Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Marshall.
Gabrielle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a fan, giving back to fans. Growing up, music has always been apart of my life. Whether it was listening to music every morning on my way to school, being in my middle school’s band or singing in my church choir.
When it came time for college applications, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what schools I wanted to apply. When in I was in high school, I was really interested in forensics science. I wanted to go to crime scenes and do autopsies which is completely different from what I’m doing now!
I had been a fan of an artist for almost ten years, basically all of my teenage years. A little over five years ago, me and some friends created a promotional account for the artist that we loved on social media to help promote their music to current fans and to help gain new ones while raising digital revenue. We somehow got into an artist’s profile section on iTunes and saw a new picture of the artist we had never seen before. We had this great idea to chop up the photo into sections, post one section each day and watch the fans freak out over the photo. At the time, we had no clue this was the cover art for the next single! We wake up the next morning to a direct message on Twitter from one of the managers asking us to get on a phone call. The manager hops on the call and explains to us that they know we have good intentions, but we just can’t be doing that without permission. 14 year old me was freaking out! From that point for three years, I was apart of that promotion account doing contests, giveaways, setting up streaming parties and more. After the three years, I created my own account and worked closer with the artist’s team to give back to the fans with FaceTime calls, free meet and greets, merch and even created an all-access app.
I ended up applying to The Los Angeles Film school during my senior year of high school to pursue a Bachelors or Science degree in Entertainment Business. When I was 17 years old, I moved from Bakersfield, California to Hollywood by myself. I currently am 19 years old and will be graduating spring of 2021.
After moving to Los Angeles, my life changed. My first job in Los Angeles was at a satellite broadcast studio where I am a studio manager during press tours. I got to meet with amazing talent such as Ice Cube, Mario and more. In 2019, I designed and set up my very first billboard to promote Austin Mahone, the artist I was running a promotional account for. Since then, I have set up 20 billboards across the U.S promoting music, tours and social injustices. With some internships in PR and Social Media Strategy/Marketing and volunteer experience, I have gotten to work with Travis Scott, T-Pain, Jhené Aiko and other artists.
I currently work at Warner Brothers Entertainment as a photo associate. Being on the lot everyday is truly such an amazing. After I graduate, I hope to work in fan engagement and marketing. Fans are the reasons musicians get to do what they love everyday. I truly feel my purpose is to give back and help others grow.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Moving to LA at such a young age alone and navigating the city plus the music industry when it’s so unfamiliar was the hardest part. I have lived in LA now for almost two years, despite visiting all the time when I was growing up, I’m still learning everyday!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I certainly do not regret the direction I have taken my career in because I am a strong believer of everything happens for a reason and this is where I am supposed to be in my journey right now. If I could start over, I would set more boundaries for myself and understand how valuable my time, energy and ideas are. It can be easy to give too much when your career relates to giving back all the time!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/gmarshallportfolio/home?authuser=1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaby.marshall/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_gabymarshall
Image Credit:
Brian Padilla
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