The only thing more complicated than discovering a new artist is getting an unjustly convicted user out of jail. Jason Flom has had great musical success. He met artists like Katy Perry, Kid Rock, Stone Temple Pilots and Skid Row. Music is a busy and competitive space. It’s rare to take an artist from unknown to iconic. Doing so is almost impossible.
Jason is the founder and CEO of Lava Media and Lava for Good. He became CEO and president of Atlantic Records in 2004, then held the same position at Virgin Records in 2005, then CEO of Capitol Music Group in 2007 before returning to Lava Records. In association with Republic/Universal. He put his skills to work for explosive artists who had not yet made it big and, in doing so, assembled a roster of truly important artists.
However, he is not a single record director. Jason is really concerned about those who don’t maintain their strength or don’t have access to a network of other people who can help him. He used his stature and stature to interfere when possible to improve a bad situation for many who are unjustly trapped in our formula of justice without the outside force, resources, or influences to improve the situation. Jason says that “the other people we’ve been able to let go of are the luckiest of the unluckiest. “
Jason Flom Video Credit: David Doobinin
Jason Flom and Maggie Freleng host the Wrongful Conviction series on the Lava for Good podcast. On March 11, everyone will receive an iHeart Podcast 2024 Social Impact Icon Award for their work. Wrongful Conviction aims to help those who face obstacles in proving their innocence. Below is a link to the podcast:
Jason Flom and Maggie Freleng, hosts of the Wrongful Conviction podcast
Jason’s good fortune as an executive in the music world has given him time and access to other projects that interest him. That’s what Jason is interested in and what’s so unusual. When he was in his mid-twenties, he was a first-time nonviolent offender, convicted in 1984 of possession of just over 4 ounces of cocaine. Anything over 4 ounces was meant for a huge penalty. Lennon’s sentence was 15 years to life in prison in New York state. . This is an ordinary punishment for a first-time offender with no history of violence.
Jason knew he had to do something, but he’s not a lawyer and he’s not comfortable with the way the legal formula works. However, he did bring some influence due to his successful career. So, he convinced a lawyer friend to represent Lennon pro bono with the goal of releasing him or reducing his sentence. Lennon’s attorney worked to schedule a hearing before a ruling was handed down on the severity of Lennon’s sentence. In the end, the case was sent back to court after a request to reduce or end the sentence. At the end of that hearing in 1994, the court issued a ruling on Lennon’s release.
This early good fortune showed Jason that he didn’t need to be a lawyer to help. It may simply influence the trajectories of other people whose lives have been disrupted by the criminal justice system. His first attempt to help had resulted in the release of a guy who was then in his early thirties and then had a circle of relatives of his own and his good luck being locked up for the rest of his life.
Jason cared about more cases, joined the board of trustees of the Innocence Project, founded to free the wrongfully convicted, and set out to repeat his early successes with Lennon by helping others in need of resources, friends, and hope. he joined the board of directors of Families Against the Mandatory Minimum and other organizations. Jason worked with President Clinton to secure the release of others from prison, provided investment and excitement to others, helped exonerate others with death threats, and continued his career guidance for record labels and artists.
Jason is the only influential user who can draw attention when you want to right an injustice. Bob Dylan wrote the song Hurricane about Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a boxer convicted of murder. Kim Kardashian helped Alice Marie Johnson get a pardon from President Trump. There are endless similar stories of how other people who were once stuck in the formula have gained renewed attention due to the influence of others who continued to advocate for them after their convictions. Well-meaning foreigners, journalists, filmmakers, and musicians came here to denounce injustices as unacceptable.
In fact, it is rare to find other people who, after achieving great success, turn their attention and skills to help those at the opposite end of the social spectrum. It is easy for everyone who is incarcerated or convicted to get what they deserve. Empathy comes slowly for those who are incarcerated in prisons. It’s equally tricky to get cash to combat an almost futile effort to improve a harsh sentence or misplaced conviction. Those who paint in this space, taking valuable time off from serious careers, do so because they recognize that it is nearly impossible for someone serving time to make significant progress by seeking further review.
Meeting the demands of celebrities is part of running in the entertainment industry. It is endless and unforgiving. Jason’s ability to fulfill the duty he had in this world, while devoting his energy, time, and resources to helping those caught up in the criminal justice system, requires sacrifice. Its internal measure of entitlement and is just as applicable as its ability to read which artists are in sync with existing trends. In either case, good luck or desperate advice, promotion is mandatory to thread the needle. Jason’s humility and the strength of his relationships are displayed in a way that provides at least some form of counterbalance to the impressive forces that control the government. There’s never a promise of good luck, however, as evidenced by his hit podcast Wrongful Conviction, a seasoned music director like Jason knows how to keep others listening.