Good afternoon, everyone Unless you have been living under a rock this week you have no doubt learned about the passing of Gwar frontman Dave Brockie. He was one of the most creative, unique, and driven musicians to ever grace the stage, and even though he is longer with us there is no doubt his art will continue to change lives for decades to come.
We talk about Dave Brockie and his impact on one specific individual’s life a lot in the following feature, and it felt only right that we begin by taking a moment to recognize his lasting impact on art and culture as well. Rest easy, Dave. We miss you.
Jon Freeman began his journey towards a life in the music industry with the goal of becoming a successful radio DJ. His parents warned him that radio was no place for people looking to make money, but he pushed ahead anyways and even managed to find work at a local radio station in North Carolina not long after his college graduation. Life was good and Jon was happy, but his true adventure in music was still waiting to begin.
Cut to a CMJ trip short time later that takes Jon from the quiet countryside of North Carolina to the bright lights of New York City. He applies for several jobs on a whim, and not long after receives a call inviting him to move to NYC and pursue a new career in publicity. Jon considers the offer, recognizing that he will need to move on in his career if he ever wants to grow, and ultimately decides that the world’s largest concrete jungle is the place for him.
Turns out, PR life suits Jon even better than his various role at radio ever did, and in no time he’s building a database of influential voices. Seasons change, opportunities arise, and in March 2010 he stepped out on his own with the launch of Freeman Promotions. Today, for the first time anywhere, Jon tells the world how it all came together.
I have been fortunate enough to work with Jon Freeman for as long as Freeman Promotions has been in existence and know him to be nothing short of a music industry lifer. He lives and breathes music the way world’s finest artists obsess over color or design, and always puts his client first. It’s an honor to share his story, and I certainly hope it inspires others to take control of their future in this business.
If you would like to learn more about Jon Freeman and Freeman Promotions, make sure you follow him on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: Go ahead and introduce yourself to everyone.
J: My name is Jonathan Freeman, but everyone calls me Jon. I am the owner/operator/whatever you want to call it of Freeman Promotions.
H: Thanks again for joining us, Jon. It’s great to have you.
J: It’s great to do this, man. Haulix has done a lot for me over the years and I am happy to help you guys with your blog.
H: That’s a great place to start. You have used Haulix for a while. When did you discover our platform?
J: This will be the fourth year of my company, so it had to be during the first year of my career. I was working a release for Paula Hogan and she introduced me to the whole Haulix promo system. Before then, I had known about and used iPool. I had also worked for a label that allowed people to download music with only a password and no watermark, which I thought was a little crazy. Paula introduced me to Haulix and it changed everything.
When I first started the company I had one client and that was a record label. Other clients came a bit later. The record label eventually got their own Haulix because I told them to get it, but for independent bands or other projects I created an account for Freeman Promotions that I could utilize whenever needed.
H: We know there are competitors out there. What keeps you at Haulix?
J: There are almost never any issues. If you guys are do happen to go down, which again is not very often, you make sure that everyone knows what is happening and you keep us updating until everything is back.
One thing I will say, is that if I ever run into any problems I can email your support and get a response within twenty minutes or so. For a lot of companies that is unreal. I use other companies for press releases and whatnot, and a lot of their support services can take a day or more to get back. You guys are on the ball, and you always come through whenever people need something.
H: Let’s take a step back and look at your history. When you think of your earliest memories of music, what comes to mind?
J: My dad playing Yes on vinyl for me. He is a big Yes fan and I remember him playing their music for me all the time. The first tour I ever attended was a Yes tour, but my dad was out of town so I went with my mom.
So it was my dad that really got me into music, and from there I got my first cassette player and started building my own collection. When I was old enough I started to go to my own shows, all the time, and it’s probably why I think I’m partially deaf now. (laughs). I’ll never forget going to see Gwar on Easter Sunday when I was sixteen. I had no idea what I was in for, but I had the time of my life, got shot and spit on.
…And who would have thought – fourteen years later I am doing their (Gwar) publicity.
H: Would you say that was one of the key moments in life that steered you toward a career in music?
J: When I got shot with fake splooge in the face at a Gwar show?
H: Yes, that.
J: [Laughs] I don’t know if that was exactly it. I will say though, one thing that has always stuck with me is when my family moved from New Jersey to North Carolina in my youth. I listened to the radio all the time because I didn’t have any friends, and I ended up calling in the time. Eventually I became friends with one of the DJS there, and I realized I had an interest in pursuing radio.
I went to college and started majoring in Business, but once I got into econ and accounting I realized I should be doing something else with my time that I was passionate about, but my parents kept telling me that there was no money radio and blah, blah blah. I eventually thought “Screw it,” and went on to work at my college radio station. From there, I moved to a local station in North Carolina, did a metal show, and then came up north for CMJ. I submitted my resume to a couple places and landed a job at a record label, which brought me back up north.
H: Did you have a mentor in the world of PR, or did you learn through doing? Tell us about getting your start in the world of publicity.
J: John Paris showed me a lot, as well as a lot of people at my first PR job (SPV). Also, and it sounds a little strange, but just doing it. Getting out there, picking things up, learning, creating relationships, building your database, etc. In a way you just have to feel how you want to do it and get into it. You can take advice and learn from others, yes, but in the end you have to develop your own way to do it that works for you.
H: When people come to you now and ask for advice on getting a start in the music industry, what advice do you offer?
J: I tell them to go to college and do all that, and then keep their ear to the ground, gain as much experience as possible, and just keep doing it. It’s really, really hard to find work in the music industry, and even those with years of experience can find it hard to gain employment from time to time. If you want to do this for a living, you have to give it your all. It’s hard, man. It’s really hard.
H: Going back to your journey, you had a job at a PR company before stepping out on your own. What lead you to decide starting your own business was the best move for you?
J: SPV had some financial issues in Germany (where they’re from), and the company essentially shuttered so I went to work for Adrenaline PR for nine months. It was Maria Ouellette who brought up the idea of me taking on spv as a client. It’s Maria Ouellette that is responsible for the start of Freeman Promotions.
I filled out all the paperwork and came up with a name for the company, made sure SPV was on board, and the put in my notice to leave my job at Adrenaline.
It was a scary time. I didn’t know what was going to happen at first, but I knew I wasn’t going to be making any less than I was at the other job. That, and during this time – and for the first year-and-a-half of Freeman Promotions – I was working a side-gig at a bagel shop to cover rent and have health insurance. So I would work there on nights and weekends between everything else. It was a very interesting time in my life.
Once I got through it, however, things really took off. I got Gwar, and then subsequently Cluth, and later other Relapse bands. Word of mouth brought in more clients over time, and eventually I was able to quit the bagel job to focus solely my company.
H: Post-SPV, who was the first client you brought on?
J: While at Adrenaline I was fortunate enough to work with Gwar, and I was able to form such a great relationship with their singer – Dave – and their management that when their contract was up with the other company they decided to work with me. That was the first big name I got.
And still to this day, I have a great relationship with Gwar. They’re a client, and they always have been, but we have reached a point of friendship where I feel like I can call on them if I need help with anything.
H: What career goals do you have?
J: Keep making money. (laughs) Keep making the clients happy. I really want to get more bands on TV, and that is something I have been working on a lot recently.
I want to keep growing, but I don’t know if I want the company to become a huge thing. There is one guy that helps me now and he is great, but I don’t know if I want to bring on a bunch of employees or anything like that just yet, but who knows? My goal is to keep making money, paying bills, and hopefully set a little aside for retirement. I want to keep having fun. Not everyone can say they spend their days talking to bands and going to shows. I just feel lucky, and heck even honored to be in the position that I am. I never thought I would be running my own thing. I thought I would be working for the man, and now I guess I kind of am the man.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
J: I don’t want to say the internet, but there are aspects of the internet I do not like. I hate how many people still steal music and everything, but I am into services like Rdio and Spotify. I do wish radio would be a little more friendly towards metal, but I get that will probably never happen. I also wish generic bands would not be able to get as popular as they are. Not that they’re not talented, they certainly are, but I would like to see a little more diversity in what’s popular. It would be great if people were more open minded.
H: That covers everything I have. Before we depart, are there any final thoughts or observations you would like to share with our readers?
J: Thanks for letting me do this. Like I said above, Haulix has helped me a lot and I am really into what you’re doing with these interviews. I have a lot of projects coming up on the horizon, so feel free to follow us on our networks to stay on top of all our announcements.
