Hello and welcome to another exciting week of music industry insight and advice here on the official blog of Haulix. We know Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so we’re stuffing our some of our best content to date into the coming days as our way of saying thanks for continuing to support our efforts. If you have a recommendation for a future column, of if you have any question about our services, please do not hesitate to email james@haulix,com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Everyone comes to want a life in music for their own reasons, but one thing we’ve learned through this series is that most journeys to the industry begin at a very young age. Parents fill homes with music and art in hopes of opening their chid’s mind to the creative possibility of the world, and over time those same children become increasingly fascinated with whatever form of entertainment played a predominant role at their mailing address. For Chrissy Borsellino, that entertainment came in the form of music, and today we’re going to learn how she rose through the ranks to become the Publicity Director at The Catalyst Publicity Group.
I’ve known Chrissy for a number of years, but it wasn’t until early 2013 that we had the opportunity to finally meet face to face. It was SXSW, and Chrissy had a number of artists performing throughout the city seemingly every night of the week. To say she was busy would be an understatement, but when it came to engaging her clients and the press who had come to see them Chrissy made time to make each of them feel like they were the only thing on her mind. She realizes the importance of making others feel important, and that is just one of the many (possibly countless) reasons I knew she needed to be included in this series. She’s kind, dedicated, and more driven than almost anyone you’re likely to meet.
If you want to follow Chrissy’s efforts in the music industry, be sure to follow the Catalyst Publicity Group on Twitter and Facebook. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: State your name, job title, and the company your currently work for:
CB: Chrissy Borsellino, Publicity Director at The Catalyst Publicity Group!
H: When you think about your life with music, what are the earliest memories that come to mind?
CB: Oh I have lots of musical memories from my childhood. From attending local music festivals with my parents (they dressed as ZZ Top for Halloween one year, seeing my mom with a long white beard as a youngster was definitely impactful) to rollerskating around my house to Disney records. We were a huge vinyl household.
H: Do you remember the first album you bought with your own money? Do you still own it today?
CB: I can’t remember precisely the first album I bought myself, I’m thinking it was No Doubt ‘Tragic Kingdom’ with a Media Play gift card. But I can remember vividly playing my Michael Jackson ‘Thriller’, Paula Abdul ‘Forever Your Girl’, and New Kids On The Block ‘Hangin’ Tough’ cassettes until they could play no more.
H: You’ve been involved in music for awhile now, and publicity was not necessarily where you got your start. What initially attracted you to the entertainment industry?
CB: I have been insanely in love with music from a very young age. As I previously mentioned my parents were a big influence on that, filling our house will all different artists and genres. When my brother began drumming for a few local bands in high school I really started to understand the “business” side of things and was immediately drawn to it. My goal then is the same as my goal now, to discover an undeniable talent and help them break through to success.
H: From what I have gathered, one of your earliest gigs in the business was with Step Up Presents. Can you tell us a bit about how you landed that position, and what that experience was like?
CB: Ahhh my first real gig in the biz! Step Up Presents is an independent concert promotion company in the Albany, NY area. While I was attending SUNY Oneonta, getting my BA in Music Industry, I had to intern to be able to fulfill my degree requirements. After speaking with my local Syracuse promoter, he intro’d me to the Step Up owner and I was brought in for an interview. This took place backstage at a concert venue DURING a show, I believe it was The Chariot playing. Once I was given the job I spent that summer assisting with shows doing everything from catering/hospitality to settling with the bands to box office duties and more. The most ridiculous task I had was running the “shower shuttle” at a big metal festival in the Poughkeepsie area, taking smelly band dudes to the hotel a mile away to shower. The most terrifying was the amount of injuries and blood at the Slayer concert, complete with a fan climbing up into the rafters and delaying the show. After my internship was done I stayed on in a part-time capacity, driving to Albany from Oneonta a few times a week to help out. It was the best experience of my life, I met and still stay in touch with a lot of people from that time.
H: A lot of people work for little-to-no pay when they first start out in the entertainment industry. Was this the case for you? If so, when did you start earning income?
CB: I was lucky to find positions that paid when I first started out, even my internships at least gave me money for gas/travel and food. Immediately after my second internship with Cherry Lane Music Publishing ended (right after I graduated college) I secured a full-time position with ASCAP and stayed there for just under 2 years. Only after finding myself unemployed, thanks to our wonderful economic crisis, did I start having to work positions for “experience” rather than pay. And I did that just to keep my resume and network building.
H: If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring industry professionals, what would it be?
CB: Network. That’s the MOST important part of the whole business. Even for artists. The more time I spend in the business, whether it be at a label, management company, concert promoter, publisher, or PR firm, the more I’ve seen that having that support and rolodex is what is going to get you from point A to B, B to C. Sure being a hard worker, an expert in your field, having the ability to learn quickly, the drive to keep learning as the industry evolves and having a crap ton of patience is also important… but without that network, it’s always a blind, uphill battle.
H: At what point did publicity become your focus, and do you recall anything pointing/inspiring/leading you in that direction?
CB: I got my start in publicity during that time of fun-employment. I wouldn’t say I was necessarily drawn to the work of a publicist but rather working directly with the talent to strategize ways to help them break through the over-saturated music landscape and find their audience. Between my stint there and working for Catalyst I found myself back in music publishing for about a year. I’m captivated by so many sides of the industry, I doubt I’ll ever stay in one field permanently.
H: Who was the first artist you worked publicity for, and what was the experience like?
CB: Oh man I can’t even remember that, I worked with a lot of artists when I got my start in PR specifically. I will say that my first glimpse into the world was working as an assistant for Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers Band) and his management company/record label. I was the middle-man between the PR team and him, figuring out his itinerary and helping them schedule press opportunities. I remember it being very hectic.
H: What advice would you give artists about seeking publicists? Is there anything they should look for and/or avoid?
CB: Know what a publicist does. When approaching a certain publicist or firm, do your research… know what artists/clients and publications they’ve worked with, the kind of campaigns they’ve run. Do your homework! It’s money coming out of your pocket for this service and you should be extremely well versed so you can ask the important questions and not waste time on the information you can find via the google machine. Also make sure you have something press worthy to bring to the table. A record that came out months ago and a short headlining tour at no-one-cares-about-that-venue is not enough for a publicist to run a successful campaign on your behalf. If they tell you otherwise, they probably just want your money.
H: As someone who has worked with signed and unsigned talent, do you feel record labels, big or small, are necessary in the modern music industry?
CB: This depends entirely on the artist and their situation. I believe though, with the right team, strategy, and outside-the-box approach to things, labels are completely unnecessary. But you have to want to put in the work. If you’re an artist who’s main goal is to find their team so they only have to create and do none of the business, then thats not for you. I will say in this ever-changing business landscape, it’s good to at least make sure you know what your plan is and where you’re money is going. We’re at a time where the artists hold way more cards then they ever did before, why not take advantage?
H: What is the biggest mistake you see bands making when trying to market themselves?
CB: The over self-marketing on their social networks. Posting only about your record or upcoming shows to get your fans to spend money on you is not smart. Fans want the connection, not bands asking them to continuously buy their crap. There’s this great social media food pyramid that I think all artists and companies should adhere to. It outlines how many posts should be about self-promotion, direct engagement, media content and more. It’s a really useful tool!
H: As a publicist, what advice would you offer writers hoping to work with your artists?
CB: Please do your research. We send over bios, one-sheets, and links for you to make the most of your time with our clients. Asking them the same cut-and-dry questions that everyone else is asking only annoys them and hinders the experience. And never, ever, flake out on a show if you’ve been given guest list spots/tickets/passes unless it is a truly extenuating circumstance.
H: When it comes to sharing music with journalists, what services/methods do you prefer? Why?
CB: That depends entirely on the client. Some bands will want a secure, private stream sent of their unreleased record to deter it from leaking. Others don’t care and just want the journalists to be able to listen to their music. When it’s the latter I typically use my secure dropbox to send over whatever assets are needed for a particular client. It’s easy to keep track of, add/delete from instead of having to do a whole separate upload, and doesn’t “expire” until I want it to.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
CB: That’s a really tough question. I guess I’d have to say the value of music and the songwriter. Between consumer and certain business practices, it’s sad to see the ever growing under-appreciation for the musicians creativity and work. If you really love an artist or a song, then do the writer a solid and make sure they are compensated for their craft.
H: You’ve held a number of titles thus far in life. What is your ultimate career goal, and are there any areas of the business you’ve yet to work in that interests you?
CB: Oh that’s ever-changing for me. The situation I’m in is great, I really enjoy being able to select the artists I want to champion rather than be handed a client I had no previous engagement with. I love working with talent I really believe can go the distance and exhausting every avenue and outlet in order to help them find their success. But I think if I could do ANYTHING I would want to be a music supervisor for TV or film. Matching music to visuals to enhance the experience has always intrigued and inspired me.
H: Okay, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time. Before we let you go, do you have anything on the horizon you’d like to share with us?
CB:
(i could not think of anything lol)
