A Little Jaded - Season 2, Episode 6

Jade: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of A Little Jaded. My name is Jade Zalevsky, and I'm here with a bunch of super special people, and it is the “Post-Graduation, Pre-Music Industry” podcast that you've all been waiting for. But I'll throw it over to my co-host, Joanna, to introduce our guests!

Joanna: Yeah. So hi, guys. I'm Joanna, VP. You guys hopefully know me already, but you guys should be familiar with all of these people, but one! But this is all of our amazing team members who have all gone through the whole graduating from college process, and I'm excited. So does anybody want to go first in doing a little intro of what college you go to? Where did you graduate from? What degree you got and what you guys are doing now? 

Maddy: I'll go first. I'm Maddy Kasey, and I went to school at Edge Hill University, Liverpool in the UK. And I got my undergraduate in public relations. And then I did my Masters in marketing and communications. I currently work as a social media coordinator for an influencer in Palm Springs, California. And I have been out of school for a couple of years now, and this is my first real job in the entertainment industry. But I'm hoping that this will kind of catapult me into the more music industry side of entertainment. 

Vivienne: I can go next! I'm Vivienne Huynh. My last name is spelled H-U-Y-N-H just so no confusion, but I went to California State University of Los Angeles, and I graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts in psychology. After College, I was interning at this psychology clinic in Glendale, and now I'm currently teaching English online to kids in Korea, but Jaded Productions is like my gateway into the music industry right now. 

Haidyn: I can go next, so I'm Haidyn Griffin. I went to school at Florida State University. go Knolls. I got my degree in international affairs, and funny enough, I actually work in property management at an apartment complex. Yeah, very different from what I got my degree in. 

Travis: Hi, everyone. I'm Travis. I went to the University of Central Florida, and I got my degree in advertising and public relations. And I now work for a company called Whaler, which is like influencer marketing. 

Jade: Thank you all so much for being here. So just to start off, as a student, obviously, like school and the safety of being in a structured environment: you wake up for 8am, then you go to 9am, then maybe you work for a couple of hours, and then you go to your other class and then you do your homework. Like, everybody knows that structure of being a student. And that's great because it makes you feel kind of safe, you know, exactly what you're supposed to be doing. But then graduation comes and all that structure is kind of gone. And now it's like for the first time ever, it's up to you what you want to do next. So that's kind of liberating because it's like, “Whoa, I lost all my structure.” But at the same time, it's kind of scary because I can do anything now, and that's terrifying! So how did you all manage the transition between a student with all this structure into, “crap, I'm an adult! What now?”

Travis: I think it was a little bit difficult at first, like, being a student, that's all, you know, like, all your life, basically. And then you get thrown into the real world or “adulting” world, and it's just like chaos. I'm not going to lie. It's like, I struggled with it for, like, I graduated in 2020, start of COVID. So, like, everything was shut down. I couldn't find a job anywhere. It was just stressful, and it's hard at first. But once you get a job, you get a different routine, and you become used to this new routine, and you kind of forget that you were in school.

Maddy: I agree. I was kind of surprised. Like my first job, I had another professional role before this, and I was surprised by how tired I was at the end of each day. And it's kind of like, in school, you are socializing most of the time, but this professional socialization is way different than socializing with your friends at school. But, I mean, after a few months, you kind of, like Travis said, get in the swing of it and realize, “I actually do have all this free time.” And it's really nice to know your weekend is your weekend. And that's one thing about a nine to five as opposed to school, or like, any kind of professional job is like, you know that you're going to have a set amount of time off and you're not going to have one assignment that's absolutely destroying you or whatever. But I really love knowing that this is when I'm working and this is when I'm off and kind of building, like, a schedule for fun around that, sort of. But yeah, you're going to be really tired at first, but you'll get the hang of it. Everybody does. 

Vivienne: I definitely agree. It was complete chaos. I also graduated in 2020, so the start of the pandemic and all of the internships that I had lined up for after graduation, they all shut down their programs. They said, “we're not accepting anybody.” And I was losing my mind because I'm very type A, like, I need a schedule, I need a routine. And when that happened, I was like, “what do I do?” Because sitting at home felt like I was getting nothing done. And then after I was like, I went online, I was looking for other jobs. Once I got a job, I started feeling like, okay, I have a routine again. So at first it's kind of scary because you have all this free time, and sometimes you don't know what to do with it, and sometimes you feel like people are making the most of their time and you're just here. But once you find something that you want to do or you're interested in, it gives you that feeling of, “okay, I'm not useless.” This is not as chaotic as it seems, and then you get into the swing of it. 

Vivienne: You're not useless. Vivian!

Vivienne and Joanna: laugh

Vivienne: Thank you.

Haidyn: I agree with everyone. I graduated in 2019, so before the pandemic, but it was still hard to find a job after college. I had a part time job already and I technically was supposed to move back home to my parents because my job would have transferred me there, but I did not want to go home. I wanted to feel the true adult, stay away from home, not move back. I busted my butt trying to find a job out here. You will apply to so many jobs, they either will never contact you, you will probably get denied multiple times, or you'll get so many interviews and never hear back. But thankfully I did find someone out here who hired me, thank God. So I was able to stay. I do, obviously have a full time job, I get days off, whatever. Unfortunately, I do have to work weekends sometimes. It's really annoying, but I love it. It was a hard time though.

Joanna: I really loved that all of you guys had kind of similar but also kind of different experiences with it, because I actually just had a conversation with somebody who just graduated college and I told her how I'm so ready to be out, I just want to not be in school anymore. And she said that every time she hears that, she has to check them basically and say like, “you might think that you're ready, but it's going to be a flip. You say you want out, but then once you're out, you kind of want back in,” because you're floating essentially. So I really like that you guys can give different input on what that's like and kind of make people more aware. And I think that's the point of this podcast is so that people can kind of know what it's actually like.

Jade:I don't know, as a current college student, I kind of want out.

Everyone: laughs

Haidyn: You say that, but then you get out for the first three months and you're like, “put me back. Maybe graduate school was the deal.” Low key regret not going to grad school. But also thank God I didn't because I was tired of school.

Maddy: I don't know, I went to grad school and I loved it. Well, s my undergrad program lasted only three years. So my graduate program rounded it out to like four years of school. But after that three years, I was like, “there is no chance that I'm ready for the real world. I need another year of school,” and I'm glad I did, but I do remember feeling like, “I cannot wait for this 20,000 however many pages or word paper to be done and I just want to be an adult,” but it's really not as fun as everyone makes it out to be. Everyone's kind of running around like a chicken with their head cut off.

Haidyn: chuckles Yeah.

Maddy: None of us really know what we're doing

Vivienne: Yeah, I agree, because my original plan after I graduated was to apply to Med school and go to Med school and take that route. And I was applying to all these Med schools, and I was getting all these interviews for them, and then they would hit me with the tuition cost, or they would hit me with the, “oh, sorry, you're a really good candidate, but maybe next year.” And it was just so discouraging. And I realized I don't really want to do that. But it's like the first few months when you're out, it's like you have no structure. There's nothing telling you what to do. And you're like, “somebody help me.” I just want to go back to school for somebody to give me a syllabus and say, “this is what you have to do.”

Haidyn: You're like, “can I move back home just so I can have rules of someone's home?" Like, I need something, someone to tell me to do what at an exact time,” like from nine to eight you're in school or something. I just needed that one thing for it. 

Maddy: Yeah. Even though work is so different in that regard. At work, I don't know how everyone else is, but at mine, it's like I have a nine to five. But what I do within those hours is all up to me, which is also a little bit frightening. You might have, like one or two meetings a day, but for the rest of that time, it's like managing what you need to do in a totally different way. That school and assignments were so it's a huge transition. And yeah, I definitely would like to still be in school right now. It was just so much more fun. And like I said, I loved having that structure of, like, you're going to be in this class from these hours to these hours, and it's just so different. And I guess it's more fun for others, but I don't know, college is great. 

Joanna: Well, I guess kind of moving on to the next question, kind of going along with how you guys all talked about all of your different degrees and all the different paths that you took, and all of you guys pretty much have different degrees and you went about everything in a different way. But you guys are all aspiring to work in the entertainment or the music industry, so I know personally, being somebody who just goes to a regular state school, I don't go to, like, the “best music industry school” or “best business school.” I know that there's a lot of pressure for people to go to the “best school,” whatever that even means. And getting a degree in a specific area in order to be successful and to be credible. And I want to know what was your guys’ experience, wether when you were in school or getting out of school, because I know, Vivienne, you have a psychology major. That's a total flip. And I was an education major. So I don't know. I kind of want to know what your guys' “struggles” were or how you guys dealt with it. And any advice that you have for anybody who is also kind of in that same boat. 

Vivienne: From personal experience, I did apply to all my dream schools, like the big name brand schools that I did apply to, and I did get into them. But money wise was not the smartest decision to go to that school. But for me, my personal advice is don't take the name of the school that you're going to as you should feel ashamed about it, because for me, it's like people are like, “oh, like, the school you're going to is like the lowest rated Cal State. Why are you there,” make the most of your experience. Because you're there to learn anyways. It doesn't matter, like, what school you're going to, because the professors that are teaching there are all qualified anyways. So if you make the most of your experience, the name or the place that you're going to does not matter. It's like what you learn from it and what you can put out into the world after you graduate.

Maddy: Yeah. And I didn't do anything, like, in school. I have degrees in PR and marketing, but I did nothing in the music industry, really entertainment related in school, and I was always interested in it, but I didn't think it was possible. And Jaded was like the first avenue I took into learning ways to make this more possible. But, I mean, there are a lot of schools that don't have any programs through the music industry. And, like, I felt super discouraged and at a disadvantage because when I was in school, not thinking that the music industry was a possibility, I didn't do any internships with it. I didn't do anything like this. And I feel like a place like Jaded is great for people who are in school now and know what they want to do. And it's a good way to kind of show them the music industry and entertainment is possible. And it's kind of an early way to get people into it, which will be a huge advantage. As long as you kind of seek out knowledge and make connections with people who are in the industry that you want to be in, that's a huge first step. You're not like a super high end, expensive school. You could go to any school and do stuff outside of school that kind of qualifies you for a job in the field that you want to be in. So, yeah, don't let your school get you down and just kind of make the most of your time there.

Travis: Same with Maddy, I didn't go to school for music, and when I was looking for schools, I was looking for what I wanted to do at the time, which was, I think, Criminology or something. I changed my major, like, six times, and it's perfectly fine. And everyone would always judge me. Like, “why are you changing your major so much?” And I'm like, “It's fine. I'll figure it out.” And no matter what school you go to, everyone else has to just embrace it and enjoy your time there. And you're there to learn. It's not about where you're going to school. You're there to learn, and you're there to get your degree.

Maddy: And it's like Haidyn said, you do not work in the field that you went to school for. So it is not limiting at all, like, what you studied. I can't express that enough. I used to be petrified of choosing my major, that terrified me, because I was like, I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up, and I have no idea what path I want to take. So I just chose super broad. Like, PR is a really pretty broad subject to major in, because there are so many jobs in communications. And I was like, I just have to do something like that so I have all these options. So if you are like, 18,19 and you want to change your major six times, like Travis, do it. And if you don't know what you want to do, pick something totally random and something broad, like Communications. If you know you want to work in music, but you don't know what way you want to take it, pick something broad, and then you'll learn all these different things, and there are so many jobs that you could fit in with. So yeah go for it.

Haidyn: I am kind of in the same boat as Travis, so I did not know what I wanted to go to school with, when I originally started wanting to be a fashion major. I started out as a fashion, like for years. I wanted to be, like, a fashion designer. Didn't really like… if you all look at my style, it's not the greatest, but I wanted to design clothes, I can't really drop. But you go to school to learn from all that. I started out wanting to be a fashion major. Then I was like, “no, I'm going to be in government. Let's do the government.” So I went to government, and then I was like, I got, like, halfway through the government and I'm like, “no, we're going to do international affairs. You want to go live in another country and deal with politics there.” That's what I got my degree in. But after I graduated, I looked at my parents and I was like, “yeah, this is not what I want to do.” I have always thought about doing PR. Like, I wanted to go. I want to know the little secrets of people, like, I'm that little person that's like, “I want to know.” And PR, depending where you are in PR, you kind of know things. But I looked at my parents like, “I went the wrong way. What should I do?” And my dad, thank God, I love my dad with my whole heart. He was like, “you have a degree no matter what you do, what field you go into, they don't care what it is as long as you have the degree.” You can go from a top notch school like Harvard and be in the same position as someone who went to a no name little tiny school in the middle of Florida. They don't care where your school is, what you did. As long as you have a degree in something, they don't care. Just as long as you're qualified, they really don't care what you have. 

Maddy: Preach.

Vivienne: Exactly.

Joanna: I love that, especially… we say this in every episode. So I feel people are tired of hearing us say it. But like connections, especially in this industry, is… even whether you have a psychology major, whether you have an actual music business degree, at the end of the day, it's all about putting yourself in these types of positions where you can make those connections with people who are all trying to go in the same place. And I changed my major three times, too. And it's taken me longer to finish school than the “average person,” or what you're supposed to do. And that's fine. And I'm doing PR also. And it's also like a broad major, but it doesn't mean anything. It's about you setting yourself up for your own opportunities.

Jade: Yeah. I think what's also kind of cool is as everybody's talking about all the different paths that they took, we all ended up on this call together. It doesn't matter. I'm finance and information systems in my second semester of junior year right now. Do I want to do financing information systems? No. But we're here and we're doing it. So like the fact that it's international affairs and PR and psychology, like the fact that everybody came from a totally different place and we're all still on this call today and on this podcast today, it just goes to show that it literally doesn't really matter, you know what I mean? And we're all from different places, like Florida, California, Pittsburgh. Random. laughs We're still all doing it. So I think that that's super impactful and really goes to show that it doesn't matter where you go or what you do. It's like eye on the prize of what you want to do later, because it sounds like nobody's really doing a ton in what they majored in, which is something that's so interesting. And so this is super cool to hear. And I bet it's motivational to current students or to people thinking about college and not sure. Like, “do I need a music business major to go into the music business?” No, you do not. And I think it might actually make you really unique if you're not, because we're all coming from different backgrounds, and that could be a strength, because you don't need a music business degree to pursue the music business. So it could be a strength to come from different backgrounds like this. I think it's awesome! But for you guys, I guess we kind of just talked about it a little bit. But did you kind of know that you wanted to pursue the music industry? Like, I know, Haidyn, you said, like, fashion. But for the rest of you, how did you kind of end up in this position, if you knew that you wanted to do the music industry, how did you kind of, like, navigate the world of internships and the pressure of finding a full time music industry job? And if not, if you didn't know that you wanted to go into the music industry, how did you end up on this call today? How did you end up as part of Jaded Productions? How did that happen?

Haidyn: It's really funny. Yes, I wanted to be a fashion major when I was, like, in high school, up until I switched to politics, but always as a little kid. I remember when I first learned about PR and music industry jobs, I was like, “oh, I want to do that.” I want to be this famous person. Like, any little kid dreams. Like, I want to be famous. And then I got older, I was like, I'm this ordinary kid. I'm not going to be famous, I've come to terms with that. And I was like, “you need an ordinary job.” Go for ordinary business, whatever. So for some reason, I chose politics, which is not ordinary. And then I graduated, and so I was scrolling through TikTok like, one 20-something years old during a pandemic. And I actually scrolled upon Fan to Band, and they were like my gateway in. And I debated about it for, like, a month and a half before I reached out to them and was like, yeah, this assigns you need to do this. Got on their street team. And then I think I found out about Jaded through either Jade or Joanna through the street team. And I originally signed up to help I think Travis with TikToks and I still feel so bad I missed the interview for it. Still to this day, I still feel so bad.

Joanna: Why did I completely forgot that that was the thing? laughs

Haidyn: Oh, my God, it eats me alive every day! You have no idea!

Joanna: I mean hey look where you are now!

Haidyn: Yeah, I know. And then thank God they gave me a second chance. They were like, “hey, what about graphic design?” I was like, “hey, you're right. I won't miss the interview this time.” And I set so many alarms for that interview, and I did not think they would like any of my things. And here we are today, I help with graphics on Jaded which has made me, like, fall in love… I didn't think I wanted to be, like, graphics in the music industry or anything like that, but I think I really want to start doing more, not, like, merch wise, but graphics for any music, anything, like, entertainment wise. I think that's where I really want to go in the future, hopefully, if that helps me. But, yeah, that's how I'm here.

Maddy: I have always been, like, a mega fan girl. Like American Idol, I was obsessed, and I was like, I love these people, and I got so into it, and I got so into all this reality shows and all of these superstars, whatever. And then the Jonas Brothers came around, and I was like, “this is my future. Like, this is it.” And from there, I just moved up the ranks with all the bands and whatever, and I never really thought that the music industry was, like, I never thought it was, like, an attainable career. Like, when I was 18, it never even crossed my mind that it would be possible for me to work with this. And my whole life, I had people tell me in my family, like, “oh, you gotta do music. You got to work in the music industry.” My stepdad still to this day, like, “you got to get in this industry,” just because it's something that I love and that I've done so much that I just feel like I would fit in. And, like, Haidyn Fan to Band came up somewhere. I knew a girl that was in it. I joined the street team, and then I saw something from Jaded, and I interviewed, and I met Jade and Joanna, and I was like, “did we just become best friends?”

Joanna: laughs

Maddy: Immediately I loved them. I was like, this has to be something that I do, and I'm just, like, so grateful for it because I've made such good friends from Jaded, and I feel like it has opened up so much knowledge to me. Through Jaded, I've discovered so many other, I believe Travis works with another music industry group, but there are so many people out there that want to get into the industry and that are already paving the way, like Jade and Joanna, like, creating these things on your own, and it's just amazing, and it makes me want to work in the music industry even more professionally. So I knew I wanted to do it. Didn't think it was attainable, and then I've kind of stumbled into it, and I'm really grateful for that. And for stuff like Jaded so.

Joanna: You're all going to always make me cry!

Maddy: Don't cry!

Vivienne: It's way too emotional.

Jade: Too real, too real for me.

Vivienne: But same with Maddy. I didn't think working in the music industry was like, something attainable. Growing up, I took piano lessons, I was, like, always singing. I was writing my own songs. I was like, mega fan girl, keeping track of all these people, and I would tell my mom and my dad I want to be a musician. Like, “Look, I can do this on the piano. Look, I can do that.” And they would tell me, like, “oh, that's just a hobby. You can't do that. It's just a hobby. You have to do this. You have to get a stable career.” And my parents are like immigrants, so they're very focused on, like, “we came here for you to succeed. We didn't come here for you to play the piano.” So growing up, I was like, “okay, I'll just follow all these bands on the side. I'll do my little snooping on the internet to see what's going on on the side, and then I'll focus on a real career,” which is why I chose psychology, because I was like, this can get me to Med school. From Med school, I can be a doctor, and then I can have the money to do this in my free time. And then the pandemic happened, and I was like, that kind of just, like, ruined all my plans of a solid path. And then I saw Fan to Band, and I also saw, I think it was 1520 Vision on TikTok. And it was like, oh, like the fangirl to the music industry pipeline. And I was like, I can work in the music industry if I'm a fangirl? That doesn't make sense. Two and two does not equal, like, four. I was very confused, and I dug more into it, and I was like, “I've done all of this.” And I saw this one girl on TikTok, two, who ran a One Direction fan account that had over 100 something thousand followers. And it got her, like, a marketing job at Sony, because a fangirl is basically doing the same thing that a promotion company does, but we're doing it for free. And then I found Jaded, and I always told myself, I'm not the type of person to put myself on social media. I hate making TikToks. I hate posting on the internet. But then I saw a TikTok Assistant, and I was like, I don't know if I want to do this. I don't want to put my face on TikTok. But then I was like,, “no, you have to step out of your comfort zone and just put your face on the internet. Like, it doesn't matter. Just do it.” So then I applied, and I was like, “I don't think I'm going to get it,” because I felt like my interview with Jaded was so awkward. I was like, I feel like this was so awkward. And then they emailed me, and they're like, “oh, you got it.” I was like, “oh, my God.” This is like my first music job. Where do I go from here? And then because of you guys, I've been looking into more opportunities, and it's helped me a lot because it opened my mind. Like Maddy, there's so many things that are going on that are possible, like, they're not unattainable. And I was like, “okay, I got this now,” sorry that was really long.

Haidyn: Listen, I'm grateful that I missed my interview for TikTok because after being in Jaded, I literally look at both you and Travis, and I'm like, “I could have never done any of this.” I'm like you I was like, “Do I really want to put it on myself?” But it was one of those things… it’s like, I just wanted to get something into the music. And I was like, “TikTok: that's the thing they're looking for. I'm still trying to work at TikTok, here we go, we'll learn as we go!”

Maddy: I did an Artist Rec Friday, and I literally lost sleep over it.

Joanna: Aw!

Everyone: laughs

Maddy: I was so stressed out. I was like, “oh, my God, these people are going to think I'm so crazy.”

Travis: You killed it!

Maddy: I'm, like, embarrassed now, but yeah.

Jade: You lost sleep over it? laughs

Maddy: It's just, no, It’s just a “me thing.” I was so nervous about it, but, like, doing it, it wasn't that bad, but, like, the build up. I was like, “Oh, my God, how am I going to do this? I have to be, like, as good as Travis.”

Everyone: laughs

Travis: Oh my God stop.

Maddy: It’s so hard!

Vivienne: I was like, oh, my God, he's like a TikTok professional. He's going to clown me for the sh*t I help out with. I don't know if I can curse on this podcast.

Maddy: Viv is also so creative. She'll be like, “hey, what do you think about this?” And then she'll have it done in, like, 2 seconds. And I'm like, how did you even prepare for that? Like, you just knock it out. And I am forever jealous of that ability.

Haidyn: I'm forever grateful I missed that interview. I'm sorry for missing that interview, but I could have never been as good as Viv and Travis at all!

Travis: Kinda sad you weren't part of the TikTok crew, now that I know that.

Everyone: laughs

Jade: Yeah, we were originally supposed to interview, and then it was funny, because I think me and Joanna were on a call. We had, like, a billion interviews for that position during that week. And Joanna and I were like, all right, we got one more. Let's go break. Like, I'm going to go eat dinner, and then we'll come back for Haidyn’s. This is like, the last one.

Haidyn: It was so late at night, and I still feel so bad!

Joanna: laughs

Jade: And then I was like, “do you think she’s going to show?” And Joanna was like, “I don’t know,” it was like, me and Joanna just sitting on this type of Zoom call. Just sitting there like. But no, it worked out obviously!

Joanna: Yeah, everything happens for a reason. Like, Maddy and Vivienne. Like, you guys don't like, you didn't see yourselves as putting, like, being, like, a “creator,” like, that type of position, but you still have to do other things that apply to being a creator. That's not just making the videos, like, the set up and everything, and that's still something that's giving you experience and stepping out of your comfort zones.

Maddy: Yeah. Like, my boss is literally a YouTuber, and I watch this stuff happen all day, and I'm like, these people are so impressive. Like, people who are, like, “influencers.” I think I would love it, but I would hate it. I would love all the perks that they get, but they put so much work into it, it just blows my mind. So, yeah, big credit to everybody who does the content creation. It's so hard, but really rewarding, I think.

Jade: Travis, did you answer this one? 

Travis: I don't think I did. So, yeah, I didn't know that I wanted to work in the music industry either. I kind of realized I wanted to work in social media, and that's why I started changing my major to advertising and PR. And then I graduated in a pandemic. And my best friend Simi, I think some of you may know her, she was part of Fan to Band, and Jaded had posted about the positions, and she sent it to me, and she's like, “they're looking for a TikTok Manager. Like, you should apply,” because she knew I was trying to get into social media more, and I applied, and I had the best interview. And then, yeah, now I'm here.

Joanna: Travis is actually the first interview that we had. And it was funny, because I think out of all the people who applied, I think you were the only oddball. You were the only one who we didn't know of initially because everybody else was from Fan to Band or something. And we were like, “who is this guy?” SO it was like okay, like we went in with no expectations whatsoever. And then right away, me and Jade were like, “oh, my God, I love him”.

Jade: I was like, “are we doing the rest of the interviews, because he won”.

Everyone: laughs

Joanna: After… I want to say Vivienne was either literally right after him or, like, not so much after. But then we were like, “oh, but we love Vivienne, too”. And so then it was initially only one position, and then we were like, “you know what? Let's make it two,” because we wanted to bring Vivienne on too. Um, and then Haidyn didn't even interview. laughs

Everyone: laughs

Haidyn: I'm so sorry!

Jade: I was like, “you know, I’m sorry we had to turn you away from the TikTok position, we filled the positions,” but then two months later, I saved her email, because I was like, I will- if you apply for a Jaded position and you literally show me that you want to be a part of this, that is flattering in itself, to me because I created this little thing in my dorm room at college. The fact that somebody wants to be a part of this is freaking nuts! And everything you guys are saying is actually going to make me cry, because I can't believe that you all think that this is such a spectacular opportunity, and that was something that I was able to create? It’s insane! But anyway, I will save your email, and I will contact you if another position opens. And that is exactly what happened with Haidyn. I was like, “sorry, you missed your interview, like, a month ago or two, but we're looking for another graphic designer right now. Send me some of your stuff, and we'll consider it”. 

Haidyn: I was so nervous sending you my stuff when I got the email. Like, “hey, we're doing this. Do you want to? Like, do it?” I was like, “oh, my God, this is my second chance. Lord, help me”. I called my best, and I was like, oh, my God, she already knew I missed the interview. I called her. I was like, “they gave me another second chance for something else! Do I do it?” And at the time, I was trying to get into graphic design and everything, and she’s like, “do it. Send me things that you want to send so I can see if it's good”. I debated sending 20 things to you all because I didn't know what you all were looking for. I had so many things, and I was like, “oh, God, what do I say? What should I say?” I have to make it perfect. I have to make up for missing my other interview. It was so bad.

Jade: No, that's so cute. And it's just me, like somebody is scared of sending something to me, which is weird, but…

Joanna: You want to know something random, we brought Maddy on later because I don't remember why. We just were like, we need another person for TikTok.

Jade: We had, like, seven positions. That's crazy.

Joanna: Yeah.

Maddy: You wanted more eyes on the notifications in the For You Page, stuff like that. And I was like, “okay,” and I really wanted- I was in Fan to Band, but my schedule with work was just so crazy that I couldn't attend a lot of their stuff, which was so frustrating that I would be working for all of their different workshops. And I was like, “there has to be another way that I can get really involved and do something and meet more people and make more connections in the industry,” like you said. And then I saw that. I don't even know. I saw it on Instagram, somebody shared it. I don't know who, because I didn't know any of you before. I can't even remember where I saw it, but I know it was on Instagram, and I applied immediately, and there was another position, I applied to both of them. I was like, I want to be in this. I don't care what I do. Like, I want to be in this. I want to meet these people, and I want to get- And I was super psyched for it, and I got an interview, and I was just delighted, so I'm super grateful for it.

Joanna: It's funny hearing you guys say that you guys were nervous to be interviewed because I feel like me and Jade were nervous to do the interviewing. We were like, “who are we interviewing these people?” And I remember reading when we were bringing on more people, and when we interviewed Maddy because she was also an oddball, we didn't know you, we were like, “who is this girl? How did she find us?” And I remember your application was so good because you were like, “oh, I work with this guy and Dah, Dah, Dah”. And I was just like, “oh, my God”. And then when we interviewed you, I don't remember why. I think we talked about some- We talked about some artist.

Maddy” You've had a Harry tapestry behind you. And I was like, “I love that!” 

Joanna: Yeah, exactly! And I was like, “okay, she's one of us, like, we need her”.

Haidyn: “One of us, one of us!”

Joanna: laughs literally!

Maddy: I knew it. We clicked. And that's literally all it takes, not to sound like a mom. Like, this is such a mom thing to say, but I don't mean a mom thing to say. But connections are so easy to make. Like, especially now, literally you follow someone on Instagram, our age, in the same thing. You DM them, and you can be friends like that. Even LinkedIn, I know it's way more professional, but sometimes Instagram is easier. But if you add somebody on LinkedIn, it's crazy how many connections- the whole world just opens up when you make you send one friend request, or apply to one interview, and then you meet all these different people. So just go for it. Even if you're not in the music industry, just go for it. 

Jade: Yeah, I love it. Well, that kind of, like, pushes us into our final question for you guys, which is like, the music industry is obviously tough to break into. It's one of the tougher fields because it's one of the smaller fields, and people tend to think that they can't do it so they give up before they even get started, in a way. But you all got started and you're well on your way to being extremely successful professionals, I have no doubt. But what is your advice to anyone who's listening now and is nervous and they might be in college and they might be going to college thinking about a music business degree. They might be in college with- They might be a finance and information systems person sitting in Pittsburgh, no clue how they're going to do it! What is your advice for someone who's super nervous about pursuing this industry? 

Maddy: Don't be nervous, because everyone is so nice. And there are so many ways- if you don't really like talking to people face to face, message them on Instagram, message them on LinkedIn. There are so many ways to break into this. And even if it's not professional, you feel so much… It's so exciting to work for something smaller, like Jaded or like, Fan To Band. Even if you're not working for, like, Sony or some massive record label, it's still super cool to be in a more niche area of it. And I feel like if you just don't say no and you don't turn down any opportunity that’s hand it to you. You'll break into it eventually, and on what scale? It's impossible to tell because things change so often. But I just feel like even if like me, if you go all through college and don't do anything music industry related, don't do any internships, like, there are still so many ways to break into it later, and so many ways to use any degree in the music industry. Finance, I'm sure there are tons of people that work in finance in the music industry. So anything like that, there's so many different ways to break into it. So just kind of follow your heart and your gut and something will happen.

Travis:Definitely network your butt off. Like, network, network, network. laughs If you just like on LinkedIn and you see someone posting about a job, drop a comment. Like, “Seems like a great opportunity for me, connecting with you now,” something as simple as that. Like Maddy said, DM them on Instagram, send them a message on LinkedIn. Like, what's the worst that's going to happen? You know? Like, they're not going to reply, but like, don't be nervous. Just like, literally what she said, like, follow your heart and don't listen to anyone else, because I'm sure there's a lot of people who are like, “oh, the music industry, you're never going to get a job in that”. But if it's what you want to do, then do it.

Vivienne: Following up, I also agree with what Maddy and Travis said. Even if you go all throughout college and you're like your last semester, you're about to graduate and you have nothing to do with the music industry or you haven't done anything related to the music industry yet, don't feel discouraged because it's never too late. Everybody goes at their own pace. You're going to find what fits you at some time or another, and it's all about connections, like coming from someone who's extremely introverted. Like Travis said, the worst thing that's going to happen is they're not going to reply. So as long as you put yourself out there, your name will be found eventually. And something else is if you see a job listing for something that you want to apply to and then you read the requirements and you obviously, clearly don't match the requirements. Like, you don't have three years of experience in this or that- apply anyway because the chances of you getting it, they might be small, but there's still a chance. And the fact that you had the courage enough to just apply knowing that you aren't qualified, but you're willing to learn also says a lot. So just put yourself out there. Even if it does make you a little uncomfortable, it'll kind of push you closer to what you want and just do what you want to do. Do you.

Haidyn: But yeah, network. That has always been the biggest thing. I didn't think it was a thing, obviously. I knew it was a thing, but I'm like, “no, why network. It's not going to help you in the long run,” but trust me, it does. It will be your saving grace whether you know someone- like a friend of a friend. Like a producer, obviously not, but you know what I mean. They could help you! They know you from their friends. It's a whole system of just networking. That's all it is. And trust your gut. Like Viv said, just go for it and maybe it works out, maybe it's not. If it doesn't work out, go again. Just go for it. Trust your guy. Obviously, everyone can be nervous. Everyone's always nervous. No one ever is going to lie to you and be like, “oh, I'm not nervous”. They're nervous. Everyone is this human thing. So just go for it. Whether you think you're going to get it or not. Just go, do it. 

Maddy: To follow up Haidyn like, exactly what you said about networking. It's exactly what happened to you when trying to join Jaded. You sent an email. Something happened, something didn't work out, and Jade remembered you, reached out to you, and boom, here you are. So I don't think I can- again, when I was in school, I was like, “oh, networking, whatever”. But it is so important. It is so easy, especially now. So go for it.

Haidyn: Especially with today's day being like, everything's on social media, everything's on the Internet. The way to get through life at this point now is through networking. Whether you personally know them or you have just something like, “Hi, how are you? What do you do,” that's literally? Granted, I don't know if you consider thar networking, but they would be like, “oh, we've had a conversation about XY and Z. I know they're looking for that, even though I've never met them in person. Let me send them this job application”. Like, what happened when Travis like, “here's this, apply for it. I think you'd be good at it”. It's all about networking, no matter if you know them actually or not.

Jade: Yeah. And handling mistakes professionally just to piggyback off what Maddy said about Haidyn. Like Hayden said, “I'm so sorry that I missed the interview. Is there anything that I can do? If not, thank you so much for your time”. She handled it extremely professionally.

Haidyn: Did you just read my email?

Jade: No!

Joanna: laughs

Haidyn: I did send that to y’all!

Jade: I just pulled that out of my inbox.laughs i just remembered what you said because that sticks in the minds of people is like, “oh, she handled this like,” things happen. She missed it. No big deal, but she handled it professionally, and she apologized. The same thing whenever you connect with somebody and they give you advice, like some current music and issue professional, you send them a thank you right after you talk to them and tell them how grateful you are. Because then the next time, not that you're looking for this super opportunity, you're looking to use their connection as something bigger, but people appreciate the small things. And then that's how I remembered Haidyn for the next position that we had open. I was like, hey, things happen. She missed it. No big deal. Here's another position that's open. We didn't do that with everybody that missed their interview or even if they came to their interview, she took the extra step to say, like, “I'm sorry. And if there's anything else that I can do, let me know”. So I remembered her first when we went to the graphic designer position, and then things kind of snowball. So don't forget to just be professional in everything that you do. 

Joanna: Yeah. And I think another big thing, especially like how Haidyn said, everything is on social media. Don't be afraid to show your passions on social media, too, because you might think somebody following you on Instagram- that might not be a big deal. But if they see that you're really into the industry or you are reading this article, or this and that whatever, nothing goes unnoticed, especially on social media. You might think that, but everyone's going to see something that you're doing. Everybody's going to see that you're pursuing this. And in the future, like what we said before, they might reach out to you and be like, “hey, are you still interested in doing this? Because I saw this,” and you just really never know what can happen. Whether it's on a professional level, whether it's on a personal level, whatever. Just never be afraid to show that that's something that you want to do, and especially it can seem embarrassing. It can seem like, “oh, these people don't understand. These people don't understand that this is something that I'm enjoying,” but other people will understand. And that's all that matters because those are the people who are going to get you places. Anybody who doesn't think that you can make it in the industry or that this isn't a “realistic job” or a steady job or whatever, don't listen to them because you will be surprised how far you can go if you keep going.

Vivienne: Exactly. 

Jade: Just like, as a current student, if you're a current student, like, opportunities all around you, especially in school, I'm sure your school has a radio station or something. I got involved in my radio station and just opportunities all around you. If you keep your eyes open for it, it'll show up. And like everybody else said, network, network, network. And also believe in yourself, because I thought it was like, totally a pipe dream. But I was like, let me just start an artist management company because I think Scooter Braun is kind of cool. And now I'm talking to five people that I work with all the time. And it's just like, crazy, crazy. So believe in yourself first, and then other people will believe that you are a professional, even if you're nervous about interviewing them. It's crazy how things flip around whenever you just start to believe in yourself. But anyway, go ahead Viv.

Vivienne: I was going to just go off what Joanna said. Don't be afraid to show your passions on social media, because I remember in high school before, I never wanted to share any posts or talk about, “oh- so and so is having a concert, or I'm doing this type of music”. I never wanted to share any of that. And then recently, I was more comfortable sharing it, like, on my stories or talking about it on social media. And my friends still say, “oh, why are you doing that? That's kind of weird. You're exposing yourself". This is supposed to be, like, a little secret. Don't tell anybody”. And the more I started posting about the people I love or the people I support, a lot of people have reached out to me, like, through DM, saying, “oh, my God, you like this person”. This girl reached out to me. She was like, oh, my media company is doing this, like, an AAPI event featuring Asian American artists. I would love it if you come and talk about them with us. And I'm like- it opened so many doors. And if people are telling you, don't post it because it's embarrassing. Like, don't listen to them. Just do what makes you happy. And if they have something to say, they're not your friend. You can find people who have the same interests as you and will praise you for being proud of what you're passionate about.

Maddy: It’s your Instagram. Do with it what you want. 

Joanna: Yeah, literally! The first time me and Vivian ever talked was because she posted her Hairy Styles air freshener. And I was like, “oh, my God, I have one, too!” We had never spoken.

Maddy: Viv and I bonded over that immediately, too, because I also have one!

Everyone: laughs

Joanna: Exactly. And that was before Jaded was really a thing. I was just like, “oh, another person who's interested in something that I'm interested in. Cool”. And then when she applied for the position, I was like, “wait, I know her”. And then obviously that gives her a one up in the process, because I'm like, “oh, I know that she's into music. Like, why not bring her on?” But to close this off, this is something that I think is hilarious when- I think I'm pretty sure it was Snoop Dogg. When Snoop Dogg was accepting, like, his Hall of Fame or whatever, like, star on the Walk of Fame, he said in his speech, he was like, “I want to thank me for getting me through this”. And I was like, “exactly”. Because at the end of the day, you're the one who's getting you. You're the one who's doing it for you. You're not doing it for anybody else. You're doing it for you. So if other people have something to say about it, whatever.

Jade: Also Joanna, Jaded was a thing. laughs

Joanna: How do you know? I don't remember what it was that I said to her! laughs

Jade: No, yeah.

Joanna: Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Jade: It was a thing, you were like, “before jaded was a thing”.

Joanna: Oh, you know what I mean!

Jade: laughs No, just kidding. Go on now.

Joanna: No, that was it. chuckles

Jade: Oh, cool. I was like, no, Jaded was a thing in my little heart and to my 50 followers.

Everyone: laughs And to the girl that I went to high school with who I somewhat helped, the first artist. But yeah, I think it's super cool and I think that all our stories have different motivational aspects to it because we all ended up here and there's no telling where everybody is going to go. Every single person on this call is going to be extremely successful in the music industry, no doubts. But the fact that we all came from such different backgrounds like PR, communications, international stairs, everything like under the sun you can think of, you can go into any major- I think the point that we're all trying to make is that you can go into any major, have any idea behind you of what you want to do in the music industry, and you can go for it. I'm pretty sure the only thing that you can't do that you have to have to have a degree for is like the law aspect of it, but mostly everything else, if you get a degree in anything, as long as you're willing to work super hard, somebody is going to give you a chance. Just persistence and having intelligence and people behind you, and I think that's the point of networking, too. But yeah! So thank you so much to everybody for tuning in. Thank you to Haidyn, Travis, Vivian, Maddy, and Joanna for co-hosting with me. I think that’s it, does anybody have any last comments before we? Awesome! All right, well, thanks, everybody for tuning in. This has been another episode of A Little Jaded.

Transcribed By: Mai Vo

Edited By: Joanna Serrano