The Industry Connection

Interview with Maria Gironas, General Manager, Keychange US and Founder + CEO of Cool Shit, Cool People 

Author

Assistants vs. Agents
January 04, 2024

👋 Happy New Year (sick of hearing it yet?)

Today we dive into news that you missed while only eating sugar, bread and cheese for the last 2 weeks, plus some new jobs/internships if switching companies was part of your New Year’s Resolution.

We also have a great interview on deck, and a tip about the interview process from a recruiter.

Today’s read: 6 Minutes

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Get Caught Up

  • 📰 BLACKPINK members end exclusive solo contracts with K-pop agency YG Entertainment.

    • Their group contract remains intact however.

  • Iron Horse SPAC raises $69M in Nasdaq IPO specifically created to identify and merge with a business in the media and entertainment world.

    • Wait.. what’s a SPAC (and I thought they were dead)?

    • The “blank check company” is looking to make a splash in the areas of music rights aggregators, music licensors, music labels, K-POP & talent management, and has set a goal of 18 months to fulfill its buyout.

  • TikTok sets a 10x goal for their US e-commerce business.

    • The good: TikTok Shop has been a new revenue driving tool for creators and artists to sell their merch.

    • The bad: TikTok is increasing their seller fee from 2% + $.03 per transaction to 8%.

  • Rage Against The Machine have raged against their last machine

    • (they announced they will not tour again)

  • Universal overtook Disney as the highest grossing studio in 2023

    • Box office revenue for Universal hit $4.9B powered by Mario Bros., Oppenheimer and M3GAN.

    • This is the first time since 2015 that Disney didn’t grab the top spot, ONLY making $4.8B.

Interview with Maria Gironas, General Manager,  Keychange US and Founder + CEO of Cool Shit, Cool People 

Maria Gironas, Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree, is an entertainment and technology executive who elevates marginalized communities and empowers creatives. They are currently the GM of Keychange U.S. – a nonprofit supporting underrepresented gender creatives with training, mentoring, and networking. They’re also Founder of Cool Shit, Cool People – a cutting-edge artist development, talent relations, and integrated marketing consultancy.

Our conversation is below:

AvA: What are some of the most valuable ways for artists + pros to  build stronger communities?

Maria Gironas: Start small. If you have 5 fans that love your music, start working from there. Offer them your greatest asset: time. Doesn’t need to be monetary. A simple phone/video call, postcard, or group text will help build a small but mighty community that helps set the culture as your community grows. On the pros side, I truly believe focusing on developing a community of your peers vs. seasoned executives is really the key to grow not only in the industry, but into yourself. The people you surround yourself with help set the tone for your personal brand and the way you build yourself. Have people around you that genuinely care about you, want to see you succeed, and celebrate each others wins.

AvA: What has been the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of launching your own company, Cool Shit, Cool People?

Gironas: Challenging: safety. The reality of owning your own business is that projects come in and out based on need, and I’ve always had trouble with instability in my life from the way I grew up. Rewarding: working on cool s–t with cool people. I have the privilege of working with an incredible roster of folks doing real game changing social impact work. I have devoted my life to elevating marginalized communities and helping them embrace technology/data, and getting to use those same principles with my clients in and outside of music is really wonderful.

AvA: How did you get involved with Women In Music, and what are some  goals you have as the Global Chair of Diversity & Inclusion?

Gironas: During March of 2020 I took a deep look into my life as a POC, and questioned if I felt like I haven’t been doing enough for the greater POC community outside my own. I wanted to invest more time into making real, sustainable change and the wonderful Chissy Nkemere had reached out about serving on the Diversity and Inclusion committee. Since then I’ve grown to become the Global Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Community at Women In Music and I’m super proud of the work WIM does to create change for all in music. In 2024, I hope to really expand on niche communities at WIM. More on that soon!

AvA: What are some ways in which the Music & Entertainment industries can better promote diversity and empower marginalized communities? 

Gironas: D&I is intentional, lifelong work. It’s not a box you check or something where the work can be simply finished. To create true sustainable change, it’s imperative that an organization consistently re-evaluates how their efforts provide impact and assess how to move in a more positive direction. Essentially, have a D&I plan and make sure to have regular check-ins and wider distribution of results so your team can evaluate their efforts.

AvA: What is one piece of advice you have for someone just starting out in the Music business?

Gironas: Make sure to derive joy from all the facets of your life and not just your job. Call your parents more. Tell people you love them. Have a glass of water with every cocktail!

New Year, New Jobs

🧠 Interview Tip From a Recruiter in Music:

“Landed an interview at Label X? Don't go into said interview and say, "who does Label X release?" Find out who the company has worked with in the past, what their biggest successes were, the kind of work they do, and come up with unique questions related to your research. It makes a HUGE difference and you will stand out.”

💼 = Job | 🎒 = Internship

💼 Agent Assistant - Arcade Talent Agency - London - Apply Here

💼 Day-to-Day Manager - TMWRK - Los Angeles - Apply Here

💼 Video & Social Account Coordinator - Secretly Distribution - Los Angeles - Apply Here

💼 Digital Marketing Coordinator - Musicians on Call - Nashville - Apply Here

💼 Coordinator, Sync Licensing Administrator - Kobalt - Los Angeles - Apply Here

💼 Creative Lead - DICE - London - Apply Here

💼 Sr. Manager, Latin Digital Sales, West Coast - Sony Music - Los Angeles, Apply Here

💼 A&R Studio Coordinator - Insomniac - Calabasas, CA - Apply Here

💼 Account Manager, Wondery - Amazon Music - Los Angeles - Apply Here

💼 Influencer Marketing Manager - Breakaway Music Festival - Los Angeles (Hybrid) - Apply Here

🎒 Artist Management Intern - Afterhours - NYC - Apply Here

🎒 Various Internships - Gritty in Pink - Remote - Apply Here

🎒 Spring Intern - Musicians on Call - Nashville - Apply Here

🎒 Sponsorships Spring Intern - AXS - Los Angeles - Apply Here

🎒 Music Marketing Internship - STILETTO Entertainment - Los Angles - Apply Here

🎒 Music Intern - Walt Disney Animation Studios - Los Angeles - Apply Here

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This newsletter is written by Warner Bailey (connect with me here). Edited by Malik Figaro. 

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