Jan Carlo DeFan

Jan Carlo DeFan Kristal (born December 26, 1977) is an American educator, record producer, music executive & philanthropist. Mr. DeFan has worked with artists such as Slash (Guns N' Roses), Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule). Jim Keltner (John Lennon), Leland Sklar (Phil Collins), Steve Lukather (Toto, Michael Jackson), Nathan East (Eric Clapton), Marcus Miller (Miles Davis) and Doug Sax (Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, The Who) to name a few.

Mr. DeFan was the youngest A&R manager for Warner Brothers Music, making him the youngest record executive in Latin Music Business history to have held such a position.

He was lead guitar player, producer and manager for the independent rock band ELAN with his younger sister ELAN/Shy Porter, the first and most successful independent English language bands at that time, having released 8 albums, 20 top 10 music videos, 10 of them having gone #1 on MTV Latin, Telehit as well as Australian and European music video channels. ELAN has sold more than 2 million records to date.

He was the first President of the International Association of Music Colleges and Universities (www.iamcu.net). DeFan also Chaired the Board for the Fermatta University Center (www.fermatta.university) Latin America's largest and most prestigious professional music University (which holds 4 Bachelor's degree programs and 5 Master's degree programs), the first center for higher learning approved by the Secretariat of Public Education for Mexico to grant bachelor's and master's degrees in professional contemporary music. The Fermatta University Center has successfully graduated some of Latin America's biggest music superstars who's graduates have accumulated more than 80 Grammys, Latin Grammys, Oscars and Cannes Film Festival Awards.