A Little Jaded - Episode 11

Hello, welcome back to another episode of A Little Jaded. My name is Jade Zalevsky, I’m 20 years old from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I’m the founder, president, and head artist manager at Jaded Productions. I’m really excited today because we have one of my good friends April with us today. But I’ll pass it over to Joanna to do her introductions and then April can jump on.

Hi guys, I’m also super excited, and April is awesome. I’m the Executive VP here at Jaded Productions and I have been since March of this year. If anyone is new and listening in, I’m 21 years old from Northern California and I’m also a college student. But yeah, today we’re here with April, so April did you want to do a little intro for yourself and let everyone know about you.

Hi everyone, my name is April, so happy to be here with Jade and Joanna, love both of them so much. I’m also 20, a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin, and I am in the music industry doing many many things. My experience kinda ranges in many places, I started in journalism than branched out to PR and artists management, and now I kinda do it all.

That’s awesome. I think a lot of times, the best part about being a student in the music industry is getting to run around in different sections of the music industry and dipping your finger into everything. So I think it is super awesome. 

So kinda moving into the first question here, April, how did you become interested in the music industry?

Growing up in Wisconsin, the music industry was never an option. It was just something I didn’t know existed initially as a kid growing up. I knew I wanted to go into business but if you were taking a business route, you typically do accounting or finance, and that’s just what everyone did. So I really had no exposure to the industry growing up unlike someone growing up in Nashville or California or New York, that was really different. And then when I entered sophomore in high school, I started joining Twitter and getting into the Twitter fandom and all that fun stuff, everyone kinda had that shared experience. And I started being a huge fan of this guy named MAX so I listened to him a couple of years prior to joining social media and around my sophomore year of high school, he actually followed me on Twitter. My fangirl self, first thing I did was sliding into his DMs, but what really shocked me was, I went through the DMs and they can only message you if you follow you, or you can only message them. And he was typing. My fangirl self, I was losing it. But what he wanted was for me to join his street team that he had just started, he released a couple of singles and started kicking into gear, and wanted me to become a rep in Wisconsin. At the time, I thought it was so cool. I had no idea what a street team was, but I was like you’re my favorite person, thanks for sending me a message and I’ll join. So in exchange for repping his music, I branched out to different radio stations, I got to be a guest list for a couple of shows, got some experiences there, and was able to join that community. From there, I joined other street teams, learning more, I discovered that something that I was doing already was ultimately something I can get paid for. I hadn’t really realized that this was a career until four years ago. 

That is insane. I completely relate. Like a lot of people who don’t live in Nashville or California or New York or even Chicago, who aren’t surrounded by the industry, they don’t even know that it’s a possibility that you can do this. I live in the Bay Area, so a lot of people do business but like STEM, which is not what I wanna do at all. So I was like “I don’t know what is my path.” I was also a huge fangirl and I didn’t know that it’s a possibility until January of 2021, it’s pretty insane how it’s not really advertised. Wait, when you said MAX, is it Max Schneider?

Yes!

I love him. If anybody has seen the movie Rags, love him.

It’s so full circle to me. Because now I am interning at Warner Music Group and he just recently signed with us. When I saw that, it just made me so happy to see how they have evolved. 

And I think that your story, like Joanna said, it’s very relatable. For me growing up in Pittsburgh, I was a part of fandoms but didn’t know how to make it a reality or how to do it. So I think it gives hope to other people that it’s possible to go into the music industry even if you’re not in the major cities of the music industry. And what you had said, which leads to my next question about your first internship experience, your Warner Music internship. And I know we met at the Career Classroom Series for that, and you were always asking a question. Every single week, it was April’s next for the questions, and I was like “April is rocking it, she has so many good questions!” So do you want to go into how you developed that drive being from on MAX’s street team, to your first internship, to now?

So I only got super involved around October of 2020. I transferred to Madison, and realized that there was a possibility now that I’m in the city. One of the major music industry opened up a marketing rep in Madison, it was totally unheard of in Wisconsin and I was a little arrogant about it honestly when I applied. I don’t know anybody cares about the industry so I’m not even worried about it. And then I didn’t even get an interview. So that was very humbling to me, so I took that as there are going to be people who like music, and I didn’t know there were so many people here. And I have since found that community and it’s been wonderful, a huge learning experience for me. So in my head, I was like I don’t have enough experience, I need to get better and contacted the girl who got the position (who will graduate) and looked at her experience. I looked at people who she was connected with, other reps across the country, and see things that they were doing, and realized how much was out there and ways that you can get in the industry. So I decided to spend the next two years doing everything I could to get there. Originally started with a lot of informational calls. For one of my business informational class, we had to schedule a call with them. It was terrifying because I didn't know if they wanted to talk to me. And I’ve done so many since then. And it’s so funny because ever since Warner, people have been reaching out to me for the same thing, super eye opening being on the receiving end of it. If they have the time, they’ll talk to you. She told me about the Facebook group called Girls behind the rock shore which I ended up joining and now work on their editorial team. But at the time I didn’t know any of this existed so I joined their facebook group and from there I found a journalism magazine for Tongue Tight magazine which I’m still working for today. I had no experience but I ended up hoping on the call with the founder and I started working for them and loved it. After the first month, I messaged them asking for more work. From there I leveled up to the social media manager and to my current position as the creative director and I’ve been able to do artist interviews, talk to major names, and an array of super cool people that I grew up listening to. That brought my confidence up in a way that I know my worth in the industry, but not the type of arrogance that I had initially. Looking back, I’m glad that I didn’t get it because I wasn’t qualified, I thought I knew what I wanted to do but I didn’t and would have struggled. And I think those are the type of things that really show when you are going through the recruitment process, they want someone whose culture fits you, not someone who is overconfident. So that is what ultimately led me to my current internship with Warner. I did the career classroom and asked questions, but the topic would be so interesting and ask questions because I needed an answer and it just kept going. But if I’m wondering then someone would be wondering too. From there I fell in love with Warner and the way they value their employees, their DEI and the cool things they do. And I had applied to their Emerging Talent Associate program which is internships 3-4 times prior so the WMG Classroom was the first position that I interviewed for and got, so I didn’t go into it with high hopes. I had a tour guide job lined up, calling kids about how great UWM is, was not super hype about it but it’ll pay the bills. But I applied anyway, with no hopes at all. So when I got an interview, I was stunned. The way that Warner does it is they have pre-interviews, screenings for you to talk to, a recording of yourself. So I heard nothing for a fews months and accepted my fate as a tourguide and then I got an email from my now manager. She said “hey, we really liked what was on your resume, wanna hope on a phone call with us?” So I talked to him and sent my thank you note, which is something you should do, and he responded to that and was like, “hey do you want to accept this position? We really liked you and your experiences.” I cried and called my mom, sobbing, and she was like why are you sobbing. And I didn’t know how to explain to her because this is something that I’ve wanted for so long, so many people try for and don’t get (right away). I’m so glad I didn’t get it my first time, knowing that the experience I had really paid off, and it’s been amazing ever since then. 

I work in the Warner Electric Atlanta department, which is their digital account. I didn’t know what it was but it sounded cool so I took it, but a lot of it is really interesting. Essentially a lot of it is the backend of Youtube. It’s creating draft proposals for ad campaigns, it’s a lot of working with the artist vision and giving it to the sales teams to promote and help with advertising. It’s been really interesting, I’ve been able to learn a lot about MV releases, release schedules planned out till October so it’s pretty ahead of time, and just the whole experience working for a major company, being able to see all the data and analytics. And just knowing that I’m working with a company that values the things that I do has been an unmatched experience for me.

That was a lot.

No, that was amazing. Everything that you said was so awesome, even something that I was going to ask about who was influential in your journey and you already kinda touched on that. This person grounded you for not being given the position. And I was wondering were there any other moments for you that were super influential in terms of getting to where you are?

I would say that and there was another moment, when the Classroom Series ended, I was so sad. Since I made all these connections, people who had connections with the person that was leading it, and when I got my job with Warner, the person that was leading the career classroom whom I’ve come to know pretty well. And she sent me a personal email congratulating me, and that made me appreciate Warner even more, the fact that she not only recognized my drive and determination, she also went out of her way to send me a personal congratulations, was just something that was so cool. Ever since then, I feel so valued at Warner, and I know that a lot of interns don’t get the luxury of receiving that, but everything that I’ve done are things that are relevant to the company, that I am helping these artists’ careers. It’s definitely not the company where you are just doing coffee runs, the things that your boss doesn’t want to do so it’s been great and impactful.

That’s awesome. I can’t believe that you were surprised when you got it, because I remember I got the initial interview and I wasn’t sure like they’d ghost me and I just knew the person running it had given you a shoutout running it. I think I saw you tweet, but I just knew that April got it, but it surprised me that you were surprised. But it’s awesome to see your work come to fruition, it ends up working out because you get your dream position. I am a big data analytics person so the first time you described it to me, I was like OMG. 

I know we have already touched on what has been influential in your journey, but how have you managed to be a college student while also pursuing the music industry. Because I know many people, including myself, struggle with finding the balance between doing all the things that we want to do in the music industry but also focusing on regular majors.

Yeah, that’s definitely probably one of my biggest problems because my university does not offer music business courses, so when I see my peers out here majoring in music industry and taking these classes, I get so jealous because if I could go to class and learn about this, I would be a much happier person. This past semester I took accounting, finance, I know that they’re important and transparent. I have people’s phone numbers and I feel like I have friends all over the US and internationally. That’s something that I like, so if I see an opportunity that comes up I’ll mention it to people. Because ultimately, isn’t that a working thing, and I know that that’s important but I don’t view it as using them to gain a connection, I view them as a way to learn about what they’re interested in. Jade, you mentioned that you have this company that you just started and that you want to go into law and I see law opportunities come up, I’ll mention you. Just that kind of thing where you learn about people, having that connection. I love making friends and it doesn’t feel like I have to force that connection because even if it’s the type of friend that I don’t talk to, you don’t feel forced and they won’t judge me. People realize that, they know when you’re being genuine. When I first started doing this stuff, it’s kinda embarrassing, I had a whole cheat sheet on connections because I was told that that was what you were supposed to do. Some of the best friends that I have made in the industry have come from helping them and being genuine.

I love that, something that I’m always hearing people talk about is that it’s just such a cut-throat industry and having to compete with all these people, “they’re not my friend, they’re my competitor.” I love the way that you said it because that’s something that I try and preach to other people too, like we’re all going in the same direction. But these people around you will have some sort of ambition and lane in the industry, why not be their friend and make a connection with them? Especially some of the people that I connect with in my street teams, I’ll send them opportunities and they’ll do the same for me, but also if Harry Styles releases another song, I’ll message Jade. People will think about you later on and be like, “this is a genuine person.” Whether you’re meeting someone your age or the president at Warner, they’re just a person and make mistakes all the time. They’re just a person and have a super cool job. Just be genuine and talk to them and in the end, they’ll want to work with you, they’ll just like you as a person.

And these jobs are so competitive, there are 17,000 people who applied to the internship that I had, so how would you and Jade lower my chances at all? It’s not, if anything, it’s just making it better for you. You can still talk about your experiences, that Jade is asking me, literally last week, what do you think the application process was, what do you think helped you. And of course, it’s with people that I know and want to see succeed as well, and I think that it’s something that this generation is breaking down because you grow up with that mentality that these people are your competition, same way, I think it starts from school and education. But I think I've been able to break it down by joining club house, on LinkedIn, and I think most similar minded people are people who you see as successful. Everyone that I know has been super encouraging and supportive.

Like you said, that competition mindset starts really early on and you have to break out of it if you want to work as an industry professional or in a team of any sort, because nothing is achieved by yourself and nothing is achieved in a day. So it’s important to know how to work in a team and strive to see other people succeed, and be constantly on a path of learning, constantly growing. Because the second that you stop learning is the second you die out in the industry. So to shut yourself out from learning with other people, I’m better than them, but the truth is we are all the same, we’re striving for the same things, but why not succeed and believe in yourself for a little bit and want other people to succeed too.

If you know someone who knows more than you, that’s great because you can ask them to share with you. I do that all the time. I had a resume review a couple of weeks ago because I’m confident in my resume. I’ll teach a course in the fall on professional and resume skills. I’m pretty confident, I know what recruiters are looking for, how they want to format it, and this is something that I can share and pay it forward. So I ended up reviewing around 250 resumes that were sent to me via LinkedIn and email. It was so rewarding, if I had a certain knowledge on a certain subject, ofc I will share and want to help other people. I think that’s totally cool when you’re able to recognize and share those skillsets forward and help other people as well. 

Yes, you reviewed my resume and I was like yes that is lit. There were things that I never thought of.

So what I’m hearing is that I’m going to need April to review my resume next

So what I’m hearing is that I’m going to get an email from you today.

Yes, but I just love the way that you are wording everything. Your whole take on this is why not help people? People message me and I’ve only been doing this since January, I might not have all the answers to this but I have some answers, so it’s why not help people who have these questions. It’s not going to hurt you. There’s no point in gatekeeping, some people are afraid to get into the industry because no body will help me, but you’ll never know until you try. But like you said, a lot of people in our age range is trying to kick against that toxic mentality, like oh no you’re my competitor, I don’t want to help you.

Yes, a lot of us have imposter syndrome. I remember the first time someone reached out to me and they weren’t trying to network with me as a friend but trying to view me as a professional and above them. And I was like, we’re literally in the same grade, that I don’t have that mentality at all. I just wanted to hop on a call with you and explain, and we got on this call and I could tell she had a list of questions written down, the same thing that I did. I remember we got on this call and she was asking me a bunch of questions, and she was shocked when I asked her these things. That just stunned me, and I told her that everyone is in the same boat, it doesn’t matter if you started in January or I started in October, everyone has their own unique experiences, and even if it’s not as much, it’s still an abundance of experience and educational experiences from the life that you lived, you see different things, you go to different concerts and network with different people, and everyone just has a different insight, regardless of the things that you’ve done and completed. That’s just super important to recognize and not put yourself on a pedestal because you’ve interned with Warner or had a cool experience. That’s really good about our generation, I’ve never met someone who is unwilling to talk about their experiences and I just think that’s the type of person I want to be no matter how high up I end up getting. 

That’s so good to hear because we need more people like that in the music industry and in life in general. There are so many people who don’t give you the time of day and I think just talking to people, getting real down to earth and that they’re no better than anybody. At least as a student, I’m not thinking I’m better than anyone else.

Omg this girl has her own artist management company and talking like it’s no big deal and I’m stunned. You own your own agency, you manage one of my best friends, who is an emerging artist, and I’m like this is so cool. 

That’s exactly how I felt when I got on the call. April, she knows what she’s talking about, she is huge and everything at Warner. Like I knew you and we had all these connections, but I didn’t know you know you so I was really nervous. Let me just try my best to not be nervous, but thank you so much.

But you say I’m all high up but I’m just an intern, just to put it out there.

She is rocking the intern world, taking it by storm. I love it, that’s so awesome. I remember we talked to Eraste for the first time and we were like hey Eraste do you wanna come and be in my management company. I got on the phone with you the night before and was like I think we are talking to Eraste tomorrow, and you were like Eraste! I was like omg really, I butchered her name. So I got on the phone the next day and was like, so April told me your name is Eraste, and I apologize for saying it wrong.

I’ve done a lot of club house with her and every time someone mentions her, she would jump to introduce herself. She just knows it’s funny to me.

A takeaway from that exchange is that the industry is so much smaller than we think it is. Everybody knows everybody, people are watching, don’t act like you’re a nobody.

Yes, I think I can confidently say that if you’re on social media or in the industry, we have a mutual connection somewhere. The only way I wouldn’t know some is that they’re not on social media and in the music industry that’s really odd. It’s kinda at the core of streaming, listening.

It’s like if you don’t have a platform, what are you doing. 

It doesn’t matter how many followers you have, you just have to exist.

Even if a friend of a friend, it’s so small.

April, it’s been such an awesome conversation, one of my favorites. And we have one more question for you, and might be the most important thing, but what is the most valuable lesson that you’ve learnt so far in your entire life?

This is getting deep, holding my emotional support avocado to get it. To be yourself and be genuine but people can see right through it. I can recognize that people are being fake to me, when they’re changing themselves, either impress you or be more well-liked. It makes me sad because why would you want to change yourself. You have all these personalities just to be more well-liked, when you don’t know how people will perceive your actual self to begin with.

I realized in my Warner interview, they asked me if I was more analytical or creative? And I remember that distinctly, I said creative. But after that, thinking about everything that I messed up, wow I just bombed that interview. Accounts is in that job title, and it has to be analytical, but I got the job. So I am working with numbers but I am also working with Artist one-sheet, making it pretty and put in different formats. Something that I realized, if you made it to the interview stage, you are qualified for the position, they just want to see you and you have to be authentic. It’s so hard because you’re so hyperfocused on impressing everyone, let your walls down and be yourself.

You heard it here folks.

No, absolutely. I laughed when you said that. After recording myself, I realized that I did this and this wrong. It’s hard to get past but that’s part of the journey and working on yourself is to let your own self shine through. Every company is made by humans, so you’re gonna mess up.

I’m glad these companies are human and not robot.

Hopefully it stays on.

What if we went to a company and it was just robots.

No! I might switch industries. Next up we got robot performers, robot Justin Bieber.

That might be the thing to help me realize my passion for accounting.

I’m going back to teaching.

Might just do finance.

This has been awesome and I think for a lot of people, to just take some insights. It’s wonderful to hear your story so everybody has a different journey. There’s no limit to your potential, and you’ll thrive in any industry, especially the music industry.

Thank you!

I really enjoyed this episode and this has been another episode of A Little Jaded.

Transcription By: Mai Vo