Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Morales.
Hi Stacey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Gladly! My name is Stacey Morales and I am a Music Industry Professional. It feels great to finally say that through the journey I experienced. All I knew about the music industry was that Justin Bieber existed and I could listen to his music and go to his shows. Never once did it occur to me that there was a whole team behind him, his music, and his tours. I was just a fan of what was presented to me. The thought of being part of that whole process never crossed my mind until I was more aware of my surroundings later in life.
In 2018, Got7 was touring North America and came to the Kia Forum. I had VIP meet and greet and was only focused on what I was going to say when I met Kim Yugyeom. As we were in line, there was the staff that was helping us get in line and answering any of our questions. Again, I was only focused on actually meeting my all-time favorite member of Got7.
Following that concert, I attended another one at the Novo and to my surprise, I saw the same staff that assisted me at the Got7 concert at this one! That’s when the gears started turning and I thought to myself, “Well they definitely are not working for a venue because I saw them at a different spot before.”
This was the music industry opening up to me, I started to understand there were people that organized shows and worked these shows. I made it my own mission to be part of that process. I wanted to work for my favorite artists in any capacity and I saw this as a way in. I saw it as a start.
I did my research to find out who was bringing in the talent and working with them throughout the tour. I found the KPOP promoters on all social media and saw that they would eventually release Volunteer Applications to help promote the tour on Social Media. From there, they would pick the same volunteers to also volunteer the day of show.
The first KPOP promoter to give me a shot at working my first concert was ATLocal Entertainment. The CEO’s name is Ashlee Rackthai and she gave me the confidence to pursue this as a career. The day of the show in Pomona, CA — she came up to me and said “I have to do other stuff with the venue, I trust you to take over”.
And without even letting me get a word out, she went on her way and entrusted me to direct the other volunteers and lead the meet & greet on my own. In that moment, it all came so natural to me and I knew I wanted to work Live Events as my career.
As I was getting a start on leading promotions, volunteering at more KPOP shows, the pandemic hit. I did not let that stop my pursuit in letting my name be known in the Live Entertainment space.
I utilized LinkedIn to connect with as many professionals as possible. I joined all the webinars I could about Live Music including TourMGMT101. I acquired mentors who pushed me further, and befriended many colleagues who shared my passion.
My name began circulating more once I started a TikTok Account named Staceyontour. This was where I shared all my experiences thus far and shared more resources on how you can get started in the Music Industry. Through this TikTok account, I noticed lots of students engaging and thanking me for the help. A large majority of them were high school students and wished they could also participate but most internships didn’t allow younger students — so they had no way to apply this knowledge.
I didn’t think that was fair. These students were understanding that there’s a music industry and are curious on how they can be part of it as well. They should also be given a chance to explore those options, especially as they venture out into college.
It was at that realization where I created 1520 Vision. A safe space for younger students and anyone wanting to pursue music for the first time can come and learn from someone who desires to teach the next generation of leaders.
The creation of 1520 Vision has led to many connections for myself and my reputation had helped acquire many interviews/jobs to where I am today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Regarding the steps to my career, I am blessed to say it was a smooth road. It was a smooth road because I worked hard. I did all the networking I could to ensure I was in the spaces I needed to be. And because of that, my network was supporting me the whole way. If there were jobs that had to do with Live Events, my colleagues would always send me them. No matter what it was, I knew my network would make sure I could find the best job possible that fulfilled the career I wanted. They did that because they also knew I would have their back if there was anything I could find that would suit them. If they needed advice, if they needed a connection, I would help them in any way possible.
When starting in any career, especially entertainment, you want to create relationships with anyone you come across. The entertainment world is a small one — having friends in all spaces can really help you in the long run.
The challenge I had was trying not to put all my eggs in one basket. I had a full-time job, I had 1520 Vision, I had the venue work, I managed a band, I had so many things I wanted to do because I wanted to do it all. If you’re doing something, make sure to put quality into your pursuits and try not to do so much at one time.
We’ve been impressed with 1520 Vision, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I founded 1520 Vision which is one of the first online-mentorship programs that cater to students aged 15+ and provides a safe environment for everyone to thrive in the music industry career they want to pursue.
When 1520 Vision first launched its application for mentees, it gathered over 500+ applications in 3 days. We planned to keep applications open for 2 weeks but had to close early due to high demand. We narrowed the applicants down to 37 mentees for 35 mentors. Each is paired with someone that is currently working in the career they aspire to be in.
What we look for in a Mentor is someone who has 3-5 years of experience in the field they are in. We want mentors that have also just recently gotten into the workforce so that they can easily recall and relate to our students who are just entering this space. That being said, we don’t turn away mentors with more years of experience – those mentors will be redirected to our mentees who have experience but want to go a different direction in their music career! It’s all about being adaptable and providing the best possible experience for those that join.
When it comes to mentees, we target the age groups 15-20 (hence the name 1520) because that is when young students are starting to think about their future. Older high school and younger college students want to get a grasp of what they’re trying to do with the rest of their lives, so they need to have trial runs. What good is it to pursue a major/career but end up hating it or disappointed in what it’s actually like? That’s why 1520 Vision seeks to give mentees a glimpse of what the industry is so that they can decide for themselves if they seek to pursue it further.
We have had mentees change career paths because they discovered they didn’t want to be in the music industry as much as they thought! As the founder, I’m glad to hear we helped them in their journey to figure out what was right for them.
Our mentees have had such great opportunities through our platform. Their mentors have referred them to their dream companies, have landed them dream jobs, and more. Although we do not promise our mentees a job after the mentorship, we DO promise them the resources to make their own path to lead them to their first job.
The great thing about being part of 1520 Vision is that you do not have to be a mentee to gather the benefits from the resources. We have interns that join before the mentorship program begins that help with the process of building the program. In the second year of 1520 vision, we had over 150+ applicants for interns – most being past mentees! These interns have gone on to bigger companies because they mentioned being an intern at our program. As well as just being part of the community of 1520, you find friends at concerts, webinars, and more.
1520 Vision is proud to provide opportunities for anyone within our community, no matter how you’re a part of it. This community is going to be the next big thing as we will provide the next great generation of music industry professionals.
My goal is to have the executives of all music industry companies: be 1520 Mentees and pass on the knowledge to their managers, coordinators, and assistants — the importance of raising each other up and providing a truly communal space for everyone to grow. I want the 1520 community to grow with each other so that when they are far along in their career, they can easily call each other up and scratch each other’s backs. I want a mentee to be an agent and another to be a promoter. I want an intern to be an artist manager in need of a tour manager and a mentor that can provide that service.
We’re all connected and it all can start at 1520 Vision.
What makes you happy?
Quality time and the assurance of community.
The reason I love helping people is that I love being with people. I find comfort in knowing there is going to be someone there for me because I was there for them.
If there anyone pointed in my direction, asking for my help – why would I turn that away especially if I knew I could provide that for them?
I just always do unto others as I would want them to do unto me. Be there for me, and I’ll be there for you.
On a smaller, less deep scale… the anime “Naruto” makes me happy. I have 2 tattoos dedicated to it. As well as grabbing a late-night boba with my best friends.
Pricing:
- FREE!!!
- $0
- 1520 Vision is free for all
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/1520vision
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1520vision/?hl=en
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