Blogcock

Well as you can see from my profile photo, I've always had a bit of a thing for music.....Started off at school in bands of one sort or another, playing guitar or bass and singing, but by the time I reached uni I'd had to accept a career in front of the mic was not intended for me! So I set out to discover what there was to do behind the scenes that might be just as much fun.

The closest I could get to the 'industry' whilst at uni was the uni radio station (URN1350 - University of Nottingham local radio). I joined up and set about lining up interviews with all the touring bands coming into town. I was blessed with a good scene in Nottingham, from the Rescue Rooms and Rock City, to the Royal Theatre and Ice Arena, the city has a great selection of venues and everyone came to play. At the start I was interviewing loads of pop bands - which seemed to be the type our SU Ents rep booked for all the uni's events. So Liberty X, Blue, S Club and even A1 got the Blogcock grilling... it was an experience and the first time I had any contact with record companies - though their regional radio and student promotions depts. Through the station I got involved in organising Summer Roadshows which involved booking acts to appear at local venues round the city, then sorting out the marketing activity around the event (posters, flyers etc). Some local firms got in touch and wanted to sponsor the events, so I started using the sound editing software in the station to cut them adverts and gave them rotation based on their contributions.

After leaving Uni, moving to London and signing up to every temp firm that would have me, desperately trying to make the most of my 'marketing expertise' from URN.... I couldn't find paid work in the industry anywhere. Eventually I got a break at Universal Music TV Compilations dept, who agreed to take me on as a rolling work-experience person... 'rolling' meaning they'd have me for as long as I was willing/able to work for free. Thankfully, after a few weeks, a paid temp job came up at Mercury Records (which was the floor below them in the same building) and as I'd already learnt how to use all the systems etc, I got it! Right place, right time.... So I started there as a Marketing Assistant in Feb05, I ended up staying for 3 months, before taking the same job - but on a permenant basis - at SonyBMG in May05. Since joining the company I've been lucky enough to work with some amazing acts including Editors, Kasabian, The View, Hope Of The States, The Dead 60s, The Upper Room, Mew and The Little Flames. When we split into labels at the start of 2006, I became part of the Columbia Label Group. At the start of 2007 I became a Junior Product Manager and now work in a team with two other Columbia marketing managers dealing with the acts on the 1965, Deltasonic and LaVolta Records labels.