EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Fanbytes
Music Partnerships Manager
January 2020 - Present
At Fanbytes we specialise in creating Gen-Z marketing campaigns across platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Triller, and YouTube. In my role, I strategise with major labels and management companies around the world on a daily basis. I have formed partnerships and launched digital campaigns for a huge range of artists such as David Bowie, Eminem, Stornzy, Lady Gaga, Mabel, Pavarotti, Justin Bieber, DaBaby, Anuel AA, JP Saxe & Julia Michaels, Vengaboys, Max Richter, Millie B, and hundreds more.
My role encompasses sales, relationship management, creative strategy, content ideation, & social media marketing. As I am responsible for the revenue of the music team, my day-to-day duties also include: business development, B2B marketing, team leadership, reporting of finances, and long-term business strategy.
Universal Music Group and Brands
Strategic Marketing and Partnerships
November 2018 - January 2020
I worked in an international team specialising in helping brands craft and execute their global music and entertainment strategies.
As part of the Talent Team within UMGB, we were regarded as the in-house experts on the hundreds of artists within UMG's roster, and therefore helped to inform and advise in every project. My day-to-day at UMGB consisted of supporting the wider team with tasks such as: concept ideation, strategy, artist suggestions, pitching artists to clients, research, audience & data analysis, building proposals, and much more. We also worked alongside 40+ countries worldwide to provide creative artist-focused solutions to briefs. In addition to this, I managed numerous marketing channels for UMGB - including producing an internal podcast - and worked closely with artists, their management, and the many labels and teams within Universal Music Group.
I worked on various huge global partnership opportunities with artists such as Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Halsey & Billie Eilish (just to name a few), and worked with brands such as Lego, FIFA, Lenovo, Magnum, Unilever, Coca-Cola, EA Games, and many more.
Our campaign with Extra Gum - of which I was directly involved in from ideation to execution - also won a Clio Award for excellence in advertising.
The Zeitgeist Agency
Press Assistant
October 2018 - November 2018
After working with The Zeitgeist Agency for many years at Leeds Festival during my time at University, the company were keen to take me on board after my seasonal contract finished with Festival Republic. I was taken on for an initial six week contract as an assistant with the possibility to stay full-time in a more established role.
Whilst at Zeitgeist I assisted with the press and PR duties across a whole range of music campaigns, with clients including: revered London venues; several UK-based and international music festivals; Christmas pop-up events; popular musical artists; large-scale charity concerts; major clothing brands; and much more.
My duties included writing press releases, conducting market research, contacting journalists, securing press coverage, brainstorming ideas for future projects, managing events and PR activities, and reporting back to clients on the results and effectiveness of campaigns.
After my first few weeks working at Zeitgeist, I was offered a full-time executive role with the promise to be trained up to an account manager within 12 months. I was flattered by this offer and humbled that my hard-work and potential was recognised, however, Universal Music also offered me a role in the same week and the opportunity to work at a major label was too good to refuse.
Festival Republic
Artist & Guest Liaison
April 2018 - September 2018
After working on multiple events with Festival Republic, in 2018 I was offered a full-time seasonal contract with the organisation and I worked with the Artist and Guest Liaison team over the Summer festival season. I assisted with a large variety of tasks across multiple disciplines, helping to prepare for and work at the company's many events.
In the office I was mainly responsible for advancing shows and organising the guest lists and working passes for bands/artists. This involves liaising with tour managers, dealing with a variety of requests, and printing/posting all necessary passes. During our events, I run the guestlists for the artists on-site whilst also dealing with any additional passes requests.
In my role I have also been heavily involved with the guest ticketing team, including taking a course at Ticketmaster to gain full knowledge of the ticketing website and software. I then helped to set up the guest ticketing websites and prepare relevant information packs to send to all of our guests. I was also recruited by the wristbanding team for Electric Picnic in Ireland where I worked as a supervisor at the busiest public entrance on-site. Whilst working as a wristband supervisor, I was responsible for leading a large team of volunteers, handling sensitive stock, working alongside the police, security and ticketing teams, and dealing with the many issues involved in members of the public attempting to gain entrance into the incredibly popular event.
Shows I worked for this Summer include:
- BBC Biggest Weekend
- Download Festival
- Community Festival
- Liam Gallagher / Queens of The Stone Age @ Finsbury Park
- Wireless Festival
- Latitude Festival
- Reading & Leeds Festivals
- RiZe Festival
- Electric Picnic
Brudenell Social Club
Bartender
2014 - 2017
I worked behind the bar at Leeds' most established and well respected music venue, Brudenell Social Club, for almost the entirety of my time at University.
Not only did I work with many well-experienced and respected music professionals during my time at Brudenell, but I was also able to see a huge variety of artists perform on a regular basis. This helped to satisfy my need to work in a music environment and greatly expanded my awareness of many different artists and genres. Working in this environment has also furthered my understanding of the many different aspects of running a music venue and what it takes to put on a successful show. Having experience of being a bartender has also provided me with a transferrable skill that I can rely on in the future, if needs be.
Besides bartending, I have also; contributed content for the website (as shown on the right); assisted artists with any needs (such as help with loading out / moving equipment); and also worked 'on the door' for certain events.
I cherish the time that I had at the Brudenell Social Club, as it helped to pay the bills whilst I studied and I was also able to meet many new contacts within the industry, make great friends, and create unforgettable memories.
Futuresound Events
Marketing / Promotions Assistant
2013 - 2016
Futuresound are one of the most well-renowned music promoters in the city of Leeds. I worked on their promotions team, raising the profile of upcoming events in the local area by distributing promotional material and helping with social media campaigns. During my time in the promotions team, I also helped to run promotional events at University Fairs, I worked on merchandise stalls for well-known touring artists, I bartended at local festivals, and I assisted with general tasks within the office.
I worked on the Social Media Team for Live At Leeds Festival in 2014 where I contributed towards the event's official Twitter and Instagram feeds. The content that I shared that day was responsible for multiple spikes in social engagement, receiving a higher-than-average amount of likes, comments, and shares.
In the months prior to Live At Leeds Festival 2015, I spent around 12 hours a week assisting the marketing manager at Futuresound Events. I was heavily involved in the creation of the website for the annual music festival. My regular tasks included: collating information and writing bios for hundreds of artists, writing and publishing news stories onto the website, creating features and articles for the festival’s social media pages, editing content using photoshop, managing data across the website, producing official Spotify playlists, and much more.
Due to my experience on the Social Media Team for Live At Leeds Festival, I reprised this social media role on an annual basis for the event. In 2015, for the second year in a row, my contributions on the official Twitter and Instagram pages on the day of the event garnered more social engagement than any other original content shared during the entirety of the festival. I assisted the social media team once again in 2016. Examples of the online content can be seen below.
Other Employment
I have been in work consistently since I was around 15 years old, working in a range of different jobs across my hometown of Grimsby. Living in such a small town made finding music-related work incredibly difficult, although I was able to use part-time employment throughout school and college to save money for University, music festivals, and for regularly travelling to larger cities for gigs and events. As is a rite of passage for many people of Grimsby, I also worked extensively with our primary local produce, fish. I saved up for University by working long, gruelling hours, six days a week, for approximately six months, in a nearby fish factory on the docks, located in the depths of the local red light district. It was - for the most part - a pretty bleak and dreadful experience, although it was incredibly character building, I left with fond memories, and it instilled in me a hardworking attitude that I have brought with me to many other roles within my working life.
Previous Places of Employment:
- Youngs Fish Factory
- CPO Media (writing articles for a local youth magazine)
- A book store
- A supermarket
- A hotel/restaurant