Carmen R. Thompson

Carmen R. Thompson

At an early age, Carmen R. Thompson excelled in music, holding first chair at upright bass, violin as well as alto saxophone. Her military officer dad and English teacher mom had more “practical” career pursuits in mind yet everywhere her family moved around the globe, Carmen consumed music fervently. After studying Journalism at UC Berkeley, she climbed the ranks as a writer and editor at national magazines including Seventeen, Sports Illustrated, VIBE and ESPN the Magazine, covering lifestyle, music and sports stories. 

At ESPN, she created a lucrative recurring feature called "The Hookup," where she curated athletes meeting their favorite musicians. She regularly interviewed celebrities like Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lenny Kravitz, to name a few. Perhaps unavoidably, Carmen plunged further into a parallel career path—taking classes in music production, songwriting, and scoring for film, TV and advertising at NYU. Her depth and sophistication in journalism are skills she brings with her in her approach to storytelling through music composition.