Use the past, create the future.

I’ve been working in social media for six years – exactly the same amount of time as I’ve been a professional, independent musician. I initially began exploring the world of social media as a means to promote and market my music, and over time, turned that skill to the tech field.

Social media is ever-evolving, and so are the methods that people use to employ it. Over the course of my career as an independent musician,  I have climbed from a following of a few dozen to more than a thousand across several states and nations – from the US to the UK to the Nordic countries. This journey was incredibly rewarding – and humbling. Social media was the means by which I began booking regular shows as a solo performer, and even by which I was invited to partake in a national event: Electronica4Life, a series of benefit concerts aimed at raising money to save wildlife affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

My work with Jack Templin at RI Nexus, which began in early 2010,  presented a unique challenge – employing social media and content coordination to unify RI’s infotech and digital media community. During my first year on board with RI Nexus, I was able to drive a slow but steady increase in traffic to our site. Our Twitter followers has doubled since I came on board with the project, and our Facebook fan base has slowly but steadily increased. We saw increased numbers of attendees to Providence Geeks and other tech and entrepreneurial events, such as RI Nexus Open Coffee.

I worked with Boston-based Smarterer as a temporary contractor to assist them in their content acquisition efforts for their tech-based aptitude testing. When the project had ended, I learned that I had been very key in assisting Smarterer to achieve their content acquisition goals, and I had turned several people on to using the site.

Several years ago, I joined the Bella Morte Street Team in order to assist rock band Bella Morte to receive increased numbers at shows and market their music more effectively. For a year, I captained the team, and with the power of social media, this national headliner saw greater numbers at nearly every show during their national tours.

As an independent musician and contractor, and now as a student of business, I have gained significant experience in business, and uniquely applied it to artistic endeavors. I began casually advising artist friends of mine on how to gain exposure, and over time, I began to give serious business consulting to other musicians, promoters, and artists. Several of these artists have reported increased audiences after meeting with me.

As a musician, I have also contributed my skills to collaborative composition and film scoring. Last year, I worked with Rich Camp on his production of “Gotta Find Barry” on scoring the film. I was thrilled when Rich reported to me that the score was very well-received, and assisted in the success of the film.

I feel astonished that my efforts could contribute to so much success, and humbled as well. This is my goal: to assist tech and creative professionals in achieving similar successes and to create a niche for themselves in which they can thrive.

The digital world and the world of business undergoes constant shifts. My purpose, and my goal,  is to stay atop of the crest of the ever-surging wave of these evolving tools, and use the past to create the future – the future success of small business, startup, and solo initiatives in the tech and creative communities.

Let’s create something together!

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