Adrenaline PR, a boutique marketing, public relations and branding agency founded by publicity powerhouse Maria Ferrero, was formed to represent and cultivate some of today's hottest talent.
Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.
Hi, my name is Arielle Rosselli and I am a senior publicist at Adrenaline PR and assist in management duties at Breaking Bands LLC. My duties at Adrenaline PR are setting up exclusive premieres, streams, features, setting up press days for clients, devising marketing strategies with my co-workers as well as organizing tour dates into regional blasts. My duties at Breaking Bands LLC are assisting with clerical duties, coordinating schedules, basically anything that managers Maria Ferrero, Chuck Billy and Jonny Z need facilitated for their bands. I have been a metal head ever since I could remember and it was that love for the genre that drove me into this career path. At the age of 19, I got my start in the industry as an intern at Roadrunner Records. Following that internship I interned at The End Records, handled social media marketing for my college’s chapter of The American Advertising Federation and conducted discussions with SONY Music – all which led me to Adrenaline PR when I graduated from CUNY City College.
What drove you to choose your career path?
As I mentioned above, I have always had a love for Metal music. It was not until I was in High School that my love for the music literally consumed every waking hour of my life. I had to learn everything there was to know about the sub-genres of Metal that I was listening to (devouring the history and idiosyncrasies). Realizing how much of it consumed my life, I realized that I had no other choice but to pursue a career in music.
How did you go about getting your job? What kind of education and experience did you need?
Besides having vast amount of knowledge of your field and genre(s) of music, networking and keeping in touch with everyone that was there to mentor you along your career path is KEY. As stated before, I graduated from CUNY City College. I graduated with a BA in Management and Administration. My last month of my college career was spent applying for jobs in music and getting my ducks in a row. One of my contacts told me that Adrenaline PR was hiring. I took a shot and applied (because the office is outside of NY) – turned out to be the best move that I could have made. I accepted the job and have been at Adrenaline PR since graduating from college. I am lucky to be a part of a company that fosters creativity, teamwork and overall growth, plus our bands are awesome!
What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?
I mostly write, call/pitch writers and editors, edit, obtain tour date information, as well as bounce ideas back and forth with my boss Maria Ferrero and co-worker Natalie Camillo to make sure that we get the most for our clients.
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
That we just hang out with rock stars. I am definitely lucky to have forged close friendships with some of the artists that we work with and am fortunate enough to see them when they come to town but it is a lot more than that. Also, another misconception is that everything happens magically – I cannot stress this enough, it is about teamwork to make sure that a campaign is successful.
What are your average work hours?
Office hours are 10-6 PM Eastern Time, but I am always on call in case of a client needs anything. Thank the universe for my smart phone, tablet and laptop.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
There are no shortcuts – being organized (reminders, to do lists, folders), being on time and looking/acting professional are paramount. You are not just representing yourself, you represent the company that you work for and your clients (important to lead by example when you are onsite with a client).
What do you do differently from your coworkers or peers in the same profession?
I do not compare myself to other peers in the industry and for my co-workers it is not a competition. At Adrenaline PR we are a team and rely on each other.
Do you have any advice for people who need to enlist your services?
As the person who handles gathering all of the touring information, it is important that I receive a booking agent itinerary (date, venue name, venue address, age restrictions, ticket prices and door times). It is important because writers need it to preview the shows. Campaigns are only as strong as the information we are given ahead of time. Also, let us know if any of the events are special (ie: charity event, home town show etc.) and if you are in major cities for a period of time so that you can get the most out of your press campaign! Also, no such thing as a dumb question, not sure what it is that we need ahead of time, please ask!
What's the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?
Ha! Trying to dig for dirt I see? There are no pitfalls, if there were, I would not be in this industry!
What's the most enjoyable part of the job?
I will start off with a cliché - seeing the bands that we continue to work with grow, watching the crowd feed off of what our clients do onstage. But, I will definitely say I love having the opportunity to think outside of the box to create something special for a client that they would not think was possible!
What kind of money can one expect to make at your job?
I cannot really answer that – depends on which company you work for, the level of your position, etc,
How do you move up in your field?
Hard work, being professional, network (as I mentioned all the way in the beginning, remember who helped you along the way), be a team player and be organized/knowledgeable.
What advice would you give to those aspiring to join your profession?
Make sure that you have a tough skin, it is a hard field to break into but if you are passionate about what you do it will all be worth it.
Thank you for interviewing me and make sure to check out/follow:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdrenalinePR
Twitter: @adrenalinepr and @arielle_apr