Bringing Music and People Together Through the Power of Advertising

My name is Chloe Calamaro, I am a senior year Advertising student (brand strategy and research concentration) and marketing intern at Rising Sun Presents, a live event production company that provides a variety of services for live events and concerts.

This internship has given me the opportunity to use my advertising knowledge for what I’m most passionate about – music. Throughout my time at Rising Sun, I’ve learned hands-on advertising skills that can be used universally but are especially useful for the unique nature of the live music industry. Going into this internship I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the workload and company culture. I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly, involved and reassuring my advisors were. Rising Sun employees are located in a few different areas of the Philadelphia region and often work remotely. Every Wednesday, I spend the work day with only three other people, making it easy to ask questions and get to know everyone.

Despite being there for only three months, I’ve already developed great relationships with my cohorts. I was also surprised by how often I’d be scheduled to cover a show; this makes the job particularly fun! Once a week I get to photograph or do social media coverage for a show – you can see my favorite photo I’ve taken on this post.

I’ve learned how to navigate and utilize a few new platforms such as Hive, Loomly, and Bandsintown Promoter, which are used for social media and e-mail marketing. When creating ads, the most interesting aspect is catering them towards specific demographics. The concerts Rising Sun Presents works with span across all genres, meaning the audience for any given ad can vary. I’ve learned to be strategic about which segments I target and the copy I write depending on what genre(s) a show falls within.

Time management is a soft skill I’ve improved upon as well. Despite being able to access my work online at any time, I complete all tasks within the 10-4 workday to ensure everything is on schedule. The platform Asana has been a very helpful tool in staying on top of my work, as I can see each and every task assigned to me. These skills assist me now in my personal endeavors advertising the independent shows I book. Putting my advertising knowledge to use regularly will also better prepare me for any future jobs that come my way.

Creative strategy has always been the advertising route that intrigued me most. For a while, I wanted to aim towards that specific career path. However, I’ve realized that because I care so much about supporting artists and live music, I don’t feel the need to limit myself to such a specific goal. What I do know is that I want to continue to work in the music industry. My passion for music makes me feel good about the work I do and motivates me to exceed. Whether for artists, live shows, or music-related companies like Rising Sun Presents, I plan to take the skills I am learning to make this world a better place through the power of music.