Williams, whom she had met while working at
Warner Alliance, asked if she would
manage his recording studio. After checking out
the position, Lee was hired as studio
manager in 1999. www.mastermix.com
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS AND COMPANIES
GENERAL MANAGER · MANAGER
JOB OVERVIEW
At Hamstein Productions, Ginny Johnson oversees
the daily operations of the
company in its three areas of focus:
coordinating projects for producers and artists,
managing producers, and developing artists with
the goal of landing a major record-
ing contract.
PREREQUISITES
To succeed, you should have an ear for great
songs, an understanding of the A&R
and recording process, strong contacts within
the industry, and people skills. "You
have to really listen and be aware of
everything that is going on in the industry in
general and with your clients. The ability to
find great songs is invaluable because
that is where the whole process starts. It all
starts with the music and in order to be
successful, you've got to have hit
songs."
A DAY IN THE LIFE
"On Mondays we start the day off with a staff
meeting to discuss all of the pro-
jects that we're coordinating," says Johnson.
"We go over our signed artists in detail
and converse about what needs to
be
done on their projects. We have an
A&R
meeting that is solely to listen to
songs
for our artists. In between meetings
I'm
constantly on the phone,
coordinating
various projects, talking to song
plug-
gers, putting songs on hold, and
taking
them off hold. Because we're
always
looking for new artists, I'm
constantly
asking publishers about
writer/artists.
Throughout the day I talk with
label
A&R staff and managers about the
dif-
ferent projects we're working on.
I
might be looking for a manager for
one
of our artists, dropping by a studio
to
"You have to be dedicated, work
very, very hard, and be willing
to work long hours. That is
what enabled me to move up as
quickly as I did. I put in long
days, worked hard, and I
always went the extra mile. It
paid off for me."
Read liner notes and learn
credits for producers, songwrit-
ers, and publishers.
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