated Press News Awards, a United Press International Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism and was nominated for a Pyramid Award. Costa was also on-air talent for the local non-profit classical station and also volunteered as a firefighter for the Germantown, Tennessee Fire Department. He moved to Los Angeles to work in television publicity on shows such as “Fame” and “Kids Incorporated.” With a deep appreciation of music and an understanding of how to promote it, Costa formed Costa Communications in the late ‘80s. Costa is an active member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Entertainment Publicists Professional Society (EPPS) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Costa Communications has represented a long list of musicians, record labels, soundtrack projects, producers and composers. Recent campaign highlights have included John Debney’s appearances on Today for “The Passion of the Christ,” Vusi Mahlasela’s The Tonight Show performance for the soundtrack to “Tsotsi” and NBC Nightly News’ national coverage of “The Lowrider Tour.” Costa Communications clients have been featured prominently in print stories in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, among others, and in countless industry publications including Variety and Hollywood Reporter. Costa Communications’ awards campaigns have led to Golden Globe, BAFTA, Emmy, Grammy and Oscar nominations and wins for the firm’s clients and their projects. In 2005, Costa represented both ASCAP lifetime achievement award winners, John Debney, winner of the Henry Mancini Award, and Mark Snow, winner of the Golden Note Award. In 2008 Costa represented Alan Menken who was recently inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame and received three Academy Award nominations for “Best Original Song” for his work on “Enchanted;” Mark Steitenfeld, who was nominated by the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) in the category of “Best Music” recognizing his score to “American Gangster;” as well as Christopher Young, who will be receiving the “Richard Kirk Award” at the BMI Film & Television Awards this May.
A marketing leader and an outstanding publicist devoted to his craft, Costa has represented such other high profile musicians and composers as John Powell, Don Davis, Jon Brion, Graeme Revell, John Ottman, Alexandre Desplat, BT, Craig Armstrong and Christophe Beck. Costa has also handled publicity for many organizations for the promotion of music and music education, including the Society of Composers and Lyricists , The Film Music Society and The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, and for several years, Costa Communications been the exclusive PR agency hired to promote The Hollywood Reporter / Billboard Film & TV Music Conference.
Costa recently announced the launch of his own record label, Nicabella Records, to release his composer clients’ film scores and ensure that their fans have access to product.