Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Epidemic Sound?

Before starting at Epidemic in 2018 I never worked in sales, but I took a chance on the role because I was so intrigued by the company and that’s what they were hiring at the time. Lucky for me I found out I really enjoy the job. As a Senior Account Executive I’m responsible for creating custom music solutions for content teams at some of the world’s largest organizations. 

Music has always been a huge part of my life – I’ve been singing since I was a kid and I was always in every choir and acapella group I could find. In college I minored in Music Business and I always dreamed of music being a part of my daily life. I like that Epidemic keeps me close to music while being in a very niche area of the industry that’s felt more welcoming than others.  

In addition to my sales responsibilities, I also have a small hybrid role as the Marketing Lead, which means I act as a liaison to ensure sales is getting the best support from the marketing team. It’s given me an avenue to use my writing skills and tune into my creative mind when helping on marketing projects.

You’ve worked on closing deals with the likes of Apple, Lululemon and GoPro, can you share how your expertise has evolved over your 6+ years at ES?

The company and my role have changed vastly over the years. We went from focusing on volume sales, to being an industry leader and focusing solely on larger enterprise businesses. That means larger teams, more stakeholders, and more complex deals. 

In the early days we flew more solo as a team, so I had to be very resourceful. As Epidemic has grown and innovated over the years, change has been inevitable, so I’ve had to be very adaptive and get used to rolling with punches. Adaptability has also been key with external factors as well, like the pandemic and how that affected our business and our clients’ businesses. Now that we have such an enterprise-focused business, it’s about understanding what my resources are and how to best collaborate with others and utilize their expertise. 

After speaking with so many clients over the years, I’ve been able to hone in on how to best connect with them and put myself in their shoes, with the ultimate goal of finding solutions that are best for the customer, for Epidemic, and ultimately for our artists.

How do you stay creatively engaged when approaching new deals, and what kind of strategies have you found successful when working with creative clients?

I approach every deal as a blank slate and try to optimize every conversation with each client to uncover their specific needs. Working with creatives can be exciting because the nature of creative work is that every person and team approaches it in their own way. That means every team will have their own unique needs and problems, and it’s up to me to both define those problems (maybe even ones they didn’t even know they had) and show how we can solve them.

I also try to understand the needs of the individual – what’s keeping them up at night, what are their goals, what’s standing in the way of those goals? Who are the other stakeholders, and what do they care about? How does that relate to the needs of the overall business? What problems might arise on the journey to closing that we can work together to solve?

 The beauty of our unique licensing model is that it lends itself to a lot of flexibility, which gives us as salespeople tons of room for creativity when structuring deals. I love how every deal can be so different – it keeps me challenged.

You seem to be quite independent in your role,  how has this influenced your approach to the job, and what skills have you developed as a result?

It forces you to be more resourceful and to always be searching for opportunities, whether that’s when you’re browsing through LinkedIn or when you’re meeting new people IRL. You have to always have that hunger to find the next lead or opportunity. When you do find an opportunity, you have to optimize it as best you can.

 I personally always have very high expectations for myself – I always aim to far exceed my targets – and I think that’s important to keep my internal motivation high. Once I meet my goal, I’ll set a new one to strive for. And of course there’s always that rush you get from closing a deal that’s sort of addicting. That rush, and getting to celebrate with your team, can be motivation on its own!

You have to always have that hunger to find the next lead or opportunity.

How does your day to day look like with your senior leadership?

I have quite a bit of autonomy which is great as I don’t do well with micro management. Having autonomy motivates me to be an independent thinker and to work in a way that fits my unique style and plays to my strengths. I feel a lot of trust from my manager and higher ups which empowers me and gives me confidence that I can meet and exceed my goals. That being said I think it’s really important to have people to bounce ideas off of and talk through deals with and I find a lot of openness around that.

How do you manage the more operational aspects of the job while maintaining a high-level focus on strategy and client success?

Organization is key here. This is definitely not the most fun part of the job, but it’s important to set time aside for those aspects to set yourself up for success. I try to build this into my weekly tasks to stay on top of it all.

How do you keep up with industry trends and client needs?

My conversations with clients are always the best way to see what’s going on in the industry. Also key is the expertise of those around me at Epidemic – from our partnerships with various content platforms, to our relationships with artists, to our top notch legal team, we have so much internal expertise and connection to the industry that I can learn from. And of course attending events and learning from peers in that setting is always helpful. 

 How has the landscape for music for soundtracking changed over the years?

It’s changed a ton. TikTok wasn’t a focus for businesses when I started at Epidemic, and now it’s an essential part of the content strategy for many teams I speak with. No one talked about influencer marketing a few years ago and now it’s something I bring up more often than not with clients. And proper licensing is more important than ever – we can see that from the many expensive lawsuits that brands are facing as music publishers and platforms crack down harder on unlicensed music usage. It’s tough for clients to keep up with the changing landscape to keep their content safe. Luckily Epidemic Sound has been in a place to really help clients navigate these changes over the years while also ensuring that our artists get compensated properly. 

The tools that creators have at their disposal have also changed vastly. With the help of AI our website now has tools that can help clients save hours spent finding music.

What’s been your favorite memory of your time at Epidemic Sound so far?

Memories of being with my colleagues in Stockholm! It was pretty fun to sing in our talent show this year in front of the whole company.

What’s one tactic you rely on to successfully close a deal with a client?

Listening! I think it’s incredibly important to listen very closely to the client and come from the perspective of their consultant – someone who’s there to understand what they as a person deal with on a daily basis. I approach every meeting or conversation as an opportunity to learn more from that person, rather than the other way around. The more I can actively listen, the better I can create a custom solution to make their job and ultimately their life easier. Of course helping to educate clients is an important part of the job as well, but no one will listen to you unless they feel heard first. It all starts with listening. 

What advice would you give to sales professionals aiming to work in creative fields and high-profile brands?

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Before I started in the role, I always had the stereotypical salesperson in mind when I thought about sales, and I didn’t relate to that person at all. Turns out my ability to connect with clients in my own genuine way was an asset to me, and I’ve always been very intentional about staying true to myself throughout my career. No matter how big or well-known the brand, the sales process boils down to one-on-one conversations with other human beings, and it’s important to never lose sight of that.