Music Industry Trailblazers Michelle Jubelirer and Arjun Pulijal Launch Soft Shock, New Management & Media Collective Redefining Artist-Centric Entertainment & Backed by HarbourView Equity Partners

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LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 18, 2025--

Michelle Jubelirer and Arjun Pulijal announced today the official launch of Soft Shock, a management and media collective that reimagines how talent is developed and empowered across the entertainment landscape. Soft Shock operates at the edge of boutique: offering talent management, creative marketing services, brand creation, and creative development/production/distribution across all mediums. Soft Shock’s mission is to bring the ethos of music – unfiltered artistic expression, direct-to-fan connection and marketplace agility – to all of media and entertainment.

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L-R: Michelle Jubelirer and Arjun Pulijal (Photo by Bradley J. Calder), Sherrese Clarke (Photo by HarbourView Equity Partners)

Rooted in artist advocacy, Soft Shock is committed to empowering artists and creatives of all types, developing a diverse roster, and fostering collaborative trust through meaningful partnerships. Beyond music, Soft Shock represents comedians, filmmakers, actors, creators, athletes, visual artists, designers, chefs, makers, and more – generative talent with a distinct creative POV and an ambition to challenge convention.

“The name Soft Shock exemplifies our approach to everything. We are humanistic and empathetic first… but we are going to fiercely protect artists and fight to make things happen for them,” said Michelle Jubelirer, Co-Founder of Soft Shock. “It’s a volatile time for the creative psyche – that applies to talent as well as those on the business side trying to build careers – these are people’s lives. We believe creative intention, personal fulfillment, and commercial success can all co-exist. It just takes curation and bravery, or as we say, ‘a soft touch with the courage to shock.’”

Jubelirer is the former chair and CEO of CMG, where she was named Billboard’s 2024 “Women in Music” Executive of the Year. Prior to CMG, Jubelirer’s career spanned roles as a mergers and acquisitions attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and partner at entertainment law firm King, Holmes, Paterno & Berliner, where she represented clients including Tyler the Creator, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pharrell Williams, Nas, Frank Ocean, M.I.A., and others.

“It may not always feel like it, but artists have the power now and it’s never going back,” said Arjun Pulijal, Co-Founder of Soft Shock. “Telling talent ‘go viral and then we’ll care’ is a race to the bottom. We combat that by building scale on the side of talent through a diverse network that offers thought partnership and collaboration. All artists are creators and Soft Shock is ready to provide them with the tools, resources, and creative freedom they need to build sustainable, multi-faceted careers.”

Prior to overseeing all aspects of artist development as President of CMG, Pulijal headed the marketing for the label group, creating groundbreaking, commercially successful, and critically acclaimed campaigns for artists such as Paul McCartney, Beck, Troye Sivan, Halsey, Nine Inch Nails, Maggie Rogers, Norah Jones, and many others.

Jubelirer and Pulijal have a combined five decades of experience as talent-facing operators driving creative and execution. Under their leadership, CMG achieved new heights, including the signing of Grammy Award-winning artist Doechii, Sam Smith’s record-breaking single ‘Unholy,’ Ice Spice’s meteoric rise to fame, the release of the Beatles last-ever single, ‘Now & Then,’ and historic profitability. During their tenure, Jubelirer and Pulijal represented artists who have collectively sold over 400 million albums globally. With 13+ years of successful collaboration, they envision Soft Shock as the premier destination for talent seeking authentic partnerships and expanded opportunities across entertainment verticals, building cultural economies of scale.

Soft Shock is backed by a strategic investment from HarbourView Equity Partners, a global investment firm focused on media and entertainment opportunities. HarbourView’s mission to empower the stewards of culture aligns perfectly with Soft Shock’s vision of supporting companies and creators that create meaningful cultural impact.

“Michelle and Arjun lead with both vision and conviction. I’ve watched Michelle fight for artists with the same courage she brings to every table we’ve shared, including our shared passion for the most vulnerable, and Arjun is equally relentless in reimagining what’s possible,” said Sherrese Clarke, CEO of HarbourView Equity Partners. “At HarbourView, we look for partners who not only shift culture but expand it – with Soft Shock’s focus on artistry, equity, and impact in entertainment, they perfectly embody that.”

About Soft Shock

Soft Shock is a pioneering media collective founded in 2025 by music industry trailblazers Michelle Jubelirer and Arjun Pulijal. Rooted in artist advocacy, Soft Shock is committed to empowering artists and creatives of all types, developing a diverse roster, and fostering collaborative trust through meaningful partnerships. Soft Shock operates at the edge of boutique: offering talent management, creative marketing services, brand creation, and creative development/production/distribution across all mediums. Soft Shock’s mission is to bring the ethos of music – unfiltered artistic expression, direct-to-fan connection and marketplace agility – to all of media and entertainment. The company is dedicated to challenging industry norms while maintaining respect for artistic integrity and human connection — bringing a soft touch with the courage to shock.

About HarbourView Equity Partners

HarbourView Equity Partners is an investment firm focused on opportunities to support content across the entertainment, sports, and media markets. The firm seeks businesses or assets powered by IP and investment opportunities that aim to build enduring asset value and returns. HarbourView has been extremely active since launching in 2021, amassing roughly $2.67 billion* in regulatory assets under management including over 70+ music catalogs to date and investments in various portfolio companies with management teams in its core industries. The firm's distinctly diverse music portfolio features thousands of titles spanning numerous genres, eras, and artists, amounting to a diversified catalog of ~41,000+ songs across both master recordings and publishing income streams. The company is headquartered in Newark, NJ.

*Regulatory AUM for private funds are calculated regardless of the nature of the gross assets under management as of 12/31/2024. This includes any uncalled committed capital pursuant to an obligation to make a capital contribution to the fund. Title count may include multiple versions of the same song, such as covers, remixes, remasters and/or minor differences in naming conventions.

**Catalog assets included in this release do not represent the full HarbourView portfolio.

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CONTACT: Media Contacts

Soft Shock: The Lede Company |[email protected]

HarbourView:The Lede Company |[email protected]

KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ENTERTAINMENT OTHER ENTERTAINMENT GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY MUSIC ASSET MANAGEMENT

SOURCE: Soft Shock and HarbourView Equity Partners

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PUB: 09/18/2025 11:15 AM/DISC: 09/18/2025 11:14 AM

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