Kevin – Other Berklee Alumni

Successful Berklee Alumni #258: Darien Morris

December 24, 2024December 24, 2024 Kevin

Listen to the interview or download it.

Graduated in 2015 with a major in Music Business. Principal Instrument: Bass Trombone

Position: Corporate Agent at Allstate Insurance Company. Darien works remotely, selling auto insurance and home insurance to consumers, speaking with folks who have been pre-screened for interest plus some referrals. Unlike most agents, he works directly for Allstate, receiving a combination of base pay and commission.

Overview: After graduation, Darnien moved home to Philadelphia. Financial pressure led him to work in an Amazon warehouse after graduation, putting in lots of overtime and making decent money. Then he got a terrible infection from stepping on a nail and almost lost his leg or died! By late 2017, after a painful 8-month recovery Darien was ready to work again–now armed with a lot of self-confidence from that successful recovery! He got a job doing door to door sales, for a company that was a subcontractor for many other companies with different products. It was good for a while, but by late 2019 the pay was dropping while the hours got longer so he left and moved to Ohio. He started working for Amazon again, this time delivering packages, but was frustrated by the mediocre pay and the seeming inability to earn more by working harder, so he applied to other jobs. An ex-girlfriend told Darien how she worked for AT&T and made fantastic money, so he applied and was hired. It turns out she was lying about her pay–oops.

Nevertheless, Darien did great at AT&T. He was there for 4 years, was promoted multiple times to a sale manager position which paid six figures but was extremely stressful and long hours, and Darien felt that he was a better salesperson than manager. So when Allstate reached out to him about a sales position–less stress and more time with his family–he said yes.
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You can see Darien’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: I’ve done sales for 15 years. That long, it’s like playing a brass instrument. You put a sheet of music in front of them, they just play. You just know how to position your lips without thinking about it. Same thing in consumer sales. I just know how things go. I know if someone’s going to say yes, no, try to bs me.”

“When I sold cell phone plans, people didn’t care who their carrier was. It was hard for me to care. But with insurance, I’m educating the consumer on what they’re paying for. The folks who choose to sign up with me, I get all 5-star reviews. Afterward, nobody’s upset. They understand what it is and appreciate my help. Some will tell me they’ll even pay more to stay with me becuase I’m helping them. Every week I read those reviews–it’s a proud moment.”

“These days I work 20 – 30 hours/week. So long as I make my quota, my boss doesn’t care when I’m working. My wife was a stay-at-home mom for five years, and this job is letting her get back into the workforce while I do more at home.”

“If you’re looking to work in sales, try to get into something that you want to sell. Cell phones, I didn’t care. Auto and home insurance, I’m into that. Life insurance–the money can be good, but I have to get all into people’s busines and that wasn’t my thing–I could do it, but I’d hate my day. Also, your manager makes all the difference in the world. If you get a good manager, follow their instructions and you’ll be fine. If you get a bad manager, find someone else.”
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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Successful Berklee Alumni #247: Brendan Machowski

December 24, 2024December 24, 2024 Kevin

Listen to the interview or download it.

Graduated in 2015 with a major in Professional Music. Principal Instrument: guitar.

Position: Marketing Manager at Plastic Assembly Systems, a small industrial company that builds equipment which molds together large pieces of plastic. As the only marketing person at the company, Brendan is responsible for updating the website with photos and videos of thier equipment, the social media marketing, using google analytics, emailing customers, and handling incoming calls.

Overview: Brendan’s father has worked at Plastic Assembly systems for a long time, which led to Brendan working in their machine shop as a teenager. After graduation, Brendan wanted to work in music, but wasn’t sure what he wanted his exact career to look like, as the standard ones didn’t really appeal to him. He moved home and worked again at Plastic Assembly Systems, doing shipping and a bit of video. But Brandon was looking for other opportunties and via a job board he found employment at a local branch of a music school, Bach to Rock. He started as a part-time instructor, but after a bit this job became a full-time combination of teaching, marketing, and management. At this point he resigned from Plastic Assembly Systems.

Unfortunately, by 2020 Brendan was feeling burned out on this job. The hours and commute were long, the job was stressful, and the pay didn’t justify it. He looked for other positons but wasn’t having any luck. Then his old boss at Plastic Assembly Systems reached out: their marketing person had left and they were changing the position and thought he’d be a great fit. Brendan returned there and took on his current role, combining what he’d learned at Back to Rock with what he needed to figure out on the job.
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You can see Brendan’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “My boss says, ‘Do you know why I don’t bother you a lot? Becuase I know you’re doing your job and yo’ure good at what you do and I see the results.’ So–they’re very flexible and have been accommodating for when I want to go on tour. I’m very lucky!”

“It’s still a creative job. From the photoshop stuff and making videos. I can figure out what to do between projects–I can attack what inspires me and seems exciting (and what needs to be done). I also really like giving identity to something that’s not mine. Me growing up, not having much money, all the technical skills I got has a kid needing to do all the pubicity myself has been valuable for my career. This at least checks off the boxes for me to be happy about a job: freedom, creativity, and putting my stamp on something.”

“The quantity and quality of the work I had to do at Berklee made me almost overestimate what would be asked of me as a working adult. I look back on how much work I had to do at Berklee and how I always had to figure out how to get it all done–and how I always got through it. Berklee forced me to take things seriously and showed me what I was capable of.”

“Music is in my DNA, then it became a job. It’s easy to become jaded, but remember why you applied to Berklee–you have to reverse-engineer that. Why did you do that? Today I’m loving music more than ever and feel very true to myself. Music still your voice and nobody can take it from you. Stay in touch, even if it’s not your main job. You’re special, and don’t need to live up to someone else’s expectation.

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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Successful Berklee Alumni #246: Sam Slater

December 24, 2024December 24, 2024 Kevin

Listen to the interview or download it.

Graduated in 2018 with a major in Professional Music. Principal instrument: guitar.

Position: Rotational Training Associate (Project Manager) at Renewable Energy Systems, a large, Dutch-based company that designs, builds, and engineers utility-scale solar, wind, and battery projects. As a recently-hired MBA grad, Sam is rotated through a number of teams during his first two years before ultimately choosing what to focus on, which is likely to be project management, though at the moment he’s doing financial modeling.

Overview: As he wrapped up Berklee, Sam wasn’t sure which direction his career should go. He wasn’t feeling the level of dedication to music that those who succeed in music usually have. He worked in restaurants and did other odd jobs while researching careers. Sam ultimately decided that he wanted to work in renewable energy. A lot of reasearch later convinced him that he best way into that sector was through earning an MBA. He applied to various MBA programs in 2021, and was accepted into Boston College’s MBA Program, which he started in the fall of 2021. He did an internship with a local company that evaluated energy efficiency programs, which wasn’t exactly what he wanted to do, but it was close. Sam continued work work there part-time during his second year of his MBA, and very briefly afterward.

As grad school was wrapping up in the spring of 2023, Sam used LinkedIn to apply for hundreds of renewable energy positions across the country, ready to move to wherever he could find a good job. One of those applications led to his current position.
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You can see Sam’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes:

“I enjoy working with numbers and analysis. Building out renewable energy can help address climate change. I’m an environmentalist and conservationist at heart. It’s good to feel like what I do has a positive impact at the end of the day.”

“Many folks who get MBAs have humanities degrees. Being a musician teaches you discipline. And that it takes time to learn something and sometimes learning is supposed to feel uncomfortable. Knowing how it required spending long hours in the practice room prepared me to spend a lot of time learning this new stuff.”

“Don’t let impostor syndrome prevent you from pursuing your goals. Related to this, when I’d talk to folks at grad school and would describe my goals, I was met with skepticism and was often asked, ‘How do you expect to deliver on these goals?’ That was a valuable part of the experience–it caused me to think more critically about what I was doing and wanted to do. Let pushback/skepticism be something you can learn from.”

“If you want a career as a project manager, don’t be afraid to ask questions that make it seem like you don’t know what you’re talking about or are wrong. Those uncomfortable situations are where you learn and gather the most information. That’s where I found the motivation to learn what I needed to learn to get to where I am.”

“Going to Berklee was such a privilege. Even though it was hard to find a job after, I’m glad I went and it’s my goal to continue to grow muscially.”

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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Successful Berklee Alumni #245: Phil Carlson

November 11, 2024November 11, 2024 Kevin

Listen to the interview or download it.

Graduated in 2018 with a major in Film Scoring. Principal instrument: guitar.

Position: Mobile Software Developer with DEPT, a Dutch tech consulting company with thousands of employees worldwide. Phil develops software for Android phones on behalf of clinents, sometimes he’s sent to work temporarily for another company, and even in the office he can bounce among different teams in his remote position.

Overview: Shortly before graduating, Phil met his now-wife, who was in her third year at Berklee, so he wanted to stay in Boston and also felt like a career in composing for orchestras wasn’t a realistic possibility. He brainstormed music ideas while working in restaurants. Thought about a career in software briefly but didn’t have the chops. When the pandemic hit, Phil decided to really attempt a career in coding. He paid $30/month for LinkedIn Learning, which has fantastic resources, and he chose to focus on developing phone apps as that felt like a field with a larger demand for more workers. He also took advantage of Coursera and YouTube and downloaded code repositories from GitHub. After close to a year, Phil applied to various jobs but nothing hit, so he went back to studying.

A few months of self-study later, Phil decided that rather than anonymous applications, he instead tried contacting managers directly on LinkedIn. Three of the five people he wrote to offered him an interview. He was hoping for an internship but was instead offered his current position!
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You can see Phil’s LinkedIn profile here.

Choice Quotes: “At Berklee I was really passionate about using sample libraries to make big sequences. I get that same buzz at work — when working, we work on a ‘Q-Base for Code’ . There’s where you’re working and working, then you press “play” to see what it does. I like the schedule, the benefits, the lifestyle I can have–my job isn’t a bottomless pit, and it gives clear returns from the effort put into it.”

“There’s lots of time management, troubleshooting, and hard work is in both music and software. Also, being a Berklee grad makes a difference with coworkers and bosses–it’s cool!”

“People in your life want to support you, but aren’t sure whether to encourage you to stick with your musical dream. Step back, list concrete thigns you want to be true about your life without those external pressures. Once you have that list, a career path becomes more clear. For me, it was having time for people in my life and to be creative–I wanted to be constantly learning and growing. When I completed my list I was shocked to realize film scoring had almost none of the things on my list, for ten years at least (I might go my whole life grinding and not hit the jackpot.) Once that was clear, I knew there was a huge sunk cost, but I realized that I needed something that would fit with what I wanted in life.”

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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Successful Berklee Alumni #244: Brooke Gonzalez-Woods

October 14, 2024October 14, 2024 Kevin

Listen to the interview or download it.

Graduated from Berklee Online in 2020 with a degree in Music Business.

Position: Social Worker at Alberta Health Services, a large, public, reserach hospital wtih over 800 beds. “Our role helps to support the nonmedical, practical side of things. For example, financial resources, medication coverage, coping/mental health serfvices, meal delivery, and so forth. It can be crisis intervention or just connecting people wtih long-terms programs.” Officially she’s on a team with other social workers, but her work involves working with doctors, dieticians, and folks in many other roles.

Overview: Brooke did a 2-year vocal performance program, then transferred to Berklee Online to finish her Bachelors Degree, which she did part-time 2016-2020 while working. She completed her degree and was set to do an artist internship at an incubator in Toronto when Covid hit, leading to a very lean year. By the end of 2020 Brook realized she wanted be be in a more stable profession that involved helping people. She started volunteering for a food security group and other nonprofits and applied to schools, and was admitted to the Bachelor in Social Work program at the University of Calgary (Edmonton).

Thanks to her prior schooling, Brooke completed the program in the spring of 2023 after just under two years. In her last year she did her practicum (a.k.a. internship) at Alberta Health Services, and was fortunate to be hired into her position after graduation, first on a temporary/part-time basis, then after a few months on a temporary/full time basis, then as a regular full-time employee after just under a year.
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You can see Brooke’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “I love connecting with people–that’s what brought me to music in the first place, that emotional connection. At my job I’m there with people, supporting them through hard times.”

“Doing Berklee Online while I worked full-time taught me good time management. I learned how to make solid connections online with professors and peers–something I use in my job. Berklee Online also made me a better writer–it helps that I can write well.”

“Mine is a role you have to be very adaptable. We don’t always know how long it’ll take for people to recover and what their needs are.”

“I still love music dearly, but it’s more for me these days. I don’t have any pressure, but I feel so drawn to music and I’m getting back some of the passion that had been missing among the stress of life. Listening to music, playing a one-off show, practicing and enjoying it that way.”

“Before you fully dive in to social work, explore volunteering opportunities and human services jobs you can do without the degree to find out if it’s something you want to do. It’s not for everybody, but I’m really grateful to be where I’m at.” It helps to explore before you fully dive in. Find your niche.”

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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Successful Berklee Alumni #243: Brad Rude

October 14, 2024October 14, 2024 Kevin

Listen to the interview or download it.

Graduated from Berklee Online in 2016 with a major in Music Business.

Position: Social Media Manager, at TMV Group, a small (under 20 employees) advertising agency, working in social media. Brad’s job is a balance between the creative and the client sides. He works with his team (two other people) to create content for clients then most of his job involves acting as a liason with clients to make sure the content is what they want to see.

Overview: Brad was a working musician as he worked his way through Berklee Online, and by the end of that he wanted to work in music business. He wanted to stay in the Detroit area where family and loved ones were located, which made finding a job more difficult, but he worked in music business for several years, though the pay wasn’t great and he needed a part-time job on top of that. He started his own synth licensing company, then started going to advertising-focused networking events hoping to make connections and drum up business for his clients.

Eventually, this networking convince Brad that he should work in advertising himself! He learned of a project manager job at an advertising firm he respected and worked there for six months before getting laid off, but he applied to other positions and very quickly was hired into his current job.
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You can see Brad’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “My job provides me an outlet to be creative but also to work with clients–something I’ve always enjoyed doing. I’m flexible on a daily basis. And I now have options to move forward in my careers–client side, creative, project management.”

“Networking is one of the most important things you can do. It’s hard, especially if you’re introverted like me. But getting out there, meeting people, making genuine connections beyond business is so helpful! I’d say if you’re invited and don’t know anyone, go and meet people, get out of your comfort zone.”

“Berklee features that balance between business and creativity. Even the more business-oriented classes it always reminded us why we’re doing this. Create art, make people feel. It helped me strike that balance to this day.”

“Get into social media if you love it and be on the forefront of new trends but also be willing to follow trends and have your finger on the pulse of things. It’s as fun as you make it. Social media isn’t going away anytime soon, so you can have a long and successful career in it.”

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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Successful Berklee Alumni #242: Jesse Medawar

October 14, 2024October 14, 2024 Kevin

Listen to the interview or download it.

Graduated from Berklee Online in 2020 with a major in Music Business.

Position: Resource Manager at Publicis Sapient, a digital marketing company with roughly 15,000 employees worldwide. Jesse’s job, part of the “Business Headquarters Team” involves putting current employees into teams, making sure the 400+ employees he watches over have sufficient work to do and opportunities for career growth.

Overview: Jesse was a working musician, in multiple bands, as he studied Music Business at Berklee Online. Right as he was finishing up schooling, the pandemic shut everything down. Jesse wanted to stay in Detroit, near family and loved ones, and wrestled with what to do. Though a connection he got a temporary job filing papers for a HR office. Then he got a real HR position and started to really consider HR as a career. For the next couple of years, Jesse did a variety of jobs involving HR or recruiting. He found his job on LinkedIn, not sure what it entailed, but both Jesse and his employer agreed it would be a good fit.
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You can see Jesse’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “As a musician, I really enjoyed the social aspect of music, also teaching private lessons and finding student strengths. In a lot of ways, this job is a lot of that. I have one on one meetings. And a lot of my job is like teaching, finding people’s strengths.”

“Everyone chooses their own path. Many things about being a touring musician seem grueling to be now. You are made up of so many things–a musician is just one of them. Focus on being happy and doing something that you like even if it’s not music.”

“Part of the reason my job is so enjoyable is I work for an advertising agency. Advertising agencies contain a lot of creative-minded people.”

Through Berklee I learned about being a professional and being “the whole package”.
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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Successful Berklee Alumni #241: Medora Zani

July 28, 2024July 28, 2024 Kevin

Listed to the conversation or download it.

Graduated in 2019 with a major in Music Business. Principal instrument: voice.

Position: Customer Experience Coordinator and Data Analyst at On Board Experiential (“OBE”), a company with close to 200 employees that specializes in putting on events such as large corporate gatherings, networking events, small festivals, etc. Medora is the one person there doing what she does, her job being split between a project management role and a data analytics role. She helps a bit with events directly, but spends most of her time, particularly in the off-season, working with spreadsheets and analyzing costs and so forth.

Overview: After finishing up Berklee in December 2019, she moved home to Orange County, California. Medora applied to many music industry jobs and had a promising interview, but them the pandemic hit and nobody was hiring. Because of her fiance Medora wanted to stay in her area, and with music jobs few and far between she broadened her job search. A random application led to an administrative position at a small music school, but the job wasn’t great and she continued to look. Soon she was working part time at the House of Blues (She had worked at the Boston branch while at Berklee.) and had another part-time job. In the spring of 2022, though a connection Medora was able to work at Coachella, then at a local food festival which was run by OBE. Apparently OBE got excellent feedback about her work, becuase someone from human resources encouraged Medora to apply for what became her current position.

You can see Medora’s LinkedIn profile here.

Choice Quotes: “But I love the company I work for. Even when the work is hard, we still have a really fun time. I feel like I excel with onsite customer service–I’m extroverted and that helps. The work is also interesting and challenging. Being able to solve a puzzle and help the big project, that’s gratifying. I also like how my company is invested in me and how I do in my own career.”

“Trust your gut–I had interviews pre-pandemic and wish I’d trusted my gut. If you don’t like going to work every day and what you doesn’t bring you any joy, that’s not the right job for you even if they pay huge money.”

“Berklee taught me the importance of being comfortable with a fast pace of work and things changing. And the importance of being dependable”.

“Event companies are using A.I. — Live Nation is spending a ton on A.I. to market shows to you. Being a data analyst and being open to that opens oneself up to a much larger pool or opportunities. Increasingly, data analysis and operations will go hand in hand.”

“The job market is really hard. It took me 2.5 years from graduation to land this, my first full-time job. If you don’t get your “first big girl/boy job” straight out of college and it takes a while, that’s OK–I put a real knock on myself and it hurt my mental health.”

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Successful Berklee Alumni #240: Kayla Spellenberg

June 10, 2024June 10, 2024 Kevin

Listen to the interview or download it.

Graduated in 2022 with a major in Composition. Principal instrument: guitar.

Position: 2nd Lieutenant and Medevac Pilot-in-Training in the United States Army. Almost two years into her army service as an officer, Kalya started flight school in the fall of 2023 to learn to fly the Blackhawk helicopers in order to do medical evacuations. Between flight practice, academics, and studying, it’s a 70-hour week!

Overview: Unsure of how she could afford to attend Berklee, Kayla considered enlisting in the military before going to college. Then she discovered Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps), which would enable Kayla to afford Berklee, in exchange for some military activity while a student and then four years of service as an officer afterward. Berklee is affiliated with Northeastern University’s ROTC program and Kayla made it through, though she described the ROTC program as “like doing a second major”.

Two days after graduating, Kayla reported for duty and was commissioned as a medical administrative officer, assisting a physician. “I knew that to be a medevac pilot I’d need medical experience rather than go to flight school right away.” After some more schooling, the did that, then her boss supported her application to flight school. Flight school involves a ten-year commitment of service afterward, but she really wanted to fly.

In flight school, Kayla does a mix of flying, academics, and studying. As of the interview, she was learning on a training helicopter, then would go on to learn the Blackhawk.
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You can see Kayla’s LinkedIn profile here.

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Choice Quotes: “I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I enjoy how challenging this is! There’s something about getting through somethign really difficult, you build confidence and self-respect. It’s good life experience. I couldn’t go through life going ‘I wonder what would’ve happend if I’d made it through this.’ I like the challenge, the responsibility, knowing that when I’m at the controls of the helicopter I have the lives of several peole under my control.”

In the military, you can’t just say, ‘Hey, I don’t really like my job. I think I’m gonna quit.’ That’s not a thing. Probably there’s something you can do to transfer branches, but you still owe the time. I do know people who reverted to being enlisted or being a warrant officer.”

“Try as much as you can in different areas and careers would be the most helpful. Keep on exploring new passions. I tried many jobs. If I hadn’t struggled I wouldn’t be in the place I am now.”

“I guarantee that if you’ve put in all the time to make it to flight school, done all the tests and physical stuff to make it, you’ll enjoy it.”

“There’s worthwhile degrees and realistic degrees. Berklee was worthwhile; it fostered my creativity. You always need a plan if you’re going to have an arts degree. That’s just the way the world works now. That said, Berklee was an awesome experience and it helped me learn to work well with all types of people.”

“If you’re thinking about military service, find someone who’s been through it and take them wtih you to the recruiting office. They can help you navigate everything they’ll promise you. A recruiter’s goal is to get you to join. I almost joined before I realized that ROTC was a thing. Explore all options, get advice from people who have done it. Don’t make any rash decisions. It’s very difficult to get out if you don’t take the right job. Also, shop around. It doesn’t have to the army. Make sure your morals, ethics, job aligns with that organization.”

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Successful Berklee Alumni #239: Peyton Propst

June 10, 2024June 10, 2024 Kevin

Listen to the interview or download it.

Graduated in 2020 with a major in Music Business. Principal Instrument: voice.

Position: Director of Social & Content at Lemme, a small vitamin startup where she’s one of a dozen employees–three in marketing. Peyton makes social content calendars for Instagram & TikTok, she edits all content for paid and free media. She works with companies and helps with collarborations. She also does briefs for design team, social engagement with audience, and outlines briefs for mailers and photoshoots. This adds up to 65-70 hour weeks!

Overview: Peyton made it through Berklee in only three years, thanks to summer and online classes. After graduation, she moved home to Atlanta, where she did marketing for Keller Williams Realty as well as working as a personal assistant for a family. In September of 2021, wanting a change and feeling that opportunities were opening up post-pandemic, Peyton moved to L.A. She worked at a health club for a few months, then started searching for a better job. Via LinkedIn, she found a job as an account coordinator for a creative marketing agency and worked there almost a year, but she didn’t see this company as a long-term career so she started applying again to jobs. Lots of near-misses, but in the summer of 2022 she got a message from someone at Lemme and was hired into her current position before their products had even hit the market.

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You can see Peyton’s LinkedIn profile here.

Choice Quotes: “I’ve never had a job where I felt so close with colleagues. They go above and beyond themselves, and they really want to see me grow in my role, try things, and succeed! They really want to know what I think. Realistically, (as someone fairly young) I’m part of the target audience.”

“It’s SO important to follow up with people! Any professor you form a connection with may be able to helpful. Personal relationships will take you far. Also, LInkedIn is a great resource. I found both my jobs on it.Reach out to Berklee alum on it and use it to the best of your ability. Also, it’s OK to work some part-time jobs while you’re figuring it out–I’ve met great people and got valuable skills working those.”

“You can’t teach taste; you can’t teach instinct. Music has made those second nature to me. Also, being on set in my job feels the same as being onstage.”

“I listen to many lectures online about marketing and those help me think about my job. As simple as marketing sounds, there are so many different facets to it that you can get into.When you think about yourself and platforms you’re on, you’re marketing yourself–that’s everything you do!”

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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.