Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Allen.
Heather, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Since I was a child, I had always wanted to be a writer. At first, it started with wanting to be a novelist (which of course is still on my bucket list). As I got older and discovered the many aspects of the wonderful world of music, music journalism became my new dream. Once I entered college as a bright and shiny journalism student at Azusa Pacific University, I had the opportunity to write for our campus newspaper and magazine, as well as interning for Entertainment Scoop and becoming a long-term staff writer for Mind Equals Blown.
My long-term relationship with record label/music event/branding company Planet LA Records introduced me to not only industry professionals from various walks of life, but a plethora of extraordinary artists with amazing stories. Pair that with a writing position at Music Connection and soon enough, I had that confidence and fire to finally start my own online publication. But the question was, ‘what will my niche be?’
Interviewing was always my favorite part about being a journalist. My love for chatting with musicians combined with my enjoyment of the perfect latte sparked an idea that grew to become Crooners in Coffeeshops. My goal for CiC is to not only support local artists and introduce them to potential new fans but to also discover some hidden gem coffee shops in the area. And let’s be honest, most people in the entertainment industry are caffeine addicts in some way or form, so why not apply it to something productive!
Since meeting up at coffee shops in-person has been affected by the pandemic, Crooners and Coffeeshops finally took the plunge and entered the podcasting realm! In a way, the pandemic allowed CiC a chance to grow in new ways and I am happy to be able to continue sharing artist’s stories and supporting coffeeshops for years to come.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’m very fortunate to have created a solid format for Crooners In Coffeeshops since its inception so it has been a relatively smooth road for the past few years. All of my artists have been amazingly humble and I’ve luckily had little to no conflicts. When it came to the transition to podcast form, I needed to do a lot of research in terms of what hosting platform, recording software/equipment, and other logistics. Crooners In Coffeshops has certainly presented its fair share of learning experiences and I’m sure there will be more in the future.
Please tell us about Crooners In Coffeeshops.
Crooners In Coffeeshops is a Los Angeles based music interviewing and coffee appreciation blog. At its core, we focus on Los Angeles-based artists and independently owned coffee shops. Since switching to podcast form, we’re now able to introduce our CiC Family to even more artists and coffeeshops outside of Los Angeles.
What were you like growing up?
Ironically, I was a pretty shy and anti-social child, haha. I loved (and still love) reading, crafting, obsessing over tv shows, and anything that has to do with Disney or X-Men. All throughout my school years, I had trouble making friends, but once I left my hometown and moved to Southern California, I felt like I was able to really grow into my own person. I’ve wanted to live here since I was a child, partly because of Disneyland (lol), but because I knew somehow, I was never meant to be in stuck in small-town Salinas forever.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://croonersincoffeeshops.com/
- Email: heather@croonersincoffeeshops.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/croonersincoffeeshops/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CroonersInCoffeeshops/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CiCHeather
- Other: https://anchor.fm/crooners-in-coffeeshops
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