Jessica Byrd client portfolio
RRanggin Hedayat
cover letter Ranggin Hedayat 15 Rockrose Way Irvine, CA 92612 (949) 394-1454 heday101@mail.chapman.edu
Dear Veston Rowe, As a public relations and advertising major at Chapman University, I have been able to gain a wealth of hands-on experience. Public relations is fast-paced, demanding and full of variety, but this is the setting that I thrive in. I know that I have the right enthusiasm, creativity and attention to detail that will only flourish in a challenging PR environment. I am eager to learn and grow from your internship experience. My passion and work ethic will only motivate me further to excel in the remarkable environment that you have created. My experience as a PR assistant with Shout PR allowed me to work under high-pressure settings and meet critical deadlines for our clients. During my time at OC Public Relations I was able to work with diverse clients, such as the upscale eatery Fig and Olive, to the fulfillment of working with the Angels Baseball Foundation. I have learned the importance of building relationships with the media, meeting article deadlines and writing press and post releases. As a promotions intern for the Literacy Project Foundation I was able to grasp the demanding pressures of special event publicity and the rewarding pleasure of raising awareness for the growing illiteracy rates among school-age children. The classes I have taken at Chapman University have also helped me gain a knowledge of the industry and enhanced my writing and communication skills. I am eager to join your team as an intern and contribute my ideas and devotion. You will find that I am a rapid learner with a great sense of excitement and enthusiasm in all my endeavors. I am confident that my background and experience will make a positive contribution to your company. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you about this opportunity. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely,
RHed ayat Ranggin Hedayat
R
Rranggin hedayat Experience OC Public Relations PR Intern, Aug-Dec. 2013 • Build client relationships • Press release writing • Fundraising • Fact sheet and media kit development • Spreadsheet development • Execute press mailings • Maintain key databases
Literacy Project Foundation Promotions Intern, Feb.-July 2013 • Special event publicity • Press/post release writing • Fundraising • Media relations • Spreadsheet development • Email marketing • Social Media
Shout PR PR Assistant, Jan.-May 2013 • Client press releases • Sample requests • Track stories and product placements • Blog writing/pitching • Social media • Create outreach lists • Celebrity gifting • Maintain project reports • Social media
Jessica Byrd Account Coordinator, Sep.-Dec. 2013 • Contributed researchand compiled data to create PR plan for musician, Jessica Byrd • Wrote pitch letters, social media posts and filmed lifestyle video
Employment RF Podiatry Office Manager, Sep. 2010-July 2013 • Draft paperwork • Manage patient scheduling • Interact with pharmaceutical representatives • Answer phone calls • Order office and medical supplies • Develop magazine advertisements, reminder cards
Education Chapman University PR and Advertising, class of 2014 • Chancellor’s List Recipient
Irvine Valley College Communications, class of 2012
Activities PRSSA member, September 2012 National Society of Leadership & Success member, September 2013
Contact Heday101@mail.chapman.edu (949) 394-1454 15 Rockrose Way Irvine, Ca 92612
Ssituation analysis Overview Jessica Byrd is a 20-year-old singer/songwriter from Long Beach, Calif., who released her first album, California Kid on Aug. 10. Her plan is to increase recognition of her music to the target audience, which is defined later in this research. After meeting with her, asking her questions and hearing her play her song Strangers in person, it was evident that she will need to improve her ability to articulate herself, explain her style of music, and her inspirations.
Mission Jessica Byrd is a pop singer/songwriter who wants to inspire her audience by sharing personal stories through her music.
Competitors Other local independent artists from Southern California such as Colbie Caillat and Sara Bareilles, who are also trying to raise awareness to their music. Her challenge is to also break into the music industry through an online presence, which is highly saturated with artists from around the world such as Haim, Feist, Sky Ferreira and Vanessa Carlton.
Current Activities Jessica’s new album is released in physical copy and sold on her website through PayPay for $6. It is also released on iTunes for download. Her social media and online presence is minimal compared to other beginning artists. She only has a few accounts, which need to be more integrated to create consistency across platforms. There is no cohesiveness or ease of navigation for visitors.
Areas of Improvement • • • • •
Clearly define her image/genre to the audience Social media presence Venue performances Focus target audience Website
audience Current Audiences »» »»
A majority of Jessica Byrd’s fans are her social media followers, who according to Facebook, tend to be ages 18-24. Bar patrons who stumble upon a Jessica Byrd live performance, hear her music live, and become fans.
Potential Audiences »» »»
Female teenagers ages 12 to 19 who can enjoy her lighthearted songs and also be able to connect with her lyrics. Adults ages 22 to 35 in the Southern California area who appreciate songwriters. These adults enjoy discovering new music by independent artists. This can include music blogs, radio stations and magazines.
Ssecondary research social media Jessica needs to establish a fan base through her social media pages. Each platform should be distinct and separate. Her website and Facebook page needs to be up-to-date on her current performances and appearances. This is the one way she can encourage people to come watch her live. She needs to utilize it to her advantage like her competitors Colbie Caillat and Sara Bareilles do. Before anything else she needs to establish her personality online. She shouldn’t simply promote herself, but she should also express her interests and hobbies as well. This way she can connect with her followers and fans. She must open a Twitter page, which she lacks as of right now. She also needs to make her Instagram page public and share her musical achievements more often. Most importantly, through all these platforms she needs to post more frequently. Her competitors are updating their pages every hour not every month. 1) Website: JessicaByrd.com Jessica’s website was developed by her mother, Cynthia Byrd. It has a home page showing only the cover of her album. There are no links to Jessica’s social media sites. Site visitors can’t listen to her music on the homepage. There is also no biography throughout her site. The tab, “Music,” at the top of the page only shows YouTube videos of random songs and some cover songs. A few of the songs on her first album are available to listen to, but not all. The third tab is “News,” which was last updated with a graphic of her album release on August 10. There is no mention of her recent performances. The “Store” tab has her album available for purchase online with PayPal for $6. There is no cohesiveness or ease of navigation for visitors. 2) Facebook: “Jessica Byrd” Musician/Band Page Jessica created her Facebook fan page on Aug. 1, 2013 and has 127 likes. She has only posted six times since its creation. Her music is not available on her page, but there is a link to her website in the “About” section. There is no biography on her page. 3) YouTube: “Jessica Byrd” and “clb0123” Jessica has posted six videos on her “Jessica Byrd” account, but only three of those videos are songs from her album. Her mother has posted many other videos of her singing live on her “clb0123” account. 4) SoundCloud: “JessicaByrd” SoundCloud is one of the most popular music sites of our generation. Jessica recently posted her full album to her “Jessica Byrd” account and also has another song called Honeysuckle Rose posted. She has only three followers and is following only one other account. 5) Instagram: “songbyrd56” Jessica only has a private and personal Instagram account. She has posted 149 times, has 216 followers and 288 following. She has minimal to almost no posts about her music.
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Sprimary research Live Performance On Sept. 13, 2013, a friend and I attended a live performance by Jessica Byrd at the Old Towne Pub in Pasadena. The venue was difficult to find and hidden in a construction zone, which prohibits casual wanderers from being able to experience her music. At the entrance we had to show identification, as it was a 21 and over bar, which is limiting to her target audience. The bouncer outside asked us for a $10 entrance fee and also asked us which performer we were there to see because a total of four bands were performing. This was so they could keep track of artist payment. The venue was small. There were six other people there when we arrived at 9 p.m. Jessica and her band were already setting up. After a few minutes her family arrived, as well as some of her friends and roommates. There were a total of about 20 people there. Jessica began with California Kid, I Found the One, Invisible Wall and Technicolor from her debut album. She then performed a cover of Michele Branch’s Everywhere and Andy Grammer’s Keep Your Head Up, which livened the mood. She finished her set list with Strangers. Since it was a small venue and she had a full band, it was a little difficult hearing her over the sound of the drums and guitars. At times people at the bar were engaging in loud conversations while she was singing. It did not distract her but it was frustrating for people who were trying to listen. Jessica spoke to the audience in between songs, sharing a little bit about the next song she was about to perform. She also would ask the audience how they were doing which made the setting more personal and intimate. When she sang Michele Branch’s song she shared how she grew up with the song and would sing it all time as a kid. I thought this was great because she was interactive with her audience. It allowed her to be more personal. At the end she also thanked her band and introduced each one of them. The audience was sparse and much older than expected since it was a bar. The age range was anywhere from 22 to 55. There were a couple of people in their 20s however, a majority were in their 30s and 40s. People were nodding their heads to the songs but the venue did not provide a dance floor. Most people were attentive and enjoying the music. It was difficult to analyze the audience any further than that because a majority of them were her family members or her friends from LA Music Academy. Based on this observation, it is worthwhile to seek out venues that are closer in line with the Jessica’s defined target audience.
Sprimary research Interview 1. If you could choose one or two genres to categorize your music, what would it be? Pop/Singer-Songwriter with a little bit of a country flare. 2. Who is your inspiration/favorite artist? Sara Bareilles has been has been such an inspiration to me. Her vocal ability and songwriting skills are incredible and she is definitely someone I look up to. 3. Who do you hope will listen to your music? How old are they? Who’s listening? My hope is that people in their twenties will be able to relate to my songs and the stories that I tell through my lyrics. But it would be an incredible thing for someone of any age to enjoy my music. That’s what I live for! 4. What feeling do you want people to get when they hear your music? I want my songs to take people out of their everyday lives for a moment. If it’s a happy song, I want it to make them smile and feel like being happy. It’s the best feeling in the world. And if the song isn’t as happy, I still want it to give people hope in knowing that everyone has problems and that they’re not alone. 5. How do you expect people to feel when they see your album cover? The cover shot is a little more candid than posed, and I’m dressed fairly simply. I hope that gives people the feeling that I am someone relatable, and that this album is capturing moments that are real. 6. How would you describe your sound? My sound has been compared to Colbie Caillat...so I would say it’s sweet, listenable, relaxing sound. 7. What is your dream venue to perform at? I’d love to perform at House of Blues and the Troubadour... something a little more long term... somewhere like the Greek Theatre! 8. What are three words to describe yourself? Positive, down to earth, and passionate. 9. What are your non-musical hobbies? I love dancing, rollerblading, camping, going to the beach... and I have a small obsession with watching romantic comedies! 10. At what point will you feel like you have accomplished your dream of being a musician? I will have accomplished my goal when I am able to live a comfortable lifestyle, and pay the bills by doing what I love, which is making music!
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Sprimary research Focus Group “I want you to listen to a few songs from this CD and let me know what you think. I will ask specific questions after you listen. Let me know why you like her or why you don’t. Be specific.” Audience: Tammy Nori, Age: 13 Amber Nori, Age: 14 William Hedayat, Age: 13 Sean Burton, Age: 12 Tina Haidrey, Age: 15 After listening to Technicolor: NOTES: “I like her voice. She really puts her feelings in the songs. I would listen to her because she has a nice voice. She seems fun and pop, but also very country. I don’t like this type of music, I listen to hip-hop. It’s boring and way too slow for me. If there wasn’t anything else on, I would listen to her. I like upbeat music and this is too slow. It isn’t catchy or fun. As a boy, this song is not my taste. I would never listen to it. It is too girly and soft. She has a nice voice but needs better a better chorus that is more catchy.” After listening to Strangers: NOTES: “She has a smooth and pretty voice, not common. People can relate to her music. She’s not common; she’s different, so it’s good. Girls can relate to it, but as a boy I don’t like it, it’s too girly. I think she should make her music more upbeat and fun, less romantic. I like this one but maybe with less instruments. It’s a slow song so it should just be her voice and a guitar. I like it, it is sad and emotional.” What target audience do you think her music is for? age 13-16 age 10-16 age 11-15 age 13-17 age 13-16 What genre do you think her music is? Country Country/classic Soul/country Country Country/pop What I took away from this focus group is that girls relate to her more than boys. Her voice is very appealing, however they prefer the songs to be more upbeat. They also have a difficult time defining her genre as most of them mentioned country. They also, believe that her music is more suitable for a younger audience like themselves.
goals and objectives Goal To raise awareness about Jessica Byrd and her music, as well as defining Jessica’s image and genre.
Objectives i.
Increase Facebook likes to 300 by Nov. 26, 2013
ii.
Increase followers to 50 on SoundCloud by Nov. 26, 2013
iii. Create Twitter account by Nov. 12, 2013 iv. Centralize YouTube videos and post two cover songs to Jessica’s channel by Nov. 21, 2013 v.
Post twice weekly on social media platforms and utilize #SongbyrdSundays
vi. Restructure website and increase views 5% by Nov. 26, 2013 vii. Produce lifestyle video to include on her website by Nov. 26, 2013 viii. Create media pitch including bio, facts and photos and send to radio stations by Nov. 21, 2013 ix. Promote next performance/appearance and blast on all social media sites
strategies and tactics Strategies a.
Post frequently and interact with followers on social media
b.
Encourage target audiences to listen and share her music and cover songs online
c.
Position Jessica as an up-and-coming artist to pitch her music to radio stations and bloggers through music samples and media kits sent out
Tactics i. Create an online media pitch with music samples to email to radio stations and bloggers (Radio Stations: Indie 103.1, ALT 98.7, 94.7 The Wave, Go Country 105, 97.3 KSON, HOT 104.7, 94.1 K-FROG, 100.3 The Sound - KSWD)
ii. Restructure Website We believe the site map can be rearranged a little bit to more effectively cater to our audience. The homepage should be made more visually appealing and should include a lifestyle video, social media links and an iTunes link. In the “About” section, Jessica should have a bio and a photo slideshow. The “Music” tab should have Soundclips of her album as well as any covers she has done. Download links should also be available. There also needs to be an “Upcoming Events” section that is updated frequently. Her contact info should also be available. iii. Integrate YouTube Videos YouTube should be centralized “Jessica Byrd” account where she generates more views. She needs to promote her YouTube page on all social media platforms as well as encourage people to subscribe to her. She should generate buzz surrounding a hashtag such as #SongByrdSundays, where every Sunday she posts a cover song and posts the YouTube link on social media sites. iv. Expand Facebook Presence by posting more frequently. There should be a short bio as well as soundcloud files, YouTube videos, and new photos on the page. Jessica should also always update her fans on all of her upcoming performance. She should also interact with her fans more often. v.
Create a “Jessica Byrd” Twitter account and post creative tweets daily. Inform fans on performances, life events, interests, photos, links to her songs, as well as interacting with fans. She should also utilize the “SongByrdSunday” hashtag with a cover song, to engage followers and give them something to look forward to.
vi. Make her Instagram a public page and post photos regularly, while utilizing popular hashtags such as “Throwback Thurday” and “Music Monday”. vii. Create a lifestyle video (30-45 sec) that introduces Jessica as more than just an artist, but shows some aspects of her everyday life. This will clarify her vision of the California Kid album as well as making her more likable.
implementation In order to raise awareness surrounding Jessica Byrd’s music, our team researched successful media outlets such as blogs, music platforms, venues and radio stations. Our first step as a team was to develop pitch letters to email to popular radio stations and blogs that specialized in Jessica’s genre of music. The main purpose of our implementation was to spread her music through as many channels as we could. We let Jessica know about The Voice audition in December as well as possible venues that her and her target audience would benefit from such as The Roxy, The Troubadour and The Lab - AntiMall. My specific task was to create a plan and a vision board for our lifestyle video that we planned on filming. We wanted the video to be quick and fun. Most importantly, it was to display Jessica partaking in her favorite hobbies and activities. This video is meant to make Jessica more relatable to her fans and also to display her personality. I was also responsible for analyzing venues and music sites/blogs. I looked in to popular venues in the LA area and made sure they were of all ages. I reached out to these venues for contact information and how to book an artist. I formed an email pitch to these venues regarding the possibility of Jessica performing As a team we also realized that outdoor malls can also be a great setting for her to perform because we are able to gather a younger demographic. It would also be a great chance at raising awareness to an unsuspecting audience. I also helped with the social media strategy and calendar by creating posts and hashtags to be implemented on all platforms.
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Vvenues The Troubadour 9081 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069 »» It reaches roughly 45,390 users and delivers about 99,870 page views each month. »» Booking: http://www.troubadour.com/contact-booking/ »» 35206 likes on Facebook »» 22810 followers on Twitter The Roxy Theatre 9009 W Sunset Blvd West Hollywood, CA »» It reaches roughly 11,370 users and delivers about 25,080 page views each month. »» booking@theroxy.com »» 492,777 likes on Facebook »» 132,494 followers on Twitter The Lab – Antimall 2930 Bristol Street Costa Mesa, CA 92626 »» It reaches roughly 3,060 users and delivers about 6,750 page views each month. »» Contact: http://thelab.com/about »» 3997 likes on Facebook »» 582 followers on Twitter The Irvine Spectrum 71 Fortune Dr. Irvine, CA 92618 »» It reaches roughly 25,170 users and delivers about 55,440 pageviews each month. »» 28,549 likes on Facebook »» 3,235 followers on Twitter Mesa Lounge 725 Baker St Costa Mesa, CA 92626 »» It reaches roughly 5,670 users and delivers about 12,510 pageviews each month. »» 3,789 likes on Facebook »» 1,211 followers on Twitter
internet pitch Example TO: TheTroubadour@gmail.com SUBJECT: This Song-Byrd Can Sing Hey Troubadour, I am reaching out to you on behalf of the lovely singer/songwriter, Jessica Byrd. My name is Ranggin Hedayat and I’m a student at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Myself along with a team of fellow students are responsible for representing Jessica and her musical endeavors. Long Beach native, Jessica, is a 20-year-old music student from LA Music Academy in Pasadena, and has just released her debut album California Kid. The up-and-coming singer has written every song on her album and has the true ability of sharing her story through her lyrics and connecting with her listeners. Her pure voice and lyrical abilities have been compared to the likes of Colbie Caillat and Sara Bereilles. Here's a direct link to her album on SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/JessicaByrd. If you like what you hear, Jessica would be honored to perform at such a distinguished and legendary venue. I’d be more than happy to provide you with more information. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Ranggin Hedayat
In this pitch I made sure to establish her as an up-and-coming artist with lots of potential. By comparing her to Colbie Caillat and Sara Bareilles, the reader can get a sense of what type of all-around talented artist she is. I also wanted to mention that she a local musician from Southern California. I provided a quick and easy link to her music. This email is best if short and sweet, to catch the reader’s attention and briefly give them all the information they need.
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Llifestyle video
Video that introduces Jessica as more than just an artist but shows some aspects of her everyday life »» »» »»
displays her personality allows her to be relatable presents her as more likeable
Helps clarify the vision and story of her California Kid album On Nov 16, 2013 we met with Jessica Byrd and her father at Newport Beach, Calif. We were able to film this video and had a great time getting to know Jessica in a more casual setting. If filming this video made us, as a team, understand her and really connect with her as friends, we hope that the viewers will also take away something positive from it. Our plan for this video is to post a large version on the homepage of her website and have it automatically play on repeat. This will gain the viewer’s attention and introduce Jessica Byrd. The viewer will get a sense of her personality and connect with her effortlessly. Short videos are crucial to today’s online presence. Everything is visual and photos might be sufficient but this video will really help establish her as a relatable artist and lyricist. This video will also allow the listener to hear a sample of her single California Kid, which is a great way to give them a visual along with the song. If the viewer likes the video and song it will lead them to download her album.
social media Since we spoke to Jessica and gave her advice on social media and its importance to her mission, she has made an effort to implement our ideas. In September, the number of likes her Facebook page had was 127. Since then, in just 2 months, it has increased to 242. She is posting more frequently and doing a better job of integrating her social media pages. In September, Jessica did not have a Twitter account. Today, Jessica has not only created a Twitter account but she is doing a great job of posting tweets at least once a day. Her tweets are also true to her personality. She limits her promotional tweets and simply allows her followers to get to know her better on a personal level. In just one week, Jessica already has 15 followers. In September, Jessica’s Instagram page was on private and only between her and friends. Now, she has not only made her page public to allow all her fans to keep up with her, but she has also started to post more photos related to her musical efforts. She has shared behind-the-scene photos of her album cover shoot, as well as, a photo with Taboo from the Black-Eyed Peas. Overall, Jessica has done a great job of taking our advice regarding social media. Her presence on these sites really forms her identity as an artist and allows her fans to connect with her.
evaluation
As a team we were able to implement a majority of our tactics. We created media pitches and emailed them to radio stations and music blogs. Jessica is able to utilize these pitches for her future efforts. She also now has a pitch email to send out to venues in order to book a performance. Although we do not have full control of her website (her mother is in full control), we were able to develop a mock website so that Jessica is able to see the necessary changes that need to be made in order to improve ease of navigation and the importance of integration between social media sites. We were able to organize her social media sites, such as YouTube and SoundCloud by deleting secondary accounts under different names, as well as updating them with her entire album. Although we weren’t able to reach our initial goal of 300 likes on Facebook, we did increase the number of likes from 127 to 242, which is a huge increase in the span of two months. We also opened a Twitter account for Jessica, which she now has full control over and is tweeting at least once a day. We were able to make her Instagram page public instead of private. We also successfully filmed a lifestyle video for her website, which we then edited and trimmed down to 27 seconds. In regards to booking performances, we were only capable of suggesting venues to Jessica. We were able to speak with Chapman University to have Jessica perform in December, however, due to their focus on finals week, we were unable to accomplish this. We did however, provide Jessica with the right contact information to perform at Chapman during springtime. Although we were not able to complete all of our tactics we were able to help Jessica better define herself and her image as well as find her target audience. We provided her with the right social media plan that will help her continue to gain new followers and fans. She now has media pitches at her disposal. We hope that our creative ideas will be useful to her in the future as she continues to raise awareness about her music.