Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.
My name is Ilka Erren Pardinas and I am the owner and founder of the Los Angeles based indie publicity firm, Fly PR. I grew up in San Francisco, moved to Europe after high school and lived mainly in Germany until after college. I then had the harebrained idea to 'make it in the music biz' so I moved to Los Angeles. I started working as an intern at New Renaissance Records, a metal label run by Ann Boleyn of the band Hellion. From there I ended up at a booking agency called E-Talent with Bruce Eisenberg and from there eventually met my mentor, the woman who really taught me everything I know about publicity, Vicki Greenleaf. I left her firm and started Fly PR to focus on music clients. That was over 15 years ago!
This year has been one of thee best for Fly PR! We are handling the launch of a new series (mostly archival records) for our longest running client Smog Veil Records (Cleveland, Ohio specialists!). We handle tour press for Plowboy Records artists The Ghost Wolves, Blackfoot Gypsies and JD Wilkes and the Dirt Daubers plus have done tons of tours and publicity in general for Cheetah Chrome. And we have Blind Idiot God's first new album in over 20 years, plus songwriter and pianist Dawn Oberg, Karina Denike of Dance Hall Crashers and Jessica Lee Wilkes (of the aforementioned Dirt Daubers. So we are stoked!
What drove you to choose your career path?
I actually wanted to be a journalist. But I realized I was not passionately writing but was passionately going to (rock) shows and networking like crazy. When I had the opportunity at an internship to learn publicity I jumped at it. (thank you Anne Boleyn/Hellion and New Renaissance! Also Olga Chaiko and Frozen Hound!) I initially thought "this'll be the best way to meet all the editors and then I can get a writing gig!" But what really ended up happening was that I turned out to be a decent publicist and decided to stick with that.
How did you go about getting your job? What kind of education and experience did you need?
I looked in the Recycler (newsprint equivalent of Craigslist) and called places looking for music industry interns. I think New Renaissance may have been one of the very first places I called and they hired me more or less on the spot. It worked out great because they had a connection to Europe, the band Hellion having toured there with King Diamond and the Russia / USSR metal gods KRUIZ. Even though I am American I had not lived in the U.S. for nearly eight years and was kind of more German and they liked that and we clicked. So I think my willingness to jump in and my weird background are what helped me. I was so ambitious I worked long hours and even went to Foundations Forum (metal music conference) with them straight from work possibly that first night on the job.
I actually studied International Relations at Schiller University in Heidelberg, Germany. According to that I should've been working in an Embassy, Consulate or similar (possibly in Washington, D.C.). But the 'relations' part applied!
What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?
Writing emails. (used to be talking on the phone and to me personally that was actually more fun!)
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
That we do publishing, marketing, advertising and social media or street marketing.
What are your average work hours?
On average I clock between 10 to 12 hours a day, sometimes 14 or more. Just depends on deadlines, and shifting priorities.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
In some ways social media has helped in terms of researching both clients and journalists and others we're pitching. I love the little Twitter 'bios' or profiles because you can at a glance learn quite a bit, and the feed provides the rest of what you need to know. Not always. But often. Linked In profiles also. Facebook too, but not as succinctly.
What do you do differently from your coworkers or peers in the same profession?
I think doing research on your clients and who you are pitching is extremely important. I also believe that being polite and professional is paramount. I feel very personally passionate about doing a good job for all of my clients and have a 'leave no stone unturned' approach. And I never think you can get a client enough publicity. If we've gotten the local weekly to cover a band's tour date, we'll next go after the dailies, then radio stations, bloggers, etc. We just keep going. We also take and keep copious notes on the work we do and have systems and protocols in place to show results and keep track of our work. I've heard that is something unique to Fly PR.
Do you have any advice for people who need to enlist your services?
I'd say the important thing is to do whatever you need to do to feel 100% happy and confident in your decision to hire me and my firm. Ask questions, call the referrals I gave you, make sure you feel we're a good match for you. Oh and make sure the fees you will pay us are not a financial hardship for you. I don't want to put anyone in the poor house, and I think our pricing is extremely fair and competitive – but people frequently hire us and then harp on the financial burden it is to pay us, etc. If you haven't got money for publicity then I think you should not hire a publicist.
What's the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?
Worst thing is when a client doesn't understand how publicity works despite my efforts at explaining it to them. If someone feels disappointed, that is crushing for me. Also when there just isn't any business. Sometimes we have slumps. That gets depressing.
Am not sure I deal with either of these negative aspects of my career all that well to be honest.
What's the most enjoyable part of the job?
When I land a new client I love and I work out their publicity and marketing plan. Also, it is a real high when I land coverage for any of my clients, especially when it is a big or important piece like a cover story or an interview. So exciting! Such a rush!
What kind of money can one expect to make at your job?
I think it varies vastly. If you end up as an account manager at a big PR firm and are constantly closing on new clients I am sure you can make a lot of money. But on the end of the spectrum I find myself on I think you can say you're successful once you can 100% pay all your bills, put a little money aside, take some vacations. But PR is tough, hard work. You will always work your ass off for whatever income bracket you end up in this biz.
How do you move up in your field?
By becoming an excellent publicist and being excellent at networking and knowing who to tell your brilliant ideas to (that would be the folks that will hire you and not the folks that will just steal your ideas). Also there are subtle ways to constantly be doing your own publicity. Master those.
What advice would you give to those aspiring to join your profession?
Important things to learn or know how to do include 1.) being an amazing researcher; 2.) being a very good writer and communicator; 3.) having excellent networking and phone skills; 4.) always being polite and professional. You should learn as much as you can about the publicity profession and intern at two different places if you can. One more corporate place and one smaller firm. It'll help you decide where you see yourself in the grand scheme of things. Personally I have never been drawn to anything corporate.