RECORD COMPANY
Publicity And Media Relations: Senior Vice President • Vice President (media Relations Or Publicity)
JOB OVERVIEW
Publicity personnel manage and direct media relations for the company and artists. Bob Merlis, spokesperson for Warner Brothers Records, directs and oversees all media endeavors for individual artists and the company as a whole. Under this broad umbrella is the creation of press releases, biographies, promotional literature, and all media related services.
PREREQUISITES
Although not all publicists can write, the ability to compose a press release or biography is a major plus. You need good verbal communication skills and a friendly, outgoing personality.
CAREER TIPS
When you're starting out, “I think it's good to work for a big company because you get to see the big picture with all the possibilities.”
Take creative writing and other classes that will help you to hone your writing skills.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Much of Merlis' day is spent working on the telephone. He focuses on talking with artists, managers, and various media people, obtaining information and listening for opportunities to plug into an appropriate media campaign. He may issue a press release, be required to make a statement to the media on behalf of the company, or devise a game plan for an artist's upcoming release. He attends meetings with other department heads and corporate executives, and relays information to the company's offices around the world.
POINTERS FOR THE JOB SEARCH
“If your inclination is to write, then get yourself published in newspapers and magazines or on line. Get your feet wet and know who the players are. Start in an assistant type position and get some kind of an overview. You may discover you don't like it.”
BOB MERLIS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT WORLD WIDE CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS, WARNER BROS. RECORDS, INC.
A record collector from an early age, Brooklyn native Bob Merlis was fascinated by the label copy and album notes found on the recordings. “I read all the material found on a single or album: the inner sleeve and liner notes, publishing credits and all of that. The Motown label had a map of Detroit and Atlantic Records had little figures on the singles sleeve. It all fascinated me; anything to do with music I found interesting.”
As a student at Columbia University, he auditioned for a deejay slot at the campus radio station, but was rejected. He ended up programming the jukebox in the student union and promoting concerts on campus, working with some of the top pop acts of the mid-1960s. After only three days of journalism school at U.C. Berkeley in California, he was convinced that his true interest lay in music. He headed to New York to search for a job. “I just beat the pavement. I looked in the phone book for all the record companies and then through the trade magazines.” He contacted every company that would let him in the door and was finally offered a job as an office boy at Record World magazine. Upon reporting to work two weeks later, he discovered that the job had been filled. The editor, impressed that Merlis wanted a job in the music business badly enough to move across the country to be an office boy, made him an assistant editor instead. Not knowing what the position entailed, he learned on the job. “I got to interview different people and write articles about musical topics. That's how I got in the music business.”
After three years, Merlis was hired as a junior publicist at Warner Brothers Records in 1971. Again learning on the job, he was instrumental in introducing classic English rock acts like T-Rex, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple to America. He left in 1973 for brief stints at a small Warner distributed label and RCA Records, before returning to Warner Brothers in 1974.
THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS JOB
“Meetings—I try to go to as few meetings as possible. I'd rather be talking to people in the media, artists, and management.”
THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS JOB
“The proximity to people who make music is what got me into the music business.”
Merlis moved to Los Angeles in 1975 to head up the publicity department at the label's home office. In addition to his department head duties, he personally handles publicity for John Fogarty, Neil Young, and Chris Isaak, among others, and has risen to senior vice president of worldwide corporate communications.
The AOL and Time Warner merger brought major cutbacks and restructuring to the music divisions. In 2001, after 28 years with Warner Bros. Records, Merlis exited. “I never bounded around,” he said. “I never took any other offers because they weren't as good as what I had.”
With nearly 30 years of experience in the music business, Merlis opened his own consulting firm, M.f.h. (Merlis for hire). He also co-founded Memphis International Records, an independent blues and roots-oriented label. www.bobmerlis.com
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