Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.
I will start with a “Hello!” and thank everyone for reading and thank you to Kill The Music for this spotlight! My name is Dayna Ghiraldi-Travers and I own Big Picture Media, an Entertainment Publicity agency based in NYC. I was born and raised in NY, did my internships and attended college in NY and started my business here.
What drove you to choose your career path?
I think I have always been a natural planner. I have always been the social organizer of my friends, even looking back to high school. I always was pushing the music I loved on friends and making them listen to what I thought was good. I think publicity was a natural choice for me because I am outgoing and a people pleaser. I always want everyone to have a good time and be friends. I am a natural connector. Music was something at a very young age I was passionate about so it was an easy fit that I went into this direction.
How did you go about getting your job? What kind of education and experience did you need?
I got my first job out of college at a very small PR firm and they hired me because of my extensive internships. I wouldnt have been able to get my internships without being enrolled in college so I think that helped. Nowadays you can get an internship without needing college credit so it is a bit easier.
What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?
Being a publicist and a business owner, my time is divided equally doing both. I have a few of my constant clients that I work on like The Used, New Found Glory, Larkin Poe and Emo Night LA and a few more come and go throughout the year, but I also run the entire company. Everything from day to day staff meetings to hiring team members to new business, to ordering our business cards, social media, website, paying the rent, etc! I have my hand in every little thing.
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
I think a common misconception is that it is not all glam and glamour. Yes, we have the best jobs. We get to hang out with our bands when they are in town and take them from interview to interview and we love every second of it. We get to go to shows and be VIP and get to produce red carpet events and all of those amazing perks, but for the most part we are sitting at our desks emailing, pitching, talking to our clients on the phone and organizing.
What are your average work hours?
Oh man, you don’t want to know. I would say I do an average of 75-85 hours per week.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
Personal tips would be to stay one step ahead of your work load and your clients. Try to prepare yourself for every possible situation. Short cuts, I don’t have any. If you do, please share. Does CTRL C count? :-)
What do you do differently from your coworkers or peers in the same profession?
My approach is to be as honest as possible. We communicate so much, we may over share. We want to give our clients the feedback that they pay us for, whether that is positive or comes with a sting. We build relationships with our clients. We don’t see them as short term. We have had some clients on the roster since 2007. Our business model is not assembly line, we only take on a certain amount of new clients at a time and it is very competitive. When they come to us, they better be ready to work because we keep them busy!
Do you have any advice for people who need to enlist your services?
A little bit about what I said above. When you come to us, be ready to work. Have your product (music, press photos, bio, socials) all up to date. And also, know who you are. Know your voice. Know your vision. The more information we have about you, the easier our job is.
What's the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?
The worst part for me personally is having to turn down work because we don’t have the bandwidth. I don’t overload my publicists rosters for the sake of each client feeling like they get the attention they deserve. In turn, we sometimes have no room to take on anything new and have to pass it along to another reputable publicist. I always keep in touch with them so they can come back to us when we have room, but it does sting when we have to turn them away.
What's the most enjoyable part of the job?
EVERYTHING. I truly love what I do as a publicist and a business owner. Every day is different and I thrive on the success of our clients, my staff and my company as a whole. I get to listen to the bands I love and get paid to tell the world about them. Nothing better than that.
What kind of money can one expect to make at your job?
It depends on what level you start at. If it an entry level position right out of college, anywhere from $26k-$30k depending on the experience you have interning, your personal relationships and your understanding of the role. As you move up in the field, you can make great money doing PR, especially if you grow your network and bring in business and receive commissions.
How do you move up in your field?
Shake hands, leave a positive impression, work hard. PR isn’t difficult, it is just faced paced and intense.
What advice would you give to those aspiring to join your profession?
Give it a shot! If it isn’t for you, you will know pretty early on. We have some interns who started with us as Freshman and stayed with us trough their Senior Year and we hired them after graduation. We also have some interns who last 3 days and run for the hills.
Thank you so much for your time!
If anyone has additional questions or wants to contact me, they can do so here: Dayna@BigPictureMediaOnline.com