Weeks 5-7: E-Pod Internship

With weeks 5-7 of the internship under wraps, and week 8 half done because of the holiday (4th of July), things at Epic have begun to slow down.  I'm still working on the two different street teams.  The Dedicated Crew seems to be going strong!  People are writing in almost every day to tell about the flyers they are handing out, the shows they are going to, etc.  They seem stoked.  We sent them a package which included stickers, a "mix-tape" CD, and some other goodies.  Package two will include more of the same and some I (heart) DC t-shirts.  The team is really into spreading good music and promoting whatever we give them.  On my end, this team has been kind of slow lately because we're just watching it grow, responding to emails, etc.  Other than cutting and copying from handbills, I haven't done a lot with this project lately.  

The street team for The White Tie Affair, via the management website of FanCorps, is interesting. The team sat stagnant for some time and nothing much was done.  The fans didn't have a lot of communication or information regarding what they were suppose to do, how to promote the band, etc.  Since Ryan and I have taken over the team , we've been trying to regroup everyone and re-energize them!  It's been hard.  We have seen record growth for membership over the past month, but people don't tend to do much once they join.  Part of our job is to send out "orders" each week that encourage promotion of the band in some way. We've also begun sending out emails to the team in hopes that some more communication from NYC will help get them motivated.  In the meantime, profiles have been checked and those members that have been inactive or have never logged in are being deleted.  We want the team to be as streamlined and productive as possible... unfortunately, this means cutting out those who haven't been involved.  Once the membership has been whittled down to those who actually want to help, then we might move to a model more similar to the Dedicated Crew for a more interactive experience.  Maybe that will help!  We're definitely trying to find news ways to excite and motivate.

Other than that, things have been pretty slow.  Not a ton of work, but I guess that happens when you're interning.  Because of that, we may start doing similar work for a new artist named Lenka. (Check her out!) 

More to come soon... It's hard to believe but I head back to Miami 3 weeks from today.  The weeks have flown and it seems like my time in NYC will be done before I know it.

Weeks 2-4: E-Pod Internship

Things got busy... and, as usual, I forgot to post. :)  So I'll do an update of the past 3 weeks in one post.  Actually, it's 2 weeks.  For week 3, I was sick and then travelled to Indiana... so I only worked one day. :)

As I said, the last few weeks have been very busy.  The E-Pod is almost at full capacity.  We've gone from 2 people in my first week to 8 people this week... and 2 more will show up next week.  It's a full crew; 5 of which are UM students! So it's been fun meeting new people and collaborating with some friends as well.

As I mentioned before, I am working with the street team and radio stations.  The street team has taken over most of my time as the task has split into two areas.  The first is working with Josh on a tour-based street team.  We developed a small team consisting of music fans from across the nation.  We are taking things back and doing it "old-school" style... which means we are not mass-mailing people.  We are using one-on-one interaction to spread information about bands, shows, tours, etc.  We are interacting with our people and getting them excited about the music without bombarding them with junk mail.  On my end I've been doing a lot of the administrative work.  Creating the email address for our crew (the dedicated crew), compiling and organizing member info, sorting through emails, etc.  This week we completed a package to each of the people in the group which will ship out on Monday morning.  The package contains stickers, buttons, a "mix tape", tour dates, and a letter from me and Josh.  I think the response will be huge and will hopefully help the bands.  We will be sending out a second package in the next few weeks which will likely contain a few CD's, more stickers, and I (heart) DC shirts.  Overall, this is a fresh new way to approach things and we think the response will be most excellent.

The second facet to the street team is a website called FanCorps.  It's a management tool which allows us to post shows and distribute "orders" to the members.  I'll be working on growing this team which is specific to The White Tie Affair.  The goal is to recruit dedicated TWTA fans to join and promote the band at every opportunity.  Holding steady at approximately 100 members, we want to see it explode and expand to a larger number of active participants.  The more exposure for the band, the better.  This is also a great way for fans to become directly involved with the success of the band.  Without fans and a street team, it would be hard for the band to prosper.  Luckily, the band is good and there are some hardcore fans out there!  I think it's only a matter of time before the band experiences some larger growth.

On to radio... another part of my job has been comparing the radio stations that are currently spinning The White Tie Affair to their summer tour dates.  I've created a spread sheet which details all of the radio stations which fall near a concert city.  Now that the list is complete, I'll be contacting the stations to set up interviews and events for the band.  We're also looking for creative activities/events for the band to participate in... if you have any ideas, let me know! :)

Last, but not least, is the over-arching goal of "the big idea".  What is the best way to gain exposure for the band.  What are some new marketing ideas?  We're thinking huge, new, and out-of-the-box.  Again, any ideas are welcome!

That just about sums it up in a nut-shell.  It's been a busy couple of weeks.  Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending happy-hour in the conference room.  The event was held to introduce a new band signed by Epic.  There was food, beverage, and the band (The Script) did a three song, acoustic set.  They were pretty incredible.  You should definitely check them out.  They hail from Dublin and mix great vocal talent with R&B riffs.  It's a whole new sound that is really nifty!  www.thescriptmusic.com  While you're at it, check out the band I've been working on too... www.thewhitetieaffair.com

That about does it for this installment.  A lot has been going on and there's a lot yet to happen! Should you have any creative ideas for marketing the band, send them my way.  Until next time...  

Week One at Epic

The first week of my internship has come to a close and tomorrow morning I will begin week two. It has been exciting so far and there seems to be a lot to get done!  I'm lucky to be working on marketing and development for a band that has some good music.  If you haven't done it already, check them out:  www.thewhitetieaffair.com  Give me feedback and let me know what you think about them.  Any great or crazy marketing ideas are welcome as well! :)  Really! Throw some at me!

Anyway... as there are many aspects to a grassroots marketing campaign, we have a few different departments within the internship.  The five areas are:  1) Online Publicity/Blog Promotion; 2) Lifestyle Online Publicity/College Marketing/Online Radio; 3) Viral Marketing/Social Networks/Online Street Team; 4) Video/Content Promotion/Distribution; 5)Strategic Partnerships.  As of now, I will be working on two main things as the summer progresses: helping develop a national "street team" and coordinating contests with college radio stations in tour cities.  I'm excited to be working with Josh Madden on the street teams as he has a great amount of experience and knowledge when it comes to the music business.  I believe I'll be learning a lot from him; so that's definitely cool.

Overall, the internship seems like a great tool for knowledge, experience and networking.  I'm stoked to be a part of it and am excited to see what the summer will bring!  More updates soon! :)  

The Arrival: NYC

I realize it has been awhile since I've blogged, for that, I'm sorry.  I'm bad at keeping things up-dated.  So, a quick review:

My first year of grad school has wrapped up.  It seemed to fly by and I'm looking forward to starting (and finishing) my final year.  In the meantime, I'm in New York City for the summer working with Epic Records.  My hope is to keep an updated blog throughout my internship that will keep everyone up-to-date on what's going on.  I'll post as often as possible and will include as much as I'm able to.

So, today was the first day of the internship with the Epic E-Pod.  The team will be developing a grassroots marketing campaign for a new artist: The White Tie Affair.  Check em out at www.thewhitetieaffair.com  Most of today was spent researching sites and meeting with a few jr. execs  concerning contesting and street teams.  I think I'll learn a lot, develop some great relationships and get my hands a little dirty.  Very exciting! :) 

I'm staying with an old friend and roommate in upper manhattan in the Washington Heights area.  The train ride into the Sony building is a little long, but not too bad.  It was a good opportunity to people-watch, reflect, and listen to some tunes on the iPod.  The commute home was a little longer (at the height of rush hour) but still not terrible overall.

What to look forward to tomorrow: more work on "street teams" and radio promos.  I built a decent foundation today and will build upon that when I arrive in the morning. 

More later. :)

Matthew Eleven

yep, I'm falling a little behind... :( Sorry!  Hope to add more soon!

Matthew Ten

Verse: "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."  - Matthew 10:34

Observation: This passage comes directly from Jesus as he is sending his disciples out to minister throughout Israel. He is preparing them for what is to come, how they will be treated, and how people will react to their message. When you think about it, they were spreading a radical message in that time... they were telling Jews that their Messiah had come at a time when many did not believe it. In verse 16 Jesus tells them that he is "sending them out like sheep among wolves."  This doesn't necessarily paint a pretty picture.  It shows us that the road will not be easy; it will be anything but easy. As a Christian and relatively peaceful person, I at times forget that Jesus didn't come to make everything better... to make us all get along.  He came because people were lost.  People were hurting.  He came to shake things up. He rattled people to their very cores and caused a TON of controversy. And for those that think being a Christian is easy and makes everything hunky dory... they are incorrect.  As Jesus plainly tells us here, the road will be long and hard. After all, he didn't come just to bring peace... he came to shake the world.

Application: While it might seem odd, it's kind of comforting to read this chapter of Matthew. It spells out danger as well as a tough road for being a Christian.  How is that comforting?  Maybe in a way it makes me feel that I'm doing something right.  If the road isn't always easy, and at times is downright rocky, then maybe it's okay.  In a distorted way it makes me feel like I'm on the right track at times.  Maybe there's something to that... maybe there's not. The chapter also makes me feel that I'm a little 'lax in my faith.  I mean, I'm not facing death, torture and prison because of my religion... not here in the US anyway.  So, maybe I could be a little more forward with my faith.  I don't wanna be up in peoples faces, because they won't listen... but I'm sure there are ways in which I can be more... dang, the word is flashing in front of my face but I can't grasp it... DELIBERATE (yay, I found it) about my faith. :)

Prayer: Father God, first I want to thank you that I live in a land where I'm not persecuted for my faith or beliefs.  I ask that you protect people all around the world who are.  Those that are beaten, imprisoned, hunted or even killed because of what they believe... I ask that you show them comfort when they most need it.  As for me, help me to be more deliberate with my faith. 

Matthew Nine

Verse: "She said to herself, 'If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.'"                                           - Matthew 9:21

Observation: This woman had so much faith in Jesus that all she felt she needed to do was touch his cloak and she would be healed.  She trusted so much in his power that all she wanted to do was touch a piece of his garments.  That's some pretty hefty and amazing trust and faith.  It's also an amazing testament to Jesus' power.  Luke's account tells us that Jesus felt the power go out of him and that when she touched his garments she was instantly healed.  The faith and power wrapped up in this small section of the Bible are amazing to me.  Because of her faith, she is healed.

Application: Sometimes I wish I had the faith that this woman had.  I confess it's hard at times to have that much faith and trust in something that I can't see; but I know it's there.  More often than not I trust that He's there... listening and directing, but at times it can be tough.  I wonder if this lady thought that too.  Either way, she didn't give up hope or faith... I need to be more like her and continue to hold the faith.

Prayer:  Much like the lady in this story, help my faith to heal me and nurture growth throughout my life.  Thank you for who you are and all you do.