Below the services that my newly formed FFD PR & MARKETING Company provides, you will find a narrative of how I came into the music industry, the ups and downs I experienced, the emotional and psychological toll it took on me, and the growth and happiness I obtained. If you decide to read it, props to you. If not, I totally understand. I will say that if you are concerned about my actual experience and expertise in this field, give it a brief read.

For the artists and managers interested in the company’s highly researched services, here we go!

Our Mission Statement

At FFD PR & Marketing, we pride ourselves in creating a collaborative and professional environment for clients ready for a radical new approach to promoting and marketing their music.

Overview: We use a triangle system to help our client’s music reach a larger and more extensive audience. This strategy is highly effective in drawing in new and organic fans.

1. We first pick an upcoming release, or a loosie, to premiere on flowsfordays.com. We conduct an interview together that aims to show the human being behind the music. The artist has the final say on all of the questions asked and posted, but we suggest topics such as family, struggle, the need to create music, what they hope to achieve, and such and such. We are ALWAYS open to ideas.  Promotional and marketing companies get it all wrong by just focusing on the music the artist makes. Your music will hit harder once listeners learn your personal story and why you make the music you do.  

1B. While we work on the interview, we will also be working on your EPK and press release for the upcoming premiere. This will fall in the hands of prominent bloggers, promoters, managers, videographers, producers, etc. If the artist has any objection in sending it a certain category of people, they can say so and we will bypass them. If an artist has a special request (example: they are looking for someone to shoot a later music video) they can ask and I will reach out to some of my contacts. Once we post the premiere and interview, the press releases will be sent out within 24 hours.

2. We will pick one of your favorite past releases and will conduct a dissection interview. I created this series long ago, but you can still look at examples under the series category on flowsfordays.com. As an overview: The questions will be focused on the creation of the content. Who was the producer? How did you meet him? Did he send it over? What did you think of the beat initially? How did you meet your videographer? Did you like the way the video turned out? How will you approach your next one? Will there be a next one? etc. Now we get the other side of the coin. Your music, your dedication, your process and more.

    2B. While we are putting this together, we will be working behind the scenes to get you an interview, premeire, or a good chunk of write ups on sites around the country. We have a vast cataloge of blog, magazine, and writer contacts, and will work tirelessly to present you in your best form. 

3. This is the tip of the triangle. 1 and 1B is one half of the bottom of the triangle, and 2 and 2B is the other half of the bottom triangle that both meets together. These are on-going, but still singular works. It is at # 3 that we will be KILLING it on social media. This is ongoing from the start of our work until the very end. We will be getting people super hyped for all that we will be releasing together. Instagram and Twitter will be the focus. We have over 6.4K followers on Twitter and an IG that is fast growing past 600 followers. Day 1 supporters always show us love on both mediums.

 

MORE GOOD NEWS!! We aren’t like other ‘PR’ people who have barely passed their 20’s, ask you to send money via Cash App and then ignore all of your messages and don’t do any work. We put together and send ACTUAL invoices! It will have an invoice number, will be easy to view, have all the details of the work we’ll be doing together, your actual name, the date of our agreement, the exact amount you’ll be paying (NO HIDDEN FEES!), and more! You will literally get a PDF of the invoice sent to the email of your choice.

You can ALWAYS reach out by texting or calling me at 847-751-0420 for SERIOUS CLIENT INQUIRIES ONLY!!! Please text before you call to let me know who you are.

Lastly, we do require payment upfront. We can talk on the phone or text to speak on the actual amount.

Thank you for all of your support and love.

– Julie

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Julie’s Timeline in the Music Industry (Narrative) 

It all started with a Tumblr blog. I enrolled in Columbia college in 2011 at the height of the Chicago music scene. Chief Keef and ‘drill’ music reached a national level, Lil Bibby, G Herb, Lil Durk, Lil Reese, King Louie, and more were gaining fans and followers thanks to sites like Ruby Hornet, Fake Shore Drive, Elevator, and a host of other content pushers who are still dedicated to shining light on independent hip hop artists in the city.

Once I started my first semester I decided to dedicate myself to meeting new artists, gaining new contacts in the industry, and most of all, writing about independent talent. discovergoodmusic123.tumblr.com was my very first blog, and I spent years honing my writing skills, putting together playlists, interviewing artists, setting up premieres, conducting audio interviews, gaining supporters on Twitter and from the artists themselves, and soaking up the decades of experience from my many mentors.

I fell in love with the music, the city, the movement, the rush, the writing. I began to write for other blogs, and took on many internships that were not all in the music industry sector. I became a research assistant for a Chicago Tribune writer, a content editor for a lawyer, and a media designer for one of the biggest (semi) illegal downloading sites in Chicago. I took these on because I knew they were essential skills to have to become successful in the industry I was pursuing.

I was heading towards turning 26, and I knew it was time to get serious. I bought an actual dot com. flowsfordays hit the airwaves in mid 2016, and I was ecstatic. WordPress was miles ahead of tumblr, and seeing my work in such a beautiful display was mind-blowing. For 2 and a half years straight I went to Peet’s every single day and stayed for at least 5 hours. I put out at least 4 posts a day, often interviews, premieres, or long editorials. The entire process was addicting. Looking over emails, calling artists, listening to hours upon hours of music, and writing my heart out. When I got home I took a break for a few hours, and then worked into the early hours of the morning.

I didn’t realize it, but I was burning myself out both physically, mentally, and emotionally. I wasn’t paying attention to my mentall illness that was steadily getting worse. flowsfodays was my therapy, my best friend, my partner in crime, my family, the love of my life.

In mid 2018 my life and mental illness got worse. I had no drive to write. I didn’t care. I let the emails pile up. I was an angry, bitter person. I found ways to fight. Artists became my enemies, I pushed everyone away. I rarely wrote.

There is no happy ending in life. But I have worked my ass off in all areas of my life, and in my health. I’ve struggled with depression, anxiety, and a host of other issues since age 10. The last 3 years embedded PTSD and trauma that will never go away. But I am lucky and I am blessed. And I forgive myself. I hated myself for so long, but I now love the weird, quirky, funny, perfectly imperfect Julie. When you feel good, that’s when you push the hardest. You remember where you were, what you went through, and do everything possible to never go back. When you’ve seen hell, and you’ve chosen life, you become a warrior.