Double Platinum Vol. 3: Celebrating Drexel Alumnae Shaping the Music Industry

VOL . III

I’m so pleased to share Double Platinum Volume 3, featuring a series of student-led interviews with Drexel University alumnae who are transforming the music industry.

What makes this issue unique is that, for the first time, the students who conducted the interviews volunteered to participate. As a result, this year’s interviewers include students from across the university from the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, LeBow College of Business, the College of Engineering, and the College of Arts & Sciences, reflecting the collaborative and cross-disciplinary spirit of the music industry, and the importance of creating spaces where different perspectives, backgrounds, and identities are celebrated.

Over the past three years, Double Platinum has featured nearly 40 Drexel alumnae who are shaping the music industry across a variety of roles and at various stages of their careers. They’ve shared their stories, accomplishments, and advice – and most importantly, they’ve given their time to meaningfully connect with Drexel students who represent the next generation of industry leaders and changemakers.

The personal anecdotes and advice in these pages are for everyone, regardless of identity. They’re meant to help aspiring professionals recognize and avoid some of the systemic challenges non-men often face in the music industry, while also serving as a reminder of the importance of allyship. My hope is that these stories encourage readers to embrace and celebrate their own identities while uplifting others when they might need support.

The actions we can take – big or small – that can uplift and positively impact the community around us are more important than ever. Double Platinum is one small way to help foster a stronger, more inclusive community – one that brings together current students and alumnae who are equally dedicated to building a better future for the music industry.

Assistant Teaching Professor | Music Industry Program

B.S. Music Industry | Class of 2012

sophie griffiths class of ‘23

mayamorrisonmicci class of ‘22

lindsay mcdowell class of ‘16

carolyn haynes class of ‘13, graduate class of ‘14

jessica bumsted class of ‘16

4 14 6 16 8 10 12

lauren altman class of ‘17

isabella bernard class of ‘24

halie fox class of ‘23

catherine cahill graduate class of ‘83

breana phelps class of ‘21, graduate class of ‘22

ashley vanett class of ‘08

ashley gellman

class of ‘18

charlotte stack class of ‘22, graduate class of ‘23

sophie griffiths

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2023 MUSIC INDUSTRY

EIGHTH DAY SOUND

AUDIO TECHNICIAN PHILADELPHIA, PA

*interview conducted by Alanna Bell (Music Industry, Class of ’28)

You are currently on tour as an audio technician for Tyler, the Creator, and in 2023 you released an EP called “The Rage.” How do you balance the creative and technical music aspects of your life?

Before I started touring, it was kind of intertwined because I wanted to work in studios and also record, produce, write, and make my own stuff as well. A lot of the work and creative things I was doing were overlapping. I think I had a lot more creative energy to pour into it because it overlapped so much.

Now that I’ve started touring, my job is really different from writing or creating music for myself, so it’s become more of a hobby than an everyday thing. Life on the road is tiring, and the work I’m doing is so different – it’s all live stuff. It doesn’t really overlap with recording or writing as much as I’d hope – at least not in the position I’m in. But I definitely try. Whenever I have the downtime or whenever I’m not on tour, I try to make the most of it in my free time and use it as a hobby more than anything.

Because I never really wanted to be an artist per se, I think it has always been a hobby. As I’ve gotten older and as I’ve found different parts of my career, I realize that if that’s what it is, that’s okay.

I still love it and would love to dedicate more time to it in the future. But it’s tricky to balance once you start working in something that isn’t that.

What is it like being a touring audio technician, especially as a woman in this industry?

Being an audio technician is very exhausting, and it’s very overwhelming. It has a negative connotation to it – it’s a lot. But I really, really enjoy it. It’s very fun. The highs are really high; the lows are really low. But as a woman, I’ve been lucky enough to be on a couple of tours that have very heavy female production and at least one woman on every crew or department, which is really nice. They take care of us. It’s nice to have women to go to who are in positions of power or leadership positions who can answer my concerns, and also be around other women who are going through the same things that you’re going through. Men can talk down to you sometimes. Or you might be dealing with health problems that men would never understand. It can be tricky to navigate, especially because you’re living, working, and socializing with the same people for months at a time. So it’s really nice to form female relationships that are comforting because you don’t have your close friends

or family with you out there. It’s nice to have people who understand what it is that you are dealing with.

You were the Grammy U representative for Philadelphia in your senior year, you worked at multiple studios, during your time at Drexel. What were those experiences like and how did that help you in your current career path?

Those experiences were all fantastic. They taught me a lot about what I like to do, what I don’t like to do, and the types of people I like to work with. The Grammy U position in particular taught me a lot about how the corporate world of the music industry works – so, the label side of things, the production side of things, managing how live events are going to be organized, communications. Working in studios taught me a ton about time management and navigating your own and other artists’ creative processes. Being able to work with artists was super beneficial, especially when I worked at Jungle City in New York. There are a lot of higher-profile artists coming in there. You get a taste of how to interact with people at such a high scale of their craft.

Starting a record label business didn’t last too long – I was with that group for maybe about a year or so – but still, it taught me a lot of technical things. If I wanted to start a business as a freelancer now, I’d know how to do more of that kind of work. Again, it was more about communication and working with people and trying to make everyone happy, but also learning how to compromise. A lot of it was management-related too, managing artists and songwriters, helping them see their own creative vision, and figuring out how not to step on it, but how to take it and run with it.

I was a pretty ambitious college student and was always doing at least one or two jobs or internships or other things. Even though I ended up in a completely different sector of the entertainment industry, they all led me here.

What are you looking forward to in the next few years with your career?

I think because I came into touring and live audio from a completely different part of the entertainment world, and I’ve only been doing this for a little over a year, it’s all still very new to me. What’s exciting about that is I don’t necessarily have the same goals I did in high school, college, or even right after I graduated. I feel much more spontaneous now – just going with the flow and seeing where the wind takes me. I’m open to a lot of different directions my role could lead to at this moment, which is a really nice feeling. For a lot of my life, I had a plan – I was going to be this person, work for this company – but it obviously never really works out the way you think about it in your head. Life is so much more go-with-the-flow than that. I think what I’m most excited about is the fact that I have no idea where this could go – but so far, I’m loving it. And I think that’s the best part about it.

If you could give your freshman self a piece of advice, what would it be?

Do what you want to do with your career and stop pressuring yourself into other avenues that everyone else around you seems to think are a good thing. Let the wind take you where it’s going to take you. Fill up your time with what you want to do. If you hate something, let it go. It’s not the end of the world. There’s only so much time we have on this earth, and it’s important to try new things and explore things. If it’s not for you, don’t waste your time on it. •

What challenges have you faced as a woman in the music industry and how have you overcome them?

I will acknowledge it’s a male-driven industry, and I feel like I knew that going into it. One of the ways that I aligned myself with other women was early on in my job search after I graduated from Drexel. I was clear with the company I worked for at the time that I wanted to work under a female agent, and it took a little longer to find that opportunity, but it was well worth it because I eventually did get a job with a female agent, of which there are few. I got to work closely with her, and I still work closely with her, seven-plus years later. It was just nice to have that camaraderie and mentorship from somebody who had gone through it herself…and had gone through it herself 25 years prior, where you could argue it was even a bit trickier and there were even fewer women on the forefront. I’m proud to be here at Wasserman because they highlight and showcase all the women they have here. We have many female executive VPs who are leading the company, and a lot of our brightest agents are also female. So, I was very intentional with the company I worked for just to make sure if other women were able to be successful, then so could I.

How did your Drexel experience prepare you for a successful career in the music industry?

Drexel prepared me, in a whole lot of ways. I started at a different university and transferred between my sophomore and junior years. I think I realized early in college that I had a real passion for the music industry, specifically live music. I realized the school I was at didn’t really have a path forward, and I was really enticed by Drexel and all its offerings. The class that probably resonated with me the most would’ve been the booking and artist representation course. There was something about it that helped me realize that I could be more than just a fan of music. I was always a big fan of music, making playlists for my friends, trying to get a big group together to go to concerts, et cetera. What started as a mission to find free tickets, whether it

was starting my own music blog, or doing street team work, I realized there was another level to it. There’s being a fan, there’s finding free tickets, and then there’s getting paid to do this while also getting free tickets. Drexel made that possible.

What has been the most memorable moment in your career?

There’s been a few, and every year that goes by, there’s a few more. I have a favorite band – Phish. I follow them around a lot, I have seen them probably over 150 times. At one of their shows, I met my life partner who was similarly into Phish and had seen as many shows. So that kind of felt like a win on a personal side to have met the person I love and live with now.

While I don’t work on Phish, I do have the special privilege of booking one of the gentlemen in the band. I had an opportunity for him to open for another favorite band of mine, Vampire Weekend. It was just a cool moment to go see your two favorite artists and know that you had helped to put that show together. And to go backstage and not only interact with the client that you found that opportunity for but also get to meet your heroes. It was a whole weekend of crossing inwards and outwards of these musicians that I hold so dear to my heart, and have for what feels like 10 or 20 years. That all happened last June, and it was at the beautiful Greek Theater in Berkeley, which is an iconic venue and a favorite venue of mine.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of my favorite artists and I just feel so honored to do so. It’s so great to get to see

lindsaymcdowell

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*Interview Conducted by

Leah Wagner (Music Industry, Class of ’27)

What is one piece of advice you would give other women in the music industry who are looking to pursue a career in the music industry?

I want to acknowledge how hard it can be to put yourself out there and say hello, ask for the contact information, and share who you are, what you’re about, and what you want to do. But it’s what you have to do. The folks that I was working at CID with so many years ago – I’m an agent and they’re a festival buyer, or I’m an agent and they’re the talent buyer at a club, and we’re now doing business together. Or some band I had play at my senior project is now an important client of mine. You never know where you are going to end up or where other folks are going to end up. And treating everybody with respect and kindness is always super important. That advice is true for everybody.

But for young women specifically, aligning yourself with other women. I have no regrets about being a stickler when I was applying for jobs and vocalizing that I wanted to be on a woman-based team. Now me and Lynn – she’s an agent, I’m an agent, we have a female coordinator, we have a female assistant, we had a female intern. We’ve built out an all-girl team, and that’s not to be exclusive to men by any means, but to make sure that everybody is getting the same opportunities.

Try to just not get so hung up on the difference – walk into every room as if you are an equal and you will be treated as such. Just be mindful of what companies you end up at. Do they have strong diversity and inclusion when you go through their Instagram? Look at their website – does it seem like they’re promoting their female employees as often as they are their male employees? Not just in the sense of job title promotion, but are they really invested in it.

Now is an exciting time for everybody. Not just on the business side, but on the artist side it feels like there are more female artists than ever. It feels like there are more female headliners than ever, and there are more female names on line-ups. I feel like other women giving other women opportunities leads to more and more. Just be kind, be kind to other women, and they’ll come right back to you with the same kind of grace and opportunities. •

maya micci morrison

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*interview conducted by Belle Martorano (Entertainment & Arts Management, Class of ‘25)

What led you to a career in artist management? Is this something you’ve always been interested in?

I actually started as an artist. I was always an artist and had done music my whole life. When I got to Drexel, I was in a couple bands. My band was signed to the Drexel record label, Mad Dragon, and the class of students were assigned to our project. It was a couple months before COVID hit and honestly it was a hot mess. I ended up getting an internship at Crush Music, which at the time was my absolute dream because I was working directly on acts that I had listened to growing up and still love like Green Day and later Miley Cyrus – just crazy legacy artists. And through working with their team – they’re a management company with about 40 managers under their belt right now – I quickly grew very close to that company and loved the A&R team. I ended up doing A&R with them for three years and that was what really led me into my job out of college. So yeah, I was at Crush for a good portion of my time at Drexel and then a little bit post-grad, then moved over to a boutique management company because I really wanted to focus on artist development and that’s how I got where I am now.

You started working in artist development and management while still in school – how did that early experience shape your approach to being a full-time artist manager today?

I never managed my classmates when I was in school. I really was focused on A&R. My bandmate at the time had a management company that he started while in school and that was where I met [my client] Dafna who is now in LA and I’m still working with her. I was very much more on the creative side of things. I felt that I would leave management to the more business-minded people, and very quickly realized that I hated that idea because a lot of the business-minded people didn’t have the artist’s best interests in mind. As soon as I moved to LA I knew that I wanted to be an advocate for artists, developing and established. After I was at that boutique company, I ended up going independent last year just off of the success of some of our clients over there. Now I am fully independent and have a roster of almost exclusively women who are incredible.

What advice would you give current students that wish to pursue artist management as a career? What should they seek out? What skill sets should they build?

The thing that helped me the most and that I would recommend to everybody is to just network, but not networking just to network. Really making good connections and friends in the industry because that’s the hardest part – to really find the people who you resonate with and see the way that they work and maybe the ways that you don’t want to work and learn from that, just to absorb as much as possible.

When I was at Crush, I would do interviews like this. Especially during COVID, I would Zoom interview every single one of the managers and every single one of their stories are so different. The way that they met their artists was so completely different, especially on the A&R team. Like Evan, the head of A&R over there, was Avril Lavigne’s guitarist. He wrote half of her music with her back in the day. And then Spencer Smith, one of the other A&Rs there, who is half of what was Panic at the Disco. But then other people are like, “I went to business school, studied business, and now I manage artists.” It’s just interesting. You can learn so much from everybody and everybody has such a different way of working with artists and every artist has different needs. I would recommend really absorbing as much information as possible and seeing how you would like to manage artists yourself.

Have you experienced challenges navigating the music industry as a young woman?

Yeah, almost every day. I wish I could say otherwise. And I was lucky enough to start at a company where they actually cared about their interns and saw the value in me as a young woman. But especially since going independent, it’s like, “who am I to these industry people, especially these older men?” It’s so blatantly obvious that they see me as someone who’s just

trying their hand at management and I have to, unfortunately, a lot of the times refer back to the men that I’ve worked for in the past to give any legitimacy to where I am now. Especially because my artists are all women. But, you know, there are so many female managers who I have met out here in LA and so many who I knew when I was in Philly who have gotten so far and who have created their own management companies and were not stuck in a day-to-day management position for five or ten years before being able to have their own artists. It’s kind of back to the answer from the last question – just surrounding yourself with the right people. Because thankfully I have seen from the way a lot of the industry is moving, we are the future of the music industry. And although it’s really not easy right now, there are a lot of people who will band together. A lot of women will band together and work together. And it’s how I’ve gotten as far as I have – with other women.

What does your dream role in the music industry look like?

I think, and this might be really cheesy, but I think where I’m at right now is my dream. Over the years I have gone to work with so many crazy artists, and I am now in a spot where it’s just me and my artists and we are really able to do everything together, without any label. Some of them have labels, but some of them don’t. Especially with those artists, we get to make all of the decisions and do all of the street marketing efforts together. I have seen so much success with them while being able to be independent and to have a smaller team. Just the freedom of being independent as a manager gives you so much creative freedom, but also my artists can do whatever they want as well. You’d be surprised how even under the best management companies, artists are not always heard. I get to be in a position where I’m my own boss, and the artists also get to be their own boss, and we get to do that together. I feel very privileged to be able to do that. •

How important is it to be versatile when touring? How often do you find yourself juggling multiple roles?

It really depends on where a band is at when you get hired, and how big the crew is. A lot of times, especially early on, you end up being the merch seller, the driver, and the tour manager all in one. They can only afford to bring one extra person on the road, and that’s if they’re making just enough money.

As you move up, the experience of having done all of those roles is helpful. But it becomes important to start distinguishing what counts as a tour manager’s job versus a production manager’s job versus the front-ofhouse role, or even just driving. I still struggle with separating those. My brain works like an operating system – I’m always thinking about how to make things run at their peak and playing out scenarios of what could go wrong, what I can do to prep for that, and how to fix it. But I also recognize that others have roles too, and they’re capable of taking things off your plate.

It also really depends on the band. Some bands like to be very independent, and the members take on extra responsibilities because they see themselves as working parts of the whole. Your first step should always be to read the people you’re with. Figure out the roles they naturally assume, then fill in the gaps. At a lower level, you might have to take on more; at a higher level, it’s about knowing when something is no longer your job.

That’s also why it’s so helpful to have a network of people in similar roles. They can give you perspective like, “hey, I didn’t do that when we were playing rooms of this size with that level of support.” Those check-ins help remind you: you don’t have to do it all.

The music industry can be demanding, especially for women. Have you encountered any barriers or biases, and how have you navigated them?

One of the bands I worked with before Mannequin Pussy was this group called Daddy Issues. I did one tour with them that was my first real experience tour managing. I was doing merch, I was driving, and I was the point person, talking to venue staff, and handling logistics. The band had been through some horror stories on previous tours. I figured, at the very least, I could promise not to scream at them in public,

which sadly was a low bar, but one I could easily clear. I really wanted to make sure that the band had a better experience.

This was a support slot on a double headliner tour, and the only all-female band on the bill. At a lot of the venues, it was still mostly men running every part of the house. The drummer especially never got the respect she deserved. It was constant mansplaining with guys telling her how to set up her snare, how to mute things, saying her kit sounded bad just because she didn’t have a hole cut in her kick drum. The tour was six weeks long, and after about four weeks she finally got so fed up she just took a box cutter and cut a hole herself. People were constantly underestimating us, and that experience was one of the first things that hit me hard.

It’s not even always from a women’s perspective. For example, when we cross over into Canada on some tours, as a white person you’re aware of the privilege you have – I’d be the only white person in the van, and I’d get in the driver’s seat to make things go more smoothly. Same thing driving through certain parts of the South; sometimes it’s just easier and less stressful for the white person or the woman to be driving.

But things are changing. A lot of the younger generation is more outspoken and more willing to call things out. Many venues now already have unisex bathrooms. House staff is getting more diverse, too, which is amazing. I’ve walked into venues and worked with all-female house crews, which used to never happen. You can always tell when a venue respects its staff – everyone’s hanging out, laughing, enjoying themselves, and when something needs to get done, it gets done.

The changes are small, but they’re happening. Honestly, it’s wild how much of a difference it makes to simply not have only dudes running everything. It shifts the whole dynamic. You feel safer and you feel like an equal.

What advice would you give to women who want to break into the touring world, as musicians or behind-the-scenes professionals?

Be okay with making mistakes and hearing critique and also be okay with not everyone liking you all the time. Sometimes your job is to tell people what to do, and if they’re not morning people, well, you still have to tell them to get up. Every once in a while, you’ve got to get a little mean. That’s not easy at first, but the more you do it, the more comfortable you get.

CAROLYNHAYNES

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2013

FREELANCE TOUR MANAGER & MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST FOR MANNEQUIN PUSSY

PHILADELPHIA, PA

Class of ’26)

Some of that can be buffered by having a good support system like a group chat with friends where you can vent, and a separate network of people in your field. If you’re a frontwoman or the only woman in a band, it really helps to have a musician group chat, people you trust in the same role, so you can ask, “am I crazy for feeling this way? Am I overreacting?” Those different circles give you perspective and reassurance about what you should or shouldn’t tolerate.

Another thing that helped me a lot was doing jazz improv in high school. Learning how to play through a wrong note and how to work with it instead of stopping or freezing taught me how to recover. Just because you mess up doesn’t mean the show stops. You fall back in, keep going, and find your way back to what you’re supposed to be doing. That mindset becomes essential on stage. If your lead guitarist breaks a string and there’s no backup, suddenly your guitar becomes their guitar. You adjust. You stay calm and figure it out. A power source might die, an amp might cut out – things will go wrong. It’s not a reflection of your ability – it’s just live music. Being comfortable with surprises and small embarrassments and knowing how to handle them in the moment is huge.

What’s a moment in your career that made you feel especially proud of the work you do?

This last year and a half, the moments that meant the most to me were the ones where people told us they felt safe at Mannequin Pussy shows, feeling like they were seen and heard, and like they belonged. That’s something I really hold close. Especially with everything happening in Palestine, it felt incredibly important to be able to show solidarity. I kept a Palestinian flag at my keyboard station onstage, and afterward, I’d hear through friends or fans that it made them feel supported. That means a lot.

I think when you’re an artist with a platform, you have a responsibility to use it because it does something, and it makes more people aware. Being able to make a lot of kids feel like they’re seen and heard and represented by people who are older than them also felt really important. I think that’s what hits the most for me, when you’re doing something that matters to people, and you’re reaching them. •

Interview conducted by Emma Zoe Polyak (English,

laurenaltman

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*interview conducted by Tanisha Shibu Thomas ( Mechanical Engineering, Class of ‘29)

As a woman with a lot of experience in the industry, how have you navigated times when it felt like your ideas or contributions weren’t fully seen or acknowledged?

Being here at Fame House, I don’t feel that too much. I think there’s probably more women here than men, so it feels very balanced. I feel like a person – not, you know, a woman.

But there are times where I feel like I almost put myself down a level, trying to overexplain my point of view instead of just saying, ‘No, the answer is no,’ or ‘Yes, we’re doing this.’ I think it’s just things that are so ingrained in us as women, and so I try to check myself and say, like, you don’t need to do that. You don’t need to over-explain. You don’t need to feel like you can’t speak up in a meeting. Just say what you have to say. If it’s not on the right track, someone will correct you. But there’s no harm in just speaking your mind and putting yourself out there.

How have your experiences shaped your view of working in the music industry? And what’s something you think people often overlook when considering a career in this field?

I think there are so many different facets to it. There are so many pieces of the puzzle – even just within the scope that I work in. Like, I might have a role where I’m working more directly with our tech teams. They’re the ones building the websites, essentially, so I’m working with that team and making sure they’re creating tools that our store management team can use to be more efficient in their day-to-day.

Within that, we have an entire tech team – engineers who are trained in computer coding – and they work in the music industry. And then there are artist managers and all the other parts that people tend to know about. But there are so many layers within it. If you have a particular skill set you’re strong in, there’s a way to do that in the music industry if you want to.

My whole career has been at one company, and I’ve done a lot of different roles. I just started this new one maybe a month ago, so I’m still really new to it. But Fame House has been cool because they’re constantly innovating. They’re always Finding new ways for us to all work together, and they’ve recognized my strengths – sometimes better than I can see them myself –and said, ‘Oh, you’d be good at this. We want you to do this kind of work.’ That’s been really eye-opening for me, just realizing that the possibilities are kind of endless. If you have a good team around you, good mentors, and good co-workers, you know they’ll help you shine.”

What resources do you recommend using at Drexel, and what advice do you have for freshmen who want to enter the music industry?

I got really involved in the local scene and everything that all my friends in my program were doing – joining bands, hosting shows, and kind of creating our own little mini-industry outside of class. To me, it was very beneficial. I started my own merch company when I was in college at Drexel, so I made the T-shirts for all the bands. Just getting that experience in a very safe, micro-scale environment where I was at least going to break even, even if I wasn’t turning a giant profit, was a great way to test things out.

I tried promoting shows and doing marketing, and I learned that wasn’t really my strong suit. So that was great –now I know I don’t need to take a bunch of marketing classes. Let me focus on a different part of the industry that I am good at.

Freshman year, I met so many people from all different majors just because we were all in the dorms together. So I’d say try to meet people who know folks in the Music Industry Program, or who are in it themselves. This probably feels so outdated saying it, but when I was in school, we had Facebook events for shows and stuff. I guess now it’s more Instagram or whatever gets posted. But try to get involved in those groups. •

How did attending Drexel support your career goals?

I think that a big part of Drexel which helped me get a job was the co-op program and the practicum classes. I think that the knowledge that I had from there helped a lot when I found my place in the industry.

Eva Alexiou-Reo, who runs Fata booking, used to be a professor at Drexel. She was the first female professor that I remember having who was actually in the Music Industry Program. I remember during my intro classes when we were freshmen, she walked in and I was thinking that this is a boss lady! She was like, “I’m a booking agent…this is what I do,” and I was like “Oh my god! I want to be you. That’s so cool.”

So, I really started to lean into the live side of things with my classes. I did the promotion class that Jesse Lundy and Rich Kardon taught and then I did both phases of Eva’s class, which was all about what a booking agent is and how you book shows. Then the practicum version of those classes where we were literally booking a tour. In the class they broke up each individual date on that tour and we all got a promoter to call –godspeed to all those promoters. There was little 20-year-old me who was like, “Hi sir, could I have a hold for this one date?”

Then through the school’s record label, we were street teaming for this company called Communion Music. At the time, they were trying to bring their showcase from the UK over to the US. They had tastemaker showcases throughout Philadelphia, and they were leaning into our school to help with promotion. I was doing that for a minute and then I ended up doing my co-op with them in New York. Then they hired me after that to be their Philly rep, so I was running shows for them in the city. Those two things are the reason I got my first job with an executive-level agent over in San Diego. She came up with Eva who was on the East Coast – this agent was on the West Coast – so, there were these two young women coming up in a very male-dominated space. When I was doing my job, I had a leg up on most of the people around me because I actually had practical knowledge of how booking works.

When you joined Wasserman, how did you find you were able to succeed in a more corporate and competitive environment?

I think a lot of it is about who you know on every level. I had been very fortunate to have the boss that I landed with on my first desk. Her and I have a great relationship, and I hustled my ass off for the whole time that I was with her. Through that, I was able to really prove that I can handle it and do what needed to be done.

I’ve seen people who have been stuck in certain tiers of the business. I think a lot of it is just about who you know, and who your mentors are, and who you have relationships with. It’s been good for me because I got so lucky with someone who I really connected with. Someone who’s an advocate for me. I’ve tried to pay that forward throughout my career, especially with young women in the business. I want to be the person who can advocate for them when they’re just getting in there and to help coach them through it all.

The biggest piece of advice I have for someone who has found themself in a situation where they’re not moving up and they don’t feel like they have much traction is don’t be insular with the team in front of you. Make sure that you are making connections with the people who are higher up than yourself, who might be across the aisle, who might be in marketing, who might be wherever else. If you’re working with the country music agent and you love electronic music, make sure that you know the electronic people. Go to that office, hang with those people, because that’s really what it is about, you know? You’ve got to be able to

jessicabumsted

GRADUATION YEAR:

MAJOR:

JOB TITLE: LOCATION: 2016 MUSIC INDUSTRY

BUSINESS OPERATIONS CONSULTANT (FORMERLY FESTIVAL AGENT AT WASSERMAN MUSIC) CHICAGO, IL

*Interview Conducted Charlie Rynne (Music Industry, Class of ’26)

What is your dream role is from here and how do you think you’re working to get there?

I think it changes all the time. I really like to build stuff, and I like doing artist-driven events just because that’s really taking someone’s vision to reality. Right now, I am the point person of all things rock festivals for North America, and I have taken over nearly all of the Canadian festivals. So, for the foreseeable future, I’m looking at how to best translate those two worlds to make the most out of it for our clients. Particularly, advocating for female representation on the rock line-ups. In the rock space, the higher up you go within different genres, there are just not a lot of female acts that are on certain tiers, and you don’t have a huge pool to pull from for your headliners because you have to sell tickets and then there’s only so many female acts. I have discovered that my new mission is to at least make sure that predators aren’t being booked on these festivals and that a younger female artist doesn’t have to play with them.

Outside of that, I really want to find a way to keep mentoring and advocating for women and other people to come into the industry and feel supported by mentors and allies who see the world from their perspective.

Being a woman, and working in live events more specifically, how would you describe your experience? What advice do you have for women who are trying to find their place in the industry?

Find other women in the industry! That’s the biggest thing. I have worked with plenty of men in my career who have been great. My current boss is a great mentor but having that female boss that I came up with – I was so lucky. I flew into San Diego, had a very small office that was almost all women, two female agents and one male agent (who’s amazing, we’re tight). I was so grateful to learn from someone who came up in this world when it was really hard to be a woman in it. I didn’t experience too much misogyny at first because of that. When I did, I was able to navigate it. I learned that people might not be intentionally sexist when things come out of their mouths in that way, but it still affects you and it’s hard to deal with. Sometimes it’s about knowing when and how you can push, especially if you’re an assistant or an intern. It’s really important to surround yourself with female mentors that can help guide you through that, and both advocate for you and teach you how to advocate for yourself. I think it’s just really important to be able to find someone who’s walked that walk and lived that life a little bit who can take that time to tell you, “I did this. It is possible.” •

isabellabernard

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*interview conducted by Eleanor Davis (Music Industry, Class of ‘26)

How did you get started in the field of music licensing?

Music licensing was something that I wasn’t really aware of in college starting out. I actually found out about it when I did my internship with Netflix. I was Netflix’s first Music Creative and Production Intern. I was there during the writer strikes in 2023, so at first I was really bummed out because I was like, “what the hell am I going to be working on?” Then I got there and it actually ended up working in my favor because our workload was significantly less hectic than what it typically would be in a situation where there weren’t any writers on strike. I used it to my advantage and I capitalized on everyone’s time by asking them everything. When I was there, I was part of the music creative and production team, but Netflix has multiple music teams across the board. They have the music legal team, and then they have the music licensing and clearance team. I did a meeting with them, and that’s where I found out about music licensing and how it’s essentially the back half of music supervision – but it’s one of the most important parts of music supervision.

I feel as if there’s a lot of people who think that music supervision is all about creative

choices – and it’s not. Sometimes you’re making creative choices, but a lot of times you’re working with a producer, a showrunner, a director – they already have a vision, and they want you to execute that vision. So what a music supervisor or the music team does is first we make sure that the song choice fits within the budget. If it does, then we have to realistically decide what we can offer, what we can’t offer, and how to make it all work within that budget. Then we go into licensing and clearance, which is actually getting the paperwork, making sure that everything works for the show and for the time period that we’re licensing that song for. In licensing, if you have one little issue, it can completely derail the entire process because then you have to go back and ask for revisions.

I really got my feet wet doing that at Netflix because I got to see everyone doing it. I never had the chance to actually work on a license, but I was aware of it. Then I worked for a music supervisor who was working at Drexel as well. She had a project where I was able to see licensing again with her. That was the second time I was exposed to it, and I actually got to sit there with a lawyer and go through a license with her. It was really cool – I got to see the whole dissection of the license.

So when the NFL came around, I really wanted the job because this was an opportunity where I could hone my skills in licensing and start to apply it and really practice it. Lucky enough, they said, “yes, we would love to work with you.” My team is amazing and I’ve learned so much already.

What does a typical day as a Music Licensing Coordinator at NFL Films look like?

I get over there first thing in the morning and I start reviewing my emails and make a game plan for the day. I work with the other Music Licensing Coordinator and ask him, “What do you absolutely need to work on? So I can take over whatever you can’t reach, and we’ll divide the work.” Then I’ll start reading licenses. I’ll compare them. I’ll talk to our legal department about licenses that need revisions. I’ll email other people about licenses that need provisions or any edits, making sure that all the terms and conditions are an exact match to the clearance quote that we drafted and what was approved. Then I’m getting that sent off for signatures from our Vice President of whichever entity, and also the Director – who is my boss – making sure that they sign off on the license after I’ve approved it. After that, I make sure that a PO has been generated on the invoice. Once that’s all together, I’m sending it off for payment. That’s a large scope of my day. .

Can you share a cool behind-the-scenes story about a time when music played a key role in an NFL Films production?

There’s a show out right now called Hard Knocks and the music choices for that show was the first time I got to work on a project at NFL. My boss came in one day and said, “Hey, I get music thrown at me all the time, but for this episode of Hard Knocks, I really could use some new songs and I have millions to sift through. Can you listen to a few and pick out songs that you think I should be listening to right now?”

So I made my list. Later, I was talking to my boss and she said she really loved one of the songs I picked and asked if I could reach out to them. So I got to reach out, and then later see it on the show.

Towards the end, seeing it all come together and the hype it creates for the game in general – it’s so awesome. Hearing that song at the end of Hard Knocks – it’s the song “Big Dawgs” – and hearing it as the lead-up to the playoff game between the Ravens and the Bills, I was like, “I am so hype for this.” It made me feel excited to watch – it really sets the tone. They’re not even my teams – I’m an Eagles fan – but I was still just so excited. So I think that was a really cool moment.

What advice would you give to young women looking to break into the music industry, especially in behind-thescenes roles like music licensing?

Be unapologetically you. I really think that for a while, especially in college, I would put up a front and just not be me. And I realized it wasn’t working. So I started becoming more and more myself, being more confident, being more comfortable. And it really made a difference.

Also, ask all the questions you can. Be curious. Never lose your curiosity, because the second you lose your curiosity is the second that you stop growing and stop continuing on your journey. Always be asking and pushing the boundaries of, “What’s next in my career? What can I learn next? What’s new?”

I think a lot of women should continue that and not lose their sparkle. It’s easy to question yourself – especially in those moments of, “Oh, I’m the only woman here. How is this going to look?” So yeah, Be unapologetically you. Be assertive. Make yourself known in a room – without being obnoxious, of course – but make yourself known. Make yourself a part of the team, because that’s what you are. That’s what you genuinely are. Just be genuine. That’s my advice for every woman. And with those kinds of things, paired with an amazing work ethic, you really can go far in this industry.

What

inspired you to pursue a career in sync?

Honestly, it sounds so crazy, but I was mainly interested in A&R when I went started off at Drexel. All my internships were A&R-based, and then my second internship was sync-based. When I was at Downtown, I got to see a sync presentation by the people who work there. Each sector got to talk, and it was creative sync licensing and operations that made me realize that it wasn’t too far off from getting to still be in the creative sector because I still got to deal with music.

Being on the business side, I didn’t want to stray too far from getting to be so immersed in the music. I felt like sync still allowed me to be immersed in the music and listen to all sorts of music, so I stuck with it. It was easier to pursue than A&R because [A&R] was so sought after, and it was nice to be on a team. Even though A&R is still working with a team, you are doing a lot of stuff by yourself. I feel like in sync, you are working together a lot, and so I really liked that.

As the Chapter Vice President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority at Drexel, what lessons did you learn from leading a chapter that have helped you navigate the music industry, especially as a woman in the field?

I definitely think it helps you navigate how to communicate better. I didn’t go into my chapter ever wanting to be in one of the higher positions and it led to being voted in as Vice President. And I kind of just realized – you have to be more assertive in what you want, but in a way that doesn’t cause any harm. In working with people, I’m able to either stand up for myself or advocate without trying to come across as being disrespectful or coming off too strong.

I also think it allowed me to stay more organized. As Vice President, I was in charge of a lot of the paperwork. And so, when I was at my job, I was able to organize and balance my regular life – which is what I also had to do as Vice President – because you do get so wrapped up in what you have to do that you forget to live your life.

So it helped me already have that little bit of work-life balance – just being organized in the field and being organized outside the field – and making sure they both come together.

It was a lot, but it was very rewarding. I learned a lot of things that I would’ve never learned if I had just been a general body member. I got to experience working with some of the chapters around the city, and I got to meet new people. That helped me really branch out and open up more.

What does it mean to you to be a woman of color in the music industry, and what advice would you give to other women of color in the industry?

It definitely means a lot. Even within my own team, I think there are only two women of color, and so that means a lot to me because it’s really hard to go somewhere and not see a lot of people who look like you. Even at Drexel in the Music Industry Program – I don’t know if it’s different now – but there weren’t tons of women of color. We never had a teacher who was a woman of color until my last year – and I didn’t even get to have a class with her. So, I feel like getting to be a woman of color in the industry feels very rewarding – it gives people the opportunity to see that there are people who do end up making it and end up getting there.

My advice would be don’t be discouraged by the fact that you don’t see anyone like you. I do feel like it’s daunting, and I get not wanting to go somewhere where it’s just you. That gets annoying, and it feels like you’re looked to for certain things – that’s a feeling I understand. But I would say try to put yourself in the room. When you’re in the room, do well, but don’t feel like you have to do more because you are a person of color. I know it feels like that’s how it is – and it’s still kind of ingrained in us – that you want to do more. You feel like you have to be the best. But remember, it’s a nine-tofive. Don’t feel like you have to stay until 11 at night to prove yourself. You’re just going to get burned out. Do what you do best, and if it’s not good enough for them, then that’s not where you’re meant to be. It’ll eventually find you – the job where you’re

HALIEFOX

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2023

MUSIC INDUSTRY

DOWNTOWN MUSIC

SYNC TRACKING COORDINATOR

NEW YORK CITY, NY

*Interview Conducted

by DaYoung Lee (Music Industry, Class of ’25)

appreciated. I feel like it’s just a matter of finding the right company that will build you up as a woman of color and not make you feel like the world is on your shoulders.

You started Dime + Dog Records with some classmates during your time at Drexel. What did that label mean to you?

It was really great. I really enjoyed getting to do that with four of my best friends during college. It was a really great experience to have just sat down one day with four other people and be like, “we could actually do this.” I have so much love for all those girls. I think it was the respect in the response we received that stuck with me – just seeing how excited people were to see an all-female label made up of people from different backgrounds and different races and getting the support from everybody in our personal lives, as well as Drexel.

It’s shaped a lot of who I was, and I think it gave me the opportunity to learn, from a business standpoint, what it really means to be an owner. It seems easy when you look at other people doing it, but once you’re really in it, you realize there’s a lot that goes into it. That was something I never would’ve thought about, and it opened up

a whole new level of respect for the people you’re working with, as well as respect for other people who own businesses and just how much goes into it.

I applaud the people who do that every day. It shaped what I wanted and made me realize that female-run businesses are possible and they do work well – instead of that whole stigma that women don’t work well together or everybody is emotional. But I think five women being able to do something like that is very telling – that

catherinecahill

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LOCATION: 1983 ARTS ADMINISTRATION, MS THE MANN CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS CEO AND PRESIDENT

PHILADELPHIA, PA

*interview conducted by Anael Brodski (Entertainment & Arts Management, Class of ’27)

What were some of the early barriers you faced breaking into the field and how did you navigate them?

When I was getting into this field, I was a cellist as an undergrad and then just fell into arts administration going into grad school. I didn’t even know there was such a thing, and in those days – this is the early 80s – there were virtually no programs in any formal undergraduate manner. There were only like four grad programs, two in New York and one in California, and then they were starting one in Philadelphia. That’s how I got recruited to go into that program. I loved it because I was going to school at night and working full-time during the day at the Philadelphia Orchestra. All of a sudden, I’m learning about business issues, press releases, and communication things that you don’t learn when you’re a music student. It was a whole new world for me.

In those days, big organizations, and even medium to middle-sized organizations, were almost primarily run by men. When I left Philadelphia, I left to get into a fellowship program at the time with an organization then called The American Symphony Orchestra League. They had launched a program to identify young and upcoming talent in the field so they could help grow the next generation of orchestral leaders. There was no formal training in those days to become a CEO of an

orchestra, and they really were trying to change that. I was the first woman that they placed in the program, so that was really the beginning for me to say, “there’s a potential here for me.”

I have seen a dramatic change in the field, it’s no longer that male-dominated at all. I think that the glass ceiling has definitely been broken. There are plenty of examples of women leading robust and important art organizations.

What skills, perspectives, and mindsets do you think are most valuable for those looking to succeed in this field?

This is really from the graduate program perspective: get a job in the field you want to be in – an entry-level job wherever you can –and do graduate school at night. I believe the learning you have during your day job, if it’s in the field that you want to be in, is so much further augmented by the schooling you do at night. Then it becomes practical, it’s not just book learning – it’s actually seeing what you’re learning in action where you’re working. You’re also not incurring a lot of debt, because you’re still earning money. Then you’ve got both the master’s degree and experience, so when you’re looking for your next job, you have both. When it comes to figuring out where you want

to be and where you want to land – what’s your passion? Mine happened to be orchestra music, so I set out to do an internship in that. When I was in grad school and I had to do an internship for my Drexel degree, I chose to go up to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center because the orchestra was in residence there. I’d never worked at a summer performing arts center. That is where I got the taste to want to work on summer music festivals.

So my point is – find what it is and a place where you want to be. Find out who those organizations are that you want to be affiliated with. I think that if you can find that place, and if you can afford to even say, “can I come intern with you for three or six months?” – whether they can or can’t pay you, go in, keep your head low, learn, be a sponge, get as much information as you can. When all these resumes come across my desk, I want to know where they worked. I want to know if they have experience in a similar organization. So find that place. If you can, get an internship there, or if there’s even an entry-level job in that place you want to be. And then it’s on your resume, and then you finish up your graduate degree and you’re ready to rock and roll.

For young women who aspire to be in leadership roles like yourself – if you were talking to your past self now, is there anything you would do differently?

When I look back at some of the things that I did, I was absolutely fearless. For example, I had a lot of graduate papers to do for Drexel, so I made it my point to interview different leaders in the Philadelphia Orchestra for my paper. I did a paper on the marketing of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and I got to know the Marketing Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. I did a paper on labor relations where I got to know the Orchestra Manager at the Philadelphia Orchestra. Because of that, I got a call from the Marketing Director when they had an opening in the subscription department. That’s how I got my first job with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It’s networking. It’s being not obnoxious, because that will really hurt you –but being fearless.

The thing that is challenging for some women is work-life balance because if you want to have a family, these jobs can really be

all-consuming – you have concerts at night and you’re working all day long. That’s the hard part, because women still have the burden of childbearing and running the household. I think now this is somewhat better for younger people, that things are maybe not as traditional in that regard, but so much of that, certainly in my generation and still to this day, falls on the female person in that household. There will come moments that will be very important to understand, “do I need to make a change for the balance in my life with my family?”

I always tell everybody, do what makes your heart sing. The money will follow. Life’s short – you start to look back and say, “did I make a difference in people’s lives? Was I able to help an organization achieve more, give back more, be more meaningful?” For me, that’s having an organization that has a robust and genuine arts education program, so that we are transforming young people’s lives and giving them hope. If we can do that in the work we do and we can help touch people’s lives – that reminds you why you’re doing what you’re doing. Because you do spend a lot of time as a CEO with the business side – just because you have a 501c3 status as a “not for profit” you still need to run a business. If you’re out of cash, the rest of it won’t matter. If you can’t pay your bills and you can’t pay your team, you’re not going to function, you’ll go out of business.

Also, learning to say no, learning to have the confidence that it’s okay, sometimes that they may not love you, but they respect you. If you had to pick between the two, I would say in a CEO role as a woman, you want their respect. You’re not their friends, necessarily. As much as I used to think I wanted to be everybody’s friend and make everybody love me, no. Not in this role, anyway.

At the end of the day, as a leader, you just want to empower the people around you to fly. You want to be the wind under their sail, to let them soar and fly. If you give them the right tools and you chart a correct path and they’re part of that journey with you, you’ll be successful. •

What made you passionate/want to work in the music industry?

The fangirl to music industry professional pipeline is so real and describes me perfectly. I loved Avril Lavigne as a little girl, and I’ll always remember going to my first concert at 4 years old and just feeling a level of excitement I had never felt before. That really sparked something in me, and I just always knew that I wanted to help people make a living out of creating and doing something that they love.

My love for Avril transitioned into a love for Justin Bieber, and then to One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, and so many more. I adored being a music fan. In high school, I learned from the bands that I loved as I experienced their album releases, and it gave me all of these ideas as to how I would do things differently. That’s really what made me start thinking about different career paths behind the scenes in music.

How do you think your time at Drexel helped your career?

I think Drexel really opened my eyes to the entire music industry ecosystem. I had a really basic-level knowledge on jobs within record labels, but I didn’t know much about what all went into things like touring, production and artist management. I was on the business track, but it was really helpful to be forced into taking the recording and production courses Those were so hard for me, because I am not a musician, but I am so grateful to have been able to experience that creative process firsthand and learn from it.

My time at Drexel really allowed me to dive into all potential career paths in music, which was honestly overwhelming because I didn’t immediately know where I wanted to end up in all of that. Through our courses and my co-op experiences, I found music marketing and management both really exciting.

What does the day-to-day look like for you at MusiCares?

I work remotely on the Marketing & Communications Team at MusiCares. As a service department to our incredible Health & Human Services and Development Teams, every day looks so different from the next. There are so many constantly moving pieces and new projects that go into working to creatively tell the story of MusiCares.I lead our editorial strategy and manage our static content needs, working really closely with our external graphic designers to guide design direction and stay true to the MusiCares brand. A lot of brainstorming, content planning, and project management goes into my dayto-day. The goal every day is to raise awareness of MusiCares’ mission.

How would you say working at MusiCares is different from other jobs you’ve had in music? What makes working on the philanthropic side of music different?

I’ll start by explaining a little bit more about what MusiCares does. MusiCares is a safety net for everyone who works in music –anyone from recording artists to stage crew, to managers and tour bus drivers. We have an incredible Health and Human Services Team who provide support like financial assistance, mental and physical healthcare, addiction recovery support, disaster relief – most recently with the devastating wildfires in LA and Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Also, preventative care clinics like free dental, vision, hearing health, and support groups.

It’s cool working for a company where the true focus is taking care of people who make music possible. I think a lot of that translates into existing at work and feeling like a human, not just another employee. It feels like a family here, and I love my MusiCares family. I appreciate the destigmatization around things like mental health. Like, it’s okay if you have to take a mental health day, and it’s actually encouraged. So, I think all of that really informs the culture here.

breanaphelps

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*Interview

2021 (UNDERGRAD) 2022 (MBA)

MUSIC INDUSTRY

MUSICARES

SENIOR COORDINATOR, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

PHILADELPHIA, PA

Conducted by Lexy Meyers

(Marketing, Class of ’28)

Can you explain your job search process after graduating? And do you have any advice for finding jobs, internship, or other opportunities within the music space?

During COVID, which started junior year for me, I felt super disconnected, as we all did. I also felt a little robbed by my second co-op being forced to be remote. Being off of campus for so long and craving that connection jump started something in me to start job searching. I knew that I wanted to get more involved than ever before once we finally got to return to campus. I had been a member of GRAMMY U since I was a freshman, so I knew there was opportunity and potential to do more there.

The Philly Chapter of the Recording Academy was hiring a GRAMMY U Representative, so I interviewed for that and ended up getting hired which was such a dream scenario. I knew I would be really busy adding a job to being a full-time student, but the pros outweighed the cons. It was honestly the best, and I did that my junior and senior years and into grad school. The connections that I made and hands-on work experiences I got are invaluable. My first boss at GRAMMY U ended up accepting a position at MusiCares, and when I was still finishing

my MBA program another position opened. I am so incredibly grateful to have had that connection and for her to have thought of me for the position.

My advice would be to make as many connections as you can and make them meaningful ones. Find the people you like in this industry and do everything you can for them, because they will return the favor on your hard work.

What specific advice would you give to any young women trying to work in the music industry?

I would say to believe in yourself and practice affirming yourself. I’ve struggled a lot with imposter syndrome, and initial self-doubt, and this industry can be really intimidating, but you are capable of anything you put your mind to. It’s important to take the time to recognize that, and just along the way throughout your career, recognize how far you’ve come and the things you’ve accomplished. It’s also so important to advocate for yourself –if you’re ever in a situation where things are not fair, definitely speak up! •

What drew you to working in the live event space?

ashleyvanett

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MUSIC INDUSTRY

THE MANN CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS

DIRECTOR, PRIVATE EVENTS & FACILITY RENTALS

PHILADELPHIA, PA

*interview conducted by Adriana Criswell (Music Industry, Class of ‘26)

When I was a kid, I was fortunate to be able to experience both sports and live events. My family was really into going to concerts and baseball games and hockey games, and so I just thought as a kid it was really neat to be able to go. More importantly, I saw the joy that it brought to families – the memories that were made, both with the families and friends and the people going to these events – and I wanted to do the same. To me, a concert or a performance or a baseball game is all about getting out for a few hours and not worrying about what’s going on around you or what trials or tribulations that you might have, but just going out in your everyday life and being able to relax and escape for a little bit and have a moment of joy and time to make memories with your loved ones. So that really drew me originally to the entertainment space and the venue space.

Personally, I know I wasn’t a big traveler. I didn’t want to go on tour. I didn’t really want to move to New York. I didn’t want to move to LA. Venue management was really the niche that I thought would be a good sector for me to look into. I knew that going into Drexel. I was fortunate to have a wonderful job opportunity with Greater

Media Radio to be able to explore different segments of the industry, even though it was radio. I wanted to bring joy to other people and I really like the operational side of things, so that really is what drew me both to the industry and then the specific sector of the industry that I’m in currently.

How did Drexel help your pursuit of working in the music industry? Were there any specific co-ops, classes, clubs, or professors that helped you?

I graduated in 2008, and we still had a little bit of a different program than what you guys have now. I think that the Music Industry Program has grown significantly and grown in the right way, which is really neat. But people always say, “why did you get a music business degree and what is that?” My thought process and how I approached it when I was looking at colleges was the networking aspect of it. I feel like I can say I’ve used a lot of what I’ve learned in a lot of the business-related music industry classes that we had.

One of the things that I always talk about is MadKo Concert Promotions. When Mad Dragon Records came about, we wanted to do the concert promotion side of things. There were a couple of my classmates that were interested in this and so we started

MadKo. It was led from a teacher perspective from our concert promotion professors, Rich Kardon and Jesse Lundy. They were the first people to show us show settlements and allow us to do that. We got a stipend from Drexel in order to put on shows, and we were able to book shows, both with Mad Dragon artists and outside of the Mad Dragon realm as well. All of that is stuff that I learned in college that I still deal with today on the concert side of things. Deal points and the financial aspects were first taught at Drexel.

Co-ops are another great and valuable thing that Drexel has that not all colleges have. To me, the biggest thing is networking. We’re able to start networking with people that were in the industry in college, which is almost unheard. The more you network the more successful you’re going to be because you’re never going to know when an opportunity arises, and if you are in front of these people, you’re going to be able to be top of mind when a position or an opportunity arises.

Is there any advice you could give to people looking to pursue a career in the performing arts, especially as a woman in the performing arts?

Back when I was starting my career, it was uncommon to see a lot of females in the industry. When I began my event management side of things at the Wells Fargo Center, there weren’t really female event managers. We had two that year – myself and my colleague, Brooke. And so it really taught me that I can do just as much, if not more, than the boys can do, and we’re in it to win it. You just kind of jump into it feet-first and you’ll figure it out. Outside of that, it’s so wonderful having a female CEO here at The Mann. It is the first time I’ve ever had any sort of female leadership and it’s been a really nice change of pace, not to say I don’t love everyone else.

My advice: I will say networking –networking until the cows come home. It is so important to talk to anyone and everyone, even if you think that you might not be able to have a good relationship with them or it might not make sense,

you never know what they’re going to do in their career path or what they’re going to need or vice versa. Networking is huge because if that person doesn’t know somebody, that person will know somebody that knows somebody else. Relationships are huge in this industry, especially because there are not a ton of positions to fill, so you want to make sure you’re top of mind with as many people as possible.

The other thing too, is you have to be a self-starter and you have to absorb things. To me, especially with what I do from an operational standpoint, the more things you know, the more of an asset you are, and the better you are going to be at your actual job. I try to, especially when I move from venue to venue, learn how different types of security function, learn how the ticket office functions, how the operations department functions – and I don’t mean that from just a staff perspective, but literally how the HVAC systems work and how things work on stage and what the grid looks like and how to rig, anything operational that you can.

So networking, being a self-starter, absorb everything – I think those would be the three top things to work through and work towards. And then be passionate! I say it all the time – if you love what you’re doing, you’re going to love what you do everyday. It’s never going to be a dull moment and it’s going to push you through some of the days when we’re here for twenty hours –and that does happen – but we love what we do and that’s why we do it. So passion

What you did for your Drexel co-ops and how did they help shape you?

My first co-op was at a record label agency called Missing Piece Group. It was a PR type of internship. They’re a great company, but it was June 2020 so companies were still figuring out how they should be existing. As someone who’s now in the workforce, I have empathy for the challenges that they must have been going through when it comes to having an internship program. That said, it was cool to be working in music for a little bit. I did a lot of playlisting stuff. One of the big projects that I had to do was take this guy’s tour that was cancelled and work with the National Independent Venue Association to find venues and bars that would be down to host a virtual livestream.

My second internship was at a company called Nugs.net which is like Netflix, but all the videos that are on it are recorded concerts of jam bands and different rock bands. My internship there was music licensing and publishing, so I was responsible for confirming publishing rights and splits on the songs being featured in these performances. That internship got me familiar with BMI, ASCAP and SESAC and understanding how splits work.

My third internship, which was my favorite, was with a PR agency Grandstand Media. That was an amazing experience. A lot of that was researching coverage and stuff for the artists that were on the roster and reporting on that coverage. The company itself is run by all women and non-binary people. This was also remote, but it was an interesting experience to be at a company and notice the difference in how people were treated. People said ‘thank you’ more, people asked if I was comfortable with the workload they were giving me. They cared about things that you would hope someone would care about, but can’t ever expect someone to care about. But we were also so organized and productive. It was a really well oiled machine and I had a wonderful experience working there.

What

do

you think helped you land your co-ops, and do you have any advice for students trying to get internships?

I got my internship at Grandstand from a cold email. I was reaching out to a bunch of different agencies.

I knew that I wanted to give press and publicity another go around. I reached out, and they were the ones who responded and were interested. So don’t ignore the power of a cold email. Advice to you and to anyone else: if you’re interested in working at a c ompany and they don’t have any information about internships, you should email because you never know. What’s the worst that’s going to happen?

Another thing that I found myself doing a lot was if I really liked an artist, I would go to the credits and see what label that they worked with, or what their publishing company was. I found out about the Grandstand that way – I was reading an article in Rolling Stone or something and I saw a picture of an artist that I like, and I saw the credits for the image was Grandstand Media. So a lot of it is just digging into the names that you see.

Word of mouth is also extremely helpful. Show you’re interested in class. I participated, asked questions, and built relationships with the professors because they knew so much. It’s imperative that when you build these connections it’s because you want to and because you want to learn from them, not because you want something that they could provide you.

Did you always have a clear vision for your career path? How did you ultimately determine what you want to do?

When I graduated with my MBA, my goal was to get a job as quickly as possible in music. I was not being picky. It’s slim pickings, and I just wanted a foot in the door, so I was not limiting myself to anything. I will say, the MBA was a bit of a hindrance initially when getting a job because I had the educational background, but I didn’t have the experience that typically comes with an MBA. So, I’d be applying for assistant roles, and I’d get rejected, because employers didn’t understand why I was applying to an assistant role if I had an MBA.

But it just takes one person, one company to care, and I got my job at Sony Music Publishing. It was a temp position and I was filling in for a woman on maternity leave. I got that role through Music Business Worldwide’s job forum. The posting looked like a scam because it didn’t specify the company. It said,

CHARLOTTESTACK

GRADUATION YEAR:

MAJOR: COMPANY:

JOB TITLE:

LOCATION:

(UNDERGRAD)

(MBA)

NEW YORK CITY, NY

*Interview Conducted by Zoe Lazaros (Music Industry, Class of ’28)

“a music publishing job, temporary at a big music company in New York City.” I applied to this not knowing what the company was, and then I got a call saying, “hey, I’m calling about your application for Sony Music Publishing role.” And I was like, “what?” Basically, Sony Music Publishing outsourced temp employees through a consulting agency.

I interviewed for the role with this woman. She explicitly told me that the reason I got the position was because I had music industry education, and the role would have required that. And I was nice. I say that because she told me.

Have you experienced challenges specifically tied to being a woman in music, and do you have any advice for how non-men can navigate those situations?

There are some things that’ll happen at my job where I’ll be saying something and I’ll get interrupted by a guy and I could tell it’s not intentional. Sometimes it’s how they were socialized. So I know it’s not malicious. The more important part about how a guy is treating you, is if they’re intentionally belittling you, or, you know, worse. I would say my biggest piece of advice is that you’re allowed to acknowledge that it’s going to be challenging to be a woman in music,

but it cannot control how you conduct yourself. Like, not holding back in any way, being professional, doing your shit, speaking the way you should be speaking in front of other people. Being a professional transcends gender, and if you do things that demand respect, inevitably, whether or not someone wants to respect you, you will get that respect. They might not like you, but they’ll respect you.

So I would say my biggest piece of advice is to not let it control you at all. Making mistakes is not a sign of weakness. Also, admitting to being wrong is so okay. I know sometimes that’s scary to do in general, but as a woman especially, because it could feel like you’re showing signs of weakness. But when you’re admitting to being wrong and willing to learn it’s going to look good for you professionally. It’s a sign of maturity knowing that you don’t have the answers to everything. You’re not ever going to have the answers to everything. There are people I work with who are older than me, with decades more of experience, that ask questions and make mistakes. It’s just a part of the gig. Keep your head up and know that you’re a valuable asset to wherever

ASHLEYGELlMAN

GRADUATION YEAR:

MAJOR:

JOB TITLE:

LOCATION: 2018 ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS

PHOTOGRAPHER FOR LUCY DACUS, JAMIE XX PHILADELPHIA, PA

*interview conducted by Seven Finckel (Music Industry, Class of ‘28)

In what ways did your time at Drexel University shape your path in the music industry, and how did it influence your approach to your work?

I know a lot of people in music who were like “I dropped out of college,” or “I didn’t need college,” or “college was a waste of time,” but for me – I needed college, I needed someone to show me. I’m a very hands-on learner. The way I picked Drexel is I was looking at schools based on what venues were around them. I already knew a lot of bands within Philly from Tumblr and from being a big pop punk kid and metalcore kid. It’s in a very dense city and it has exactly what I’m looking for.

I didn’t want to go to school just for photo because I didn’t think I could do it. For a lot of art schools you have to have a portfolio, and I just didn’t feel like I had much. I shot my friends’ bands growing up – it was all on film, because that’s what I was doing in middle school and high school. I took a break from doing photo stuff for probably the first year of college, and then I went to my professor Brian Moore I was like, “this is what I want to do, how can I do it?” He’s the one that really helped me curate my schedule and helped me do my photo minor.

I did six or seven internships during school. It was super helpful because I really didn’t

know what I wanted to do. I wanted to do photo my whole life, or from the moment I knew it was a possible thing. I just didn’t want to pigeonhole myself, and I think that’s also why I’m able to do all of the production aspects of it, because I can’t just do one thing or I get a little crazy. I need to know everything all the time.

I found out I don’t want to do marketing, but my marketing internship allowed me to be the main photographer in the venues. I thought I wanted to book because we ran a house venue on campus. I really loved doing it, I loved the community, and then I did a booking internship, and I was like, “I don’t think this is for me.” But again, I had access to those bands, so I just kind of find access in every realm.

You’ve toured with big names such as the Jonas Brothers, Lucy Dacus, boygenius, and others, and touring demands constant adaptability and creativity. How do you maintain motivation while balancing the pressures and demands of working multiple roles on the road?

It’s the people, it really is the people. I will say touring is not for everyone. I came from the world of sneaking six people in one hotel room and sharing beds, so it is a lot of

adaptability. There’s a lot of uncomfortability, there’s a lot of dietary adaptations (I’m vegetarian). But it’s definitely the people. I feel fortunate that every tour I come out having new best friends.

For motivation, at the end of the day it’s my job. I need to make money. People say it’s not about the money – I mean, I need to pay my rent, I have a cat. But, for example, for the Lucy Dacus tour, I’m so excited because that group of people are truly my closest friends, and I do have best friends for all the tours. My first tour manager, his name is Cam, and he tour directs all of the xx people and a lot of artists –he’s one of my best friends, and we met on my first tour almost 8 years ago. It motivates me to be able to see my friends.

It’s hard because obviously everybody at some point is going to leave touring because it is hard on your body, it’s hard on your mentality. As I get older, I want to be home more. It motivates me to be like, “okay, I’m going to make this money, I’m going to save up, and I try to give myself experience throughout that.”

How have you seen equity and inclusion evolve in the industry? Can you share specific obstacles you’ve encountered in your career related to representation?

There have been some crews where I am the only woman, but I think for me, I just don’t really see it that way. There are not a lot of non-males in the touring industry, and those people are so extremely talented at their jobs – like everybody on the Lucy Dacus team is non-binary or female or an ally. I think at the end of the day, you just have to show that you’re good at your job. You’re living with these people, and it doesn’t really matter how you identify as long as you can be a respectful, kind person and get the job done.

But if I walk into a room and I’m the tour manager and I’m handling a whole band of guys, no one’s going to expect me to be in charge. I had a tour that I tour managed where I did every single job. I was tour manager, merch manger, and photographer. I’m the one who has the

answers, and they’re not always going to come to me first. I think there’s a lot of older people in venues and on tour that just think, “yeah, whatever” and they try to shove you aside. I feel very lucky in my personality that I know how to put my foot down, I don’t take shit, and I will talk back at you. I know not everybody can do that, not everybody has that power, but you can find it as long as you believe in yourself to be like, “I know what I’m talking about.”

You have to stand up for yourself, and it takes practice. Also, when you’re standing up for yourself you have to know the line, because some people who are mean need you to give them that compassion and understanding first and then their guard will come down, and if it doesn’t then it’s just like, “okay, we’re going to fight.” Especially as a non-man, you have to learn how to buck up sometimes.

What advice do you have for young, non-male students aspiring to go into the music industry?

Learn how to read the room, be self-aware, keep being willing to learn, and ask questions. Always ask questions. Those are my main four. It’s okay to make mistakes and always keep trying stuff. You’re going to doubt yourself all the time but I think it’s important to try, even if it takes time. I think the thing too is nothing’s rushed, you have time. That’s something I’m trying to also keep teaching myself because I really hate ageism, but I do acknowledge that

laurenBULKA

B.S. Graphic Design | Class of 2022

freelance designer & in-house creative laurenbulka.com

Hello!

I’m Lauren Bulka, a graphic designer and creative director specializing in the music industry. I graduated from Westphal in 2022, previously worked for Universal Music Group, and am currently an in-house designer for Spotify!

Drawing inspiration from the visual energy of early female punk flyers, my goal was to fuse grit and gracejuxtaposing bold, rebellious elements with softer, nuanced motifs to reflect the dynamic history of women in the music industry. I love working with expressive typography, texture, and bold color palettes to add a modern touch to vintage-inspired design.

As a Drexel alumna working in music, Double Platinum’s mission is near and dear to my heart. Being able to help amplify the voices of the next generation of music industry leaders while shedding light on the importance of equity within the industry is an absolute honor and a privilege. I am so grateful Monika reached out to me to help bring this volume to life!

DOUBLE PLATINUM VOLUME 3 WAS MADE POSSIBLE DUE IN PART TO THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION, THE WESTPHAL DEAN’S OFFICE OF I.D.E.A., AND THE WESTPHAL DEIC.