MANAGEMENT
Executive Assistant • Assistant
JOB OVERVIEW
These assistants handle a variety of paperwork, answer phone calls and e-mail, order concert tickets, and interface with record label, management team, publicists and agents.
CAREER TIPS
“It's a lot easier to communicate with people if you're a little laid back and easy to talk to, rather than someone who is rigid and uptight.”
“You definitely have to do the grunt work at the beginning and feel okay about it.”
SPECIAL SKILLS
“Being anal; being meticulous,” are skills that helped Beth Barnett become successful. “You're getting information and paperwork from all different directions and if you're not organized, then it gets a little crazy. You're dealing with contractual agreements, so you have to be meticulous and orderly. Communication skills.”
THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE JOB:
“I think the worst thing is dealing with new artists’ unsolicited material. You just get bombarded. The fans can be a little hard; somebody calling and saying, ‘Hi, I'd like to have R.E.M. play at my cookout in July.’ “
THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS JOB:
“Being able to stand on stage behind them [Widespread Panic] and see what they see—the expressions on people's faces—being able to see that perspective at a live show is cool. Whenever I get frustrated with my job, I will put in a bootleg of Widespread Panic and go for a drive and listen to them—I love that band.”
A DAY IN THE LIFE
“When I arrive, I go through e-mail—I'm the computer person at our company, so if there are any computer glitches, I deal with those first. Take calls that come in for Buck [Williams, her boss] and I arrange a time for them to talk. Most of those I speak with are people at Widespread Panic's management company. I schedule any trips that Buck needs to take. I'm the go-between person sometimes, passing words between Buck and his bands or anybody else. I talk to the record labels. Anything that needs to get done here in the office, I take care of.”
POINTERS FOR THE JOB SEARCH
Gain strong clerical skills and organizational skills so that you are an asset to an organization. Be willing to start as a receptionist, an intern, in the mail room, as part-time or temporary help to gain experience and get a foot in the door.
BETH BARNETT, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO BUCK WILLIAMS, PROGRESSIVE GLOBAL AGENCY
Vir ginia native Beth Barnett was living in Colorado when the urge to work in the music business struck. “I was hanging out with people who ran a lot of the bars that had live music, and with the publicity people from Fox Theater. One of my Colorado friends had worked for Buck [Williams] in New York and when he decided to start this company, he called her. She knew I really wanted to be involved in the music business, so as the company grew and she needed an assistant, she called and asked if I'd like to move to Nashville.” When her friend left the firm, Barnett took over her duties and became Williams’ executive assistant, becoming less involved in the agency side of the company, and devoting much of her time to artist management issues. Some of the agency's clients include Widespread Panic, Tyler James, R.E.M., Tortured Soul, and DJ Logic. www.pgamusic.com/agency
CAREER TIPS
“This business is a business of networking. That is the key.” In the music industry, there is a lot of truth in the adages “it's who you know” and “being in the right place at the right time.”
“Be willing to help people and they'll help you in return.”
Additional topics
- MANAGEMENT - Personal Assistant • Operations Manager
- MANAGEMENT - Tour Assistant • Management Assistant • Production Coordinator
Job Descriptions and Careers, Career and Job Opportunities, Career Search, and Career Choices and ProfilesCareers in the Music BusinessMANAGEMENT - Personal Managers: Artist Manager • Manager • Personal Manager, Manager Of Producers, Engineers, And Mixers