On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell contacts Catalyst Publicity Group members Jen Appel and Chrissy Borsellino to discuss their team’s contribution to the world of music. Along the way, Jen and Chrissy offer advice for aspiring publicists and passionate artists to help each better navigate the modern music business. If you want to up your music industry game, then you won’t want to miss this show!
The music you hear in the intro to ‘Inside Music’ this week is “Say Anything (Else)” from Cartel. You can learn more about that song, as well as the album it hails from, on the band’s official website.
You may already know this, but ‘Inside Music’ is now available on iTunes! Click here to subscribe.
Inside Music is also on Twitter. Follow us for show updates and clues to who will be our next guest!
Hey there! Welcome to our blog. We thank you for finding time in you busy schedule to spend a few minutes on our site. The post you’re about to enjoy is the latest installment in our popular podcast series, Inside Music. If you like what you hear, the entire catalog of episodes can be found and enjoyed through iTunes. Subscriptions and reviews are always appreciated.
This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found onTwitter and Facebook.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell chats with Matthew Leimkuehler about his recent decision to join the Fixt Publicity team. The role is Matt’s first full-time gig within the music industry, and during their conversation both Matt and James share lessons learned from their first weeks as music business professionals. There is also talk about how others can find their way into the industry, as well as some discussion on the importance of knowing how to network with your peers.
The music you hear in the intro to ‘Inside Music’ this week is “Coming Home” from Leon Bridges. You can learn more about that song, as well as the album it hails from, on Leon’s official website.
You may already know this, but ‘Inside Music’ is now available on iTunes! Click here to subscribe.
Hello and welcome to the very first ‘Industry Spotlight’ feature of the week. We are thrilled to have you with us this afternoon, and we hope you will make it a point to stop by regularly from here on out. This blog exists to promote and inspire the future of music business, but we are only able to do that if we receive input from our readers. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog, or if you would like to learn more information about the services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog, or if you would like to learn more information about the services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
You may or may not remember this, but earlier this month we spent two days sharing the story of Adrenaline PR founder Maria Ferrero. Today we are adding a second chapter to the story of Adrenaline PR thanks to an in-depth conversation with Senior Publicist Natalie Camillo, which you can find a few paragraphs below.
Natalie and I have been working together professionally for at least half a decade at this point, and in that time she has been able to align herself with a number of reputable bands and brands from across the music industry. Writing this now I am struggling to recall a single week in the last several years that has passed without some kind of contact from her, and from the way she describes her passion for music in this interview it’s not hard to imagine she will continue that trend of constant contact for many years to come. She’s what some might call a lifer in the industry, and truth be told it’s dedicated people like her that make it possible for the rest of us to hope for the overall growth of our industry in the years to come.
If you would like to learn more about Natalie and her efforts in music after reading this post, please make it a point to follow Adrenaline PR on Twitter. Additional questions and comments should be left at the end of this post.
H: Hey there, thank you for joining us. Before we dive in, please take a moment to introduce yourself:
N: Natalie Camillo, senior publicist and campaign manager at Adrenaline PR!
H: We like to begin every interview by learning a bit about the life of the people we are speaking with. Tell me, what are your earliest memories of music?
N: My earliest memories of music are sitting with my Grandpa Camillo in his basement listening to Frank Sinatra by the fire (that I was always throwing newspaper into and stinking up the place), and getting my first radio at the age of 9 and discovering modern pop music for the first time. My mother and father raised me on oldies, jazz and classic rock until I was about that age.
H: How about the first album you ever purchased with your own money?
N: I have no idea what that would be… probably some nu metal album. But the first album that was ever given to me was probably Smash Mouth’s Fush Yu Mang, or possibly a Frank Sinatra box set. I loved Frank Sinatra when I was little… he might as well have been the only recording artist on the planet.
H: Can you recall the first artist or group you obsessed over? Bonus points if you share an early ‘crazy fan’ moment from your life.
N: I have no shame. I loved *NSYNC and the Spice Girls when I was little. Come on… a little girl coming into her own in the late 90’s? I had to have been about 10 when that stuff first got big… I had Justin Timberlake posters all over my wall. I begged my dad to paint my bedroom walls baby blue when I turned 12 because it was Justin’s favorite color. Yep – I was that kid. Somewhere between that and my introduction to rock radio and nu metal on my middle school bus, I started buying Disturbed, Korn and Incubus CD’s… and thus began my love of heavy music. Everyone has to start somewhere, I unfortunately lived in a country town with no venues or any sort of scene, so radio really was the only introduction to new music I had. Around the same time, I also had a fast introduction to a lot of electronic music, and later on in high school I got into some punk and even rap music. I had a good, well-rounded source of influence. I don’t believe I ever really had a crazy fan moment until I was already working at this job, and at this point it didn’t have the same “sparkle” because I had the professional face on. I can safely say, however, that I often have those “surreal moment” flashbacks where I think, “Man, 14-year-old me would have just FREAKED OUT after meeting that person. How crazy is it that 15 years ago I would have never known that I’d be working with these rock stars I idolized back then”. At 14, I was rocking out on a school bus with my discman… now I’m 27 and talking with these guys directly, scheduling their press days at festivals. Nuts. I mean… Chester and Mike of Linkin Park were standing within a foot of me at the Revolver Golden Gods last month… that was pretty insane. Again, a “14-year-old me” moment. Hybrid Theory is still a great record.
H: They say everyone has a series of moments or experiences in life that steer them towards the careers they ultimately pursue. Are you able to pinpoint any moments in your life that flipped the switched on the ‘publicity’ bulb?
N: I actually wanted to get my start in metal radio promotions, but publicity is where I ended up (and gladly so). Same horse, different color. I realized that I wanted to work in metal in college – again, I always had a love for heavy music but once I got involved with my college radio station, I quickly became the person in charge of CMJ Loud Rock charting, which also meant I chose all of the heavy music rotation. I was in talks with industry folks every day, learning about the industry and the inner workings of promotions. It seemed right up my alley, so I began to pursue it.
H: If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring publicity professionals who may be reading this now, what would it be?
N: Internships. Internships. Internships. Follow your gut and push as hard as you can (within reason) to reach your goals. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.
H: What are the biggest challenges facing publicists today?
N: Publications not having enough staff to get features done or willingness to try new things to get new bands into their pages, younger bands thinking they know more about publicity or what’s press-worthy than the seasoned publicists they’ve hired, managers not willing to follow our lead or try new things… there’s always something, but in the end, everything works out and everyone works as a team to reach the best endgame.
H: More specifically, what are the biggest challenges facing Adrenaline PR today? Finding clients? Growth? Recognition? What are the problems you are working to solve at the moment?
N: We’re pretty easy going, problem-free people, and we like to squash things before they can even become a problem… so nothing really. We grow more every year and come into bigger and better projects as time goes on based on increased company awareness and many successful campaigns.
H: Without going too in-depth, please walk us through a typical day at work:
N: Every day is different and each of us here have different tasks, but I’ll try to cover it all. Answering emails and phone calls (as well as writing them and making them, obviously) which pertain to all of the below: pitching national and regional press on records/events/tours, setting up interviews and preview press, setting up exclusive press and marketing opportunities like track streams/contesting/music video debuts, etc. and planning with/making timelines for the clients that portray those marketing plans, servicing music digitally (with HAULIX, of course) and following up on that distribution, working on financial documents and keeping track of new and potential clients, gathering and organizing press into outlined reports for our clients, writing a few press releases per day and getting approvals with clients, setting up packed press days for bands in large markets, getting guest list approvals with venues for festivals, club shows, etc., editing our website, keeping track of tour dates and itineraries (lovely PR mavens Arielle and Ally in our office handle the majority of that, however), sending out day sheets/press schedules/guest lists to tour managers and clients… oh, and HAVING FUN! Lots of that. It’s a lot of work, but it’s simple once you have the hang of it and know how to manage your time. It’s good working with all driven, like-minded women in an open and easy-going environment.
H: What are your current career goals?
N: To see where the road takes me… I like being here and I haven’t thought much past it, as irresponsible as some may thing that sounds.
H: What is one thing you hope Adrenaline is able to accomplish this year?
N: We’re doing well – so the goal is to keep that going and keep making a difference for our clients!
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
N: There are a lot of things I’d like to change, and this is a very open-ended question. To keep it simple – I think people should be more open minded about a lot of things.
H: You have been a Haulix client for a while now. What do you like about our service?
N: I love the security aspect as well as the ability to truly track what people are doing with the promos. It takes the guessing game out of, “…well I spent a bunch of money to send a ton of packages out that I hope made it to their final destination… and I’m hoping these folks answer their emails and phone calls when I reach out to check on the packages.” You can see what’s going on, you can reference whether someone got their email, opened it, even listened to it or downloaded it, etc. And my favorite – the ability to create reports to follow up with people based on what they’ve done with the promo.
H: Are there any opening at Adrenaline PR? If so, how should those interested in joining the team go about applying?
N: Email maria@adrenalinepr.com
H: What should artists reading this ask themselves before hiring a publicist?
N: Do you have enough to promote before you take that plunge and make that investment? If you are just a group of guys playing a few basement shows in your hometown and not releasing any music or doing much of anything, you may want to consider waiting until you have something to promote before you dive into the PR pool.
H: What is the biggest misconception people have about publicity/publicists?
N: I’m going to have to second what Maria said. You aren’t going to hire PR and get a platinum record and end up on the cover of Rolling Stone based on that fact alone. A lot of cooks need to be in the kitchen to build up an artist. It takes a village to raise a child…
H: Aside from paychecks and steady employment, how do you measure you personal level of success at what you do?
N: When a client takes the time to say “thank you” or “you’re doing a great job” or even the rare, “we couldn’t have done this without you guys”… that’s really what makes it for me. I know things are truly going well when people take the time to show us appreciation for the hard work.
H: Natalie, from what I have been able to learn prior to this interview it seems a large portion of your industry experience began after entering college. That said, you actually attended York College of Pennsylvania to study communications and the music industry, correct?
N: I did. However, I feel that my extra-curricular activities are what really propelled me into this industry. Specifically working with my college radio station, WVYC, as the FM Program Director and Loud Rock Director (metal music management, for lack of a better term… who at CMJ came up with the term loud rock, anyway?).
H: Did you have any idea publicity would be where you wanted to end up at this time, or was there perhaps another area of the music industry you thought you would work in?
N: I think I was looking towards metal radio promotions, but publicity is just where I ended up based on my job search towards the end of college. I’m happy with my decision, obviously.
H: Like many of our previous guests, you spent a lot of your time in college working for the campus radio station. What can you tell us about your time in that program and the lessons/skills learned?
N: In the most basic terms, I learned how to be a team player and a business professional in a music industry setting. WVYC offered me my first whack at working with real industry professionals in publicity and radio promotion, plus my first position managing anything, really. Those industry professionals steered me towards my vital internship opportunities and all of the conferences and events I took part in that allowed me to network and expand my contacts. Had I not nurtured a few of those relationships (some of which I still have intact today with several managers and publicists at different labels and companies), I wouldn’t be in the seat I am today. For all of those folks that I ever hounded with my questions about the industry when I was 19 – you are the reason I am here. Thank you.
H: As someone who went to school to study music and ultimately did find work in the business, do you think college is the best path to entry for those hoping to get into the business side of music?
N: Honestly, I know plenty of people in this industry that didn’t go to school. I honestly think it has a lot to do with knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time. But, had I not had the internships or got into the radio station, I wouldn’t know the people that got me into this position, and had I not been in school… you get the connection. School made this happen for me, but it’s not going to be the same for everyone. Additionally, I feel like going to school taught me so many other valuable skills, aside from the education aspect. Just interacting with all different kinds of people in different settings in itself was nurturing.
H: Things really picked up for you in 2008, with roles at Relapse and The Syndicate, and MetalSucks. Did radio pave the way towards these opportunities, or was it a combination of that and other efforts?
N: My connections with the radio station definitely got me into those positions. The Syndicate was a simple street team position, but I knew a few folks over there through metal radio promo that definitely pushed me towards doing that. It was paid too, which was nice as a college student. Same with Relapse, I knew a few people in the promotions department that connected me with their internship coordinator. MetalSucks started out a bit differently… I was already interning at Heavy Hitter Inc. (a radio promotions company that has since closed, but you can find the staff and owners currently working hard at In De Goot and Strong Management) in NYC in the summer of 2008 and I met the MetalSucks guys right around then and expressed my interest in helping out with their project. So I became what I believe was their first “intern”… I basically helped them set up some social media, edit a few posts, etc. Nothing too big, but it was cool to be a part of it. Thanks guys!
H: You joined the MetalInsider team in 2009, briefly, then turned to the world of PR for good upon joining Adrenaline in June of that same year. When did you initially learn of Adrenaline’s existence, and how did you become aware of the job opening?
N: Yep, I was doing some post editing and running of the news feed sidebar for MetalInsider.net towards the end of my college tenure – I wanted to keep myself busy while I was finishing school. The Adrenaline PR connectiom basically went like this: I was setting up an interview for WVYC with one of their clients (I believe it was The Acacia Strain, I suppose Prosthetic had hired Adrenaline to work a few clients and their radio promo team connected me to them) and through creating a relationship with them, I learned an employee was leaving. That employee passed my resume to Maria, who liked me enough to want me around! I was hired the day before I graduated and moved to New Jersey from Pennsylvania two weeks later. Five years later… here I am, still enjoying myself.
H: What was the interview process like?
N: Maria and I went to Panera and we had a long conversational-type interview after she had already reviewed my qualifications. It was clear that we had a connection and that it would be a good fit.
H: Who was the first client you handled at Adrenaline, and what can you tell us about that experience?
N: We all handle a bunch of clients at once, but the first client I really remember sinking my teeth into was Dethklok, you know, the cartoon comedy band from the Adult Swim TV show Metalocalypse. I handled their guest list and press schedules for one of their big tours back in 2009… it was probably the one with Mastodon. Looking back, I probably made a ton of little mistakes before it was done with, but without that experience I wouldn’t be as quick with that kind of work today. We continue to work with Brendon Small on a lot of his projects – he’s a great guy. We also continue to work with Bryan Beller (check out The Aristocrats!) and Gene Hoglan quite often, as well. Also great people – all some of my favorite people to work with.
H: Do any of the lessons you learned in those first few months at Adrenaline leap to mind right now? Our readers appreciate all the insight they can get?
N: The industry is a BIG pond – and I am a small fish. Be a team player, listen more than you talk, don’t drink too much coffee (I snap sometimes), and appreciate every second of your day. No problem is too big, and like Maria says, “Everything always works out”. I’m blessed to be where I am, and I’ll never forget that.
Hello, everyone. Today we are continuing our efforts to advise current and future musicians by sharing a guest post from our friends at Behind The Curtains Media focusing on the importance of understanding the ins and outs of music publicity. The person behind this feature has spent years in a band themselves, and it’s because of the lessons learned through those experiences that we are able to share this information today. If you have any questions about the content of the blog, or if you would like more information regarding the distributional services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Since 2006 I’ve been on the artists’ side of the publicity world. I’ve worked with amazing publicists such as Raybee, Stunt Crew, The Cornerstone Agency, Big Picture Media and The Catalyst Publicity Group, to name a few. My job at the time felt like nothing other than reading up on features and occasionally doing interviews (which even then I needed numerous reminders). Thinking back and being in the position I’m currently in, I feel we were all spoiled brats and never truly understood the work that was being done behind the curtains.
It wasn’t until the 2012 Warped Tour that I became very active on the band side of publicity. I wanted to make sure we were making the most of the service while also making our publicist’s job easier by organizing and assigning the daily interviews to members of the band. Each day, I would go down to the press tent, take a look at the 3 or 4 interviews we had, shoot the outlet a text confirmation and chat with Warped Tour Press Coordinator, Bethany Watson. She really opened my eyes about the world of publicity and I remember her saying, “You have 3 or 4 interviews today out of that list of 40 outlets that are going to be here. Why don’t you publicize yourself and just talk to all of them and who knows, maybe they’ll interview you or feature you.” That really motivated me by bringing a whole new challenge to the table. From that point forth I would come in, take a snap shot of the daily press sheet, respectfully approach all the outlets in between their scheduled interviews and some days I would land 10+ interviews with outlets that I wasn’t even scheduled for, not to mention I had the contact sheet available to follow up with anyone I spoke to.
At this point I wasn’t even remotely close to thinking about being a publicist, I was just trying to do as much as I possible to get my band, The Venetia Fair, to the next level. In keeping in touch with these outlets and becoming personal friends with a lot of them, they were often happy to assist with getting my band and even bands on my label (SwitchBitch Records) some extra exposure and features.
In August 2011 my amazing friend and publicist Chrissy Borsellino did some solo publicity work for my label (prior to her joining Catalyst). She introduced me to some new outlets, taught me how to write up proper press releases and basically gave me a general understanding of how to do the work on my own. Even at this point I had no interest in doing publicity, but I didn’t want to rely on her for favors all the time, so I took on publicity for SBR artists.
When Chrissy joined The Catalyst Publicity Group we used them for all of The Venetia Fair releases until the day came where being an independent band and not having any funds caught up to us. Unfortunately it happened at the worst possible time, right when SwitchBitch Records was to release The Venetia Fair’s ‘Every Sick, Disgusting Thought We’ve Got In Our Brain’. Being that this was my label’s first vinyl release and it was for my own band, it was a blessing in disguise in that it was yet again another motivational pivot point that really lit a flame under my ass in that I needed the release to be huge!
At that I had so much support from friends at outlets. Christian from Absolute Punk taught me how to intro my emails, Dave from HellHound Music taught me various ways to write up press releases, Matt of Under the Gun would literally get on the phone and not hang up until I knew the ins and outs of everything. Would you believe between that from exclusives on the vinyl to reviews to interviews to contests I landed 88 features from 8/1/13-9/20/13 to the point where I stopped keeping track after 9/20. Eighty-fucking-eight! Don’t believe me? Shoot me an email and I’ll send you all the links. I was told that the average from professional publicists was about 8-15 posts per month. The excitement that that brought me was/is hands down the nerdiest thing in the world.
A problem I ran into was that I was running campaigns as a SwitchBitch Records in-house publicity company which was fine for this particular vinyl release however even though SBR released TVF’s vinyl, it was important that TVF as a band was/is labeled as an “independent” artist in order to keep potential larger opportunities available. That said, in future TVF campaigns, outlets would inaccurately post TVF as an SBR artist, which is not their fault at all, but would cause confusion and require me sending a follow up email requesting the edit. Hence the birth of Behind The Curtains Media!
Avoiding confusion was one of many reasons for launching Behind The Curtains Media. A main reason to be honest is I really love the fact that it keeps me in touch with friends at media outlets. I know that sounds really stupid, but if you ask any outlet that has posted or done anything with us, they will tell you that not only do I respond, but I probably am a little too curious as to how they’re all doing and being sure they are all doing well. I know, lame right? But I really do care about them all and am extremely appreciative for everything they do. You have no idea! Aside from that I like the freedom to pick and choose artists that I think are good people, creative musicians and deserve some assistance in obtaining some visibility.
The last and final key to Behind The Curtains Media was getting our SBR general manager/coordinator Hanna Yando on board. She is just about to graduate with her degree in Public Relations and I can’t stress enough how smart, hard working and easy to get along with this girl is. If she weren’t on the team, I honestly don’t think I could have been able to have the courage to take the last few and major steps needed to lead up to the launch of the firm. The combination of my first hand connections to outlets and her 4 years of school training truly allow us to pull off some amazing stuff.
Big thanks to everyone for all the love and support and giving me a fun project to work on while driving around the country with my stupid band!
Greetings, everyone! Another Friday has found its way into our lives, which means it’s time to reflect on everything happening at Haulix HQ.
The past few days have been rather hectic here at Haulix. Our product team continues to refine our protection and distribution tools while also laying the groundwork for the mobile platform we revealed in last week’s update. We wish them the best in all they have on the horizon and promise to bring you more information on everything product related as soon as it’s ready to be shared.
On the blog end of things, we have been anxiously preparing for October, which we recently dubbed ‘metal month.’ Our normal features will run as planned, but throughout the month of October we will be highlighting various members of the metal world and their efforts to keep the genre alive in 2013. I thought about revealing some of the names we have on the horizon in this post, but then I thought it might spoil the fun and decided to hold off another. That said, a little bird told me people who follow Haulix on Twitter are the first to learn about updates to both the product and blog (hint hint).
There are probably a billion things on your to-do list this weekend, but if you can find the time to just relax and read for awhile we promise it will make a world of difference to your overall well being. You probably have a few books or articles saved for such an occasion, but here are a few weekend reading suggestions from us to you, just in case:
Hello and welcome to the first post of the new week. We were getting a little bored with the posting schedule as of late, so this week we’re switching things up and starting things off with a brand new PR spotlight. If you know of a person or PR group that we should highlight in a future spotlight, please email james@haulix.com and share your story. We look forward to hearing from you.
We’ve learned multiple times in this series that no two people have the same journey into the music industry, and today’s talent is no different. Nate Sirotta is a one-man PR machine with years of experience in the music business. From fronting nationally touring bands, to working with some of the biggest names in music, Nate has taken the road less traveled a number of times in life and always come out better for the effort. Now 27, Sirotta finds himself one of the go-to publicists for alternative rock, and as you’ll learn in our interview he still has plenty he hopes to accomplish.
Nate is a close friend of mine in music, and over the last five years of writing I’ve come to consider him one of the hardest working publicists in any genre of music. His drive to succeed has already lead him to the top of the music PR game, and instead of being content with that success he continues to grind, hoping to help as many young artists as possible along the way. It’s an honor to share his journey with all of you, and I certainly hope it helps guide aspiring professionals towards further success in their own careers.
If you would like to learn more about Nate’s work, check out Total Assault and Impulse Artists. Additional questions or comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: For those unaware, please state your name, the company you work for, and your role at said business:
NS: My name is Nate Sirotta – Director of Digital Marketing at Total Assault and CEO/founder of Impulse Artists.
H: Everyone has to start somewhere. What are your earliest memories of music, and to whom do you attribute your discovery of it?
NS: I was brought up in a musical family. My mom and grandparents always stressed the importance of music in life, which is where my initial inspiration came from. I started playing in bands as a drummer when I was 15, and then started fronting a band called Down for the Count when I was 18, which eventually went on to tour nationally in the Warped Tour/indie-band circuit. I attribute all of my networking ability and PR background to the experience of building that band from the ground up and self-managing the business end for nearly five years before I entered the professional world at the age of 23.
H: Do you recall the first album you purchased with your own money? Do you still have that release today?
NS: I’m not sure if it was actually the first album, but New Found Glory’s self-titled album was definitely one of the first albums to really light a fire and instill a drive for success in the music industry. I do indeed still have that compact disc in my possession today.
H: You were born and raised in California, which is where you reside today. When did you realize you wanted to work in the entertainment business? Did you have any specific career goals at that time?
NS: Having pursued music as a writer and performer before digging in as a publicist and artist manager, I started wanting it as a freshman in high school. I spent about eight years learning the ropes via trial and error, meeting as many industry folks and fellow musicians as I could, and rehearsing endless hours in a tiny lockout. I think at the start of all that my initial goal was to be a successful musician as opposed to a publicist, but the drive and passion for the industry has always remained the same. It has been an awakening experience for me to realize a passion equally as fulfilling as writing and performing – the opportunity to help artists that I believe in achieve their goals and really maintain a hands-on mentality throughout. For me, the fact that bands and artists value my opinion and seek out my guidance is more than I could have ever asked for.
H: Publicity is an interesting career choice for anyone to make, and that goes double for those who aspire to a career in music. What attracted you to the PR side of the industry in the first place?
NS: Without knowing it, I was acting as a publicist for my own band throughout my days as a musician. I was a natural at building relationships and pitching my band to everyone and anyone who would listen, so this career path has never really seemed like “work.” Additionally, the opportunity to expose artists that I love to people that will listen is beyond fulfilling. You don’t always get to work with artists that you love, but when those projects come along, it makes everything worth it.
H: What was your first gig in the music industry (paid or unpaid), and how did you land the position?
NS: I was hired as a junior publicist for a company called Transfer Media Group in 2010, which was my first real PR gig. I had a close friend from high school who was working there at the time, and she got me the interview. I was hired on the spot and worked there for about a year before working as an independent publicist.
H: You started your own company, Impulse (artist management and public relations), back in 2009. What inspired you to step out on your own?
NS: It felt like the natural thing to do after several years of self-managing a band. I figured I would utilize my network and knowledge to try and break bands that I believed in. Impulse is definitely more focused on PR and digital marketing at the moment, but there will come a time where we take on management projects that make sense and that I’m head-over-heels for. There is so much talent out there with very little opportunity in front of them, so it’s exciting for me to be able to create opportunities.
H: Who was the first band to join the Impulse roster, and how did you come to work with them?
NS: The first band to join the Impulse roster was a pop/rock band from Pennsylvania called The Brightlife, who have since disbanded. They were good friends of mine who opened for my band on a 2008 headlining tour, and I was pumped at the opportunity to help them grow.
H: There seem to be more small management and PR firms popping up by the day. What is one piece of advice you would offer aspiring publicists that no one told you back in the early days of your career?
NS: I think persistence is the most important quality that many industry professionals tend to lack. It takes a long time to get things off the ground, to solidify your network, to ensure a perpetually growing network, and most of all – to see income. It bums me out when a boutique company has a good thing going and then decides to pack it up after six months because they didn’t land “that one project” or get “that big piece.” It requires failure and mistakes to do great things. It requires time to see results. Stay the course and good things will happen.
H: Earlier this year you joined the team at Total Assault. Please tell us a little about your role at the company and what it is you do on a day-to-day basis.
NS: I am currently Director of Digital Marketing at Total Assault, and manage a team of two other digital publicists. I correspond with clients on a daily basis, build marketing plans, pitch ideas and stories to writers and editors, monitor media coverage, and am constantly trying to grow our company’s contact database and strengthen relationships.
H: What is the biggest difference between what you do at Total Assault and the work done with Impulse?
NS: The biggest difference is not necessarily in what I do, but with whom I work. I work with a lot of major labels and Top 40 artists at Total Assault, whereas at Impulse I work with mostly indie artists and labels looking to lay the groundwork for a strong online presence.
H: As a publicist, what is the biggest mistake you notice young bands making when trying to garner attention from blogs/listeners?
NS: Over-selling. Every writer from here to the moon has read every elevator speech ever written in the history of mankind. I’ve found more success in 2-3 sentence pitches than in lengthy, multi-paragraph ones that often times get overlooked. The press can smell bull %$*# from a mile away, so it’s important to not insult their intelligence with an overly salesy approach.
H: Impulse has worked with a number of small bands over the years. Where do you turn when you’re looking to discover new music?
NS: Word of mouth is where it’s at. I do frequent the blog circuit to see what’s buzzing, but personal recommendations and referrals from my contemporaries are my primary source for quality music.
H: Let’s say the tables have turned and the bands are coming to you. What advice would you offer a band hoping to work with you in order to make themselves stand out from their competition?
NS: Help me help you. I’ve seen so many artists with budgets come to me asking to solve their problems and make them magically relevant. It doesn’t work that way. In order for a publicist to have an impact, the work ethic needs to be there on the band’s end – actively posting new and compelling social content, BEING ON TOP OF YOUR EMAIL, rehearsing and perfecting a live show, providing quality content to work with, engaging fans, and ultimately wanting to further themselves as artists.
H: Writers must contact you constantly. If you could make one suggestion to strengthen their efforts in setting up coverage, what would it be?
NS: Be respectful and be flexible. Please don’t be demanding. I don’t care if your blog gets five million unique views a day and you recently covered Katy Perry’s brother’s lawyer’s aunt’s bridal shower – if you start demanding credentials that I can’t necessarily provide, I will not go to bat for you. I try to accommodate everyone who is interested in covering my artists, so as long as you act like a professional and give me enough notice, I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen.
H: Do you feel there is still a need for record labels in the modern music industry? Why?
NS: I think it’s important for labels to exist. They provide an all-encompassing aspect of the industry that covers artist management, distribution, publishing, PR, and booking. I think that record labels maintain the small amount of chivalry left in the industry – despite the fact that many people might think the exact opposite. I’ve probably met more honest, hard working label reps who actually believe in their artists than I have managers, booking agents, and….*gasp*…publicists.
H: Piracy is one of the most discussed topic in the industry today. Do you feel album leaks are preventable? If so, how would you advise an artist to keep their music safe while still getting the word out?
NS: The further we get into the digital age, the less likely it will be for records to be kept fully under wraps. It’s important to keep certain files and sounds protected, but labels will always lose money due to piracy and artists will always have to find alternate forms of income to stay afloat. If money isn’t lost from piracy, it will be lost in some other way, shape, or form. Especially for baby bands and indie artists, an album leaking wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. In the beginning, exposure and awareness should always be the number one priority.
H: When it comes to working with your clients, how do you prefer to share their music with press? What is it about this method that appeals to you the most?
NS: I definitely try and avoid making writers/editors download anything. A private Soundcloud link is usually my first approach, and if they request a download – I’ll be happy to give it to them if I can. The easier you make the album to listen to, the more likely the press is to cover it.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
NS: I would love to see people taking calls and meeting in person more than doing things via email or IMs. The personal aspect of the industry has progressively diminished over the past twenty years, and I think relationships would be stronger, deals would be made faster, and the level of general understanding in the professional arena would be much higher and more comprehensive.
H: Your roster is as eclectic now as ever before. Do you have any plans or releases on the horizon you’d like to share with our readers?
NS: I thought you’d never ask :p
I’ve been working with Culprit for about three years now, and they’re on the verge of dropping their new EP on August 20th – very excited for that one. I also just started working on Pepper’s new record, which comes out on September 3rd. So far, it’s turning out to be one of the most fun projects I’ve ever been a part of. I could go on and on about new releases, but I’ll spare the readers for now.
This was a really cool experience, by the way. Thanks for having me and letting me unload on some topics I feel strongly about.
