Holly O'Connell

Manager (CEO, Engine Room Records, LLC)

The "Anchor". Holly (Age 18 in 1987) is the most formidable member of The Stardust Engine, and she has never played a note on stage. A child prodigy, she accelerated her education to start college at 16, allowing her to join her older siblings and cousins at CPI.

While still a student, she took over as the band's manager. Her official role was to act as the emotional peacemaker—famously pulling Ryan and Cassidy into a "three-way hug" when they argued over music, reminding them "You're both right. And you're both idiots" [cite: 36, 1319-1320].

The "Friction" Nuke

Holly's true power was revealed during the 1992 "Friction" scandal. By this time, she was a 2L law student. When Julian Vance made his criminal demand, Holly transformed into "Holly the Shark".

She secured the two key pieces of evidence:

• Exhibit A: The altered clipboard where Vance had physically crossed out the word "simulated."
• Exhibit B: The 1990 *Live in Chicago* tape, proving Apex was negligent in not knowing Ryan and Cassidy were siblings.

Caught between Holly's civil "nuke" and a separate criminal investigation (started by the photographer, Kevin), Apex Records immediately voided the band's $2M contract and signed over the masters to their first two albums to avoid liability [cite: 870-874]. Holly immediately used this freedom to found Engine Room Records, LLC, the band's independent label.