Right place, right time. That’s how Grace James explains her start in the music industry. She randomly caught a music business panel at NYU, “got up the nerve” to “ask for an internship,” stayed up all night putting together a resume for J Records, and “that's really, really where it started.”

James, now vice president of marketing for Atlantic Records, walks listeners through this journey, including how she balances selling both a product and someone’s “craft”; how she handles the complex timelines, calendars and schedules of multiple projects; and how she also became a fitness blogger.

This is the story of Grace James.

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When interning at different music labels and PR companies around New York City in her early days, Caiti Green had a very simple diet. “I'm completely, 100% serious when I tell you I ate Ramen, and grilled cheese, and eggs everyday because that's what I could afford.” But hearing her talk passionately today about her position at Atlantic Records as a marketing director, you can tell the sacrifice was worth it.

Now, she finds herself creating timelines and marketing plans around releases, all the while staying true to the art. “It's super important to me that things come off authentic and that we can break that major label stigma.”

This is the story of Caiti Green.

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When Gina Tucci’s musician and producer father would present work to A&R at labels, at times they would "rip apart the records.” But Tucci had an unexpected reaction to observing this. “After a while, I kind of realized, that’s kind of cool...you get to listen to music all day and pick apart the songs to make them better.”

It’s that spirit for critique and exploration that’s led Tucci to her current positions of Big Beat Records General Manager and a Vice President of A&R at Atlantic Records. Listen in as she details her path through the music industry, including what advice she’d give to young music professionals, and how she got involved with her “first big record ever”: B.o.B’s “Airplanes.”

This is the story of Gina Tucci.

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Connection.

If one word could sum up Mara Frankel’s place in the music world, it might be connection. After all, as Senior Creative Director of Brand Partnerships at Atlantic Records, she talks with these brands about “how they’re working in music” and how to partner Atlantic artists on “marketing opportunities.” Frankel brings you into this world, along with detailing her origins in the music business, and explaining the important difference between what she calls a “sponsor” and a “mentor.” 

This is the story of Mara Frankel.

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From the very beginning, Pete Ganbarg loved music. He listened to everything he could get his hands on. He pored over copies of Billboard Magazine, starting at age 13. And he learned about the process of curation through DJ gigs. If people danced to his selection, that was a hit. Meanwhile, “if people gave me the finger and walked out of the room, that means it wasn't a hit.” Talk about getting the crash course. 

Now, with the self-imposed label of “professional listener” and the official title of President of A&R at Atlantic Records, Ganbarg uses a “genre agnostic” approach to both finding new artists and creatively supporting the ones on the Atlantic roster. 

This is the story of Pete Ganbarg.

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Zeena Koda has done just about everything in the music world. She toured and played in a band. She interned at a record label, working heavy metal albums. She was the host of a national TV pilot. 

But she’s really found her creative home as Senior Director of Digital Marketing at Atlantic Records, in a role that has her “sculpting the communication vehicle” for some of the label’s biggest and most influential releases. Listen in as she takes you through each step of her music business path, as she explains the important mantra on her office whiteboard, and as she details working with artists like Bazzi and Rico Nasty.

This is the story of Zeena Koda.

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Everyone has a story. Especially when it comes to working in the music world.

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