James Hampton, Publicist, Magnum PR
James majored in English at SUNY Plattsburgh and began his career in the music industry writing for Elektro, an electronic music publication based in New York City. Elektro promoted him to Online Editor before he became a publicist at Magnum PR, a New York based agency that has created and implemented publicity campaigns for artists including Calvin Harris, Daft Punk, The Prodigy and Avicii.
In addition to music, James is a big sports fan. Read more about his career below and follow him on Twitter @TheJamesHampton.
On school:
I was an English major at SUNY Plattsburgh. My literature classes have been most relevant since you would have the same teacher for different level courses. I had the pleasure of having the same professor for a few classes, and she was a stickler for grammar. Needless to say, she is what helped develop my love/hate relationship for the correct use of grammar. Me putting red ink on students' papers would have been a strange twist of fate.
On first jobs:
In the music industry, my first job was my part-time writing gig for Elektro. I worked out of their office located in Flatiron, NYC three days a week, and wrote articles from home on the other days of the week (and weekend). I stayed in that role for probably 4-5 months, until being promoted to Online Editor.
On tools and resources:
Certainly my writing skills are my most important asset. As a publicist, you are essentially a writer, telling the press outlets you contact why your client is newsworthy and something worth covering. As an editor, it takes those same skills to be able to communicate a particular story to your reader in a fashion that is easy to digest.
Aside from that, social media is definitely a useful skill. Something I set out to do at Elektro was make the social media beneficial to the spreading of the outlet's content, but also making it enjoyable for those who followed it. For example, people who understand the kind of stuff that Twitter users find entertaining are going to be able to utilize Twitter to make your content more enjoyable. I never thought I'd find a job that actually put my endless browsing of vines and memes to use... Mom, I made it.
On his current job:
Advice:
I would say, "Do what makes you happy." It sounds cliché, but I think it is understated. The only way you'll ever be successful is if you devote yourself to something you're passionate about. Take the time to get to know and understand yourself. It will pay dividends in the future.
On the biggest news in his industry and how he gets his news:
Biggest news? Hard to say. The best thing about working in the music industry is there is something new every day. This person is collaborating with that person. This artist is touring with that artist. This festival just released its mind-blowing lineup. It's exciting and inspiring in its unpredictability. It's such a wild industry, and those who are lucky enough to make it their living are lucky.
I'm a big fan of NEST HQ and THUMP. Elektrodaily.com is pretty good too. :)
In addition to music, James is a big sports fan. Read more about his career below and follow him on Twitter @TheJamesHampton.
On school:
I was an English major at SUNY Plattsburgh. My literature classes have been most relevant since you would have the same teacher for different level courses. I had the pleasure of having the same professor for a few classes, and she was a stickler for grammar. Needless to say, she is what helped develop my love/hate relationship for the correct use of grammar. Me putting red ink on students' papers would have been a strange twist of fate.
On first jobs:
In the music industry, my first job was my part-time writing gig for Elektro. I worked out of their office located in Flatiron, NYC three days a week, and wrote articles from home on the other days of the week (and weekend). I stayed in that role for probably 4-5 months, until being promoted to Online Editor.
On tools and resources:
Certainly my writing skills are my most important asset. As a publicist, you are essentially a writer, telling the press outlets you contact why your client is newsworthy and something worth covering. As an editor, it takes those same skills to be able to communicate a particular story to your reader in a fashion that is easy to digest.
Aside from that, social media is definitely a useful skill. Something I set out to do at Elektro was make the social media beneficial to the spreading of the outlet's content, but also making it enjoyable for those who followed it. For example, people who understand the kind of stuff that Twitter users find entertaining are going to be able to utilize Twitter to make your content more enjoyable. I never thought I'd find a job that actually put my endless browsing of vines and memes to use... Mom, I made it.
On his current job:
- Pitching - The most important job of PR is getting the work of the artists you represent out there to as many outlets as you can, no matter how big or small the sites and/or publications.
- Premieres - Setting up a premiere is also very important. The better look you land for your client not only determines how many people will see your artists' premieres, but also how high you can reach for future ones.
- Interviewing your artist - In order to be able to effectively pitch your artist, you have to interview them to become familiar with them. Who are they influenced by? What are their aspirations? What makes this person tick? The answers to these questions will help you better understand your artist to sell them to the press. This is also my favorite aspect of the job. It may be the editor coming out in me, but I love to get inside the mind of an artist. It helps me to understand and gain a greater appreciation for their art.
- Maintaining reports - Obviously my least favorite... you have to keep a record of all the coverage, premieres and comments from press. This involves endlessly searching Google for posts on your artist, while also keeping a log of honest (and sometimes, displeasing) comments from editors to share with your clients.
Advice:
I would say, "Do what makes you happy." It sounds cliché, but I think it is understated. The only way you'll ever be successful is if you devote yourself to something you're passionate about. Take the time to get to know and understand yourself. It will pay dividends in the future.
On the biggest news in his industry and how he gets his news:
Biggest news? Hard to say. The best thing about working in the music industry is there is something new every day. This person is collaborating with that person. This artist is touring with that artist. This festival just released its mind-blowing lineup. It's exciting and inspiring in its unpredictability. It's such a wild industry, and those who are lucky enough to make it their living are lucky.
I'm a big fan of NEST HQ and THUMP. Elektrodaily.com is pretty good too. :)