Sarah Harrison PRL 1180 October 20, 2015

Beginnings Christy Walker-Watkins is the

daughter of the late Jeff Walker, who founded The AristoMedia Group — a Nashville-based, entertainment marketing company — in 1980. She was born and raised in Nashville and grew up loving music, particularly the drums. She attended Belmont University and considered taking the performance path, but, following the

advice of family and friends, she majored in marketing and continued music simply as a hobby.

While at Belmont, Walker-Watkins worked as a receptionist at her father’s company, which is located just a few houses down from the university on Music Row. Originally, she had no interest in working in public relations, but the more she was exposed to the field, the more she fell in love with the energy and excitement she witnessed.

As her interest grew, Walker-Watkins climbed the ladder in the company and now, 12 years later, serves as partial owner alongside her mother and brother, vice president of publicity, and head of the Public Relations Department.

Christy Walker-Watkins | AristoMedia | VP of Publicity

From receptionist to Vice President:

“I worked as a receptionist, and I loved the energy of the publicists that worked here. I just loved how they’d go in and out and were always in a rush and on the phone and I loved that. So I asserted myself and expressed interest in wanting to take on some responsibilities. So — be careful what you wish for — I ended up absorbing more and more responsibilities, and I enjoyed it. To the point where I was doing more and more PR than performance…and I loved it.”

PUBLIC RELATIONS IN ENTERTAINMENT

Sarah Harrison PRL 1180 October 20, 2015

Her Job As vice president of publicity at AristoMedia, Walker-Watkins works with artists to build their brands.

“We take an act, and we figure out what is the most compelling thing about them. What is it

about their story that is of interest to the general public or even to the industry.”

She loves the creative side of branding — photoshoots, imaging, graphic design, etc — and the more practical side — teaching the artists interview skills and how to carry themselves as positive figures in the media.

Walker-Watkins considers herself a strategist. To her, entertainment PR is like a puzzle, and she has to figure out how the pieces fit together. Her job is to stay up-to-date on what is relevant to consumers and industry professionals and determine how to communicate those messages strategically to each population. However, not only is a trend never exactly the same two days in a row, but also, she points out, her two publics care about two very different aspects of the music industry. Where a consumer might enjoy participating in a contest or reading the latest gossip, a producer couldn’t care less – they want to see an artist’s statistics and where they lie on the charts.

Figuring out trends is a skill that only comes with experience.

“You start to forsee things a little bit better and make better judgment and guesses. But

also, just research and reading and being in touch with pop-culture and what’s going on in

trends and fashions…I have found that it’s a job of constant evolution. The minute you think

you have it figured out, something new comes up and it changes.”

Sarah Harrison PRL 1180 October 20, 2015

Current Issue The most significant issue for her office right now is what the media has termed “Tomato-Gate.” It started when a radio consultant said in an interview that he plays great female country singers on his radio but that they are the tomatoes to the salad – not the lettuce. He received a lot of flack for the comment and would later clarify that the remarks were not a personal opinion but rather a matter-of-fact statement on how to get good ratings. Nonetheless, he started a movement involving a lot of celebrities, tomato-pride t-shirts (pictured at right on Martina McBride) and social media posts.

In response to this, Walker-Watkins said that her office has simply continued supporting female singers as they produce good music.

“I’m a big believer in the music. If the music is good, then the fans will come, and I think that there are a lot of artists, female in particular, that have proven that they have a major fan-base. Look at Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves. There are a lot more women out there having success than we are getting credit for or that these guys who are out there saying differently are giving us credit for.”

Her Ethics in Crisis “I’ll tell you my philosophy. Honesty is the big thing. Get a statement and get the truth out there as quick as possible, because if not, then they’re gonna come at you like a bull. The minute you say something, the media tends to sort of settle down, but it’s when you don’t say something, they are all making up their own stories, digging, and they’re finding information but trickling it out in a way in which they want the consumer to feed off of it.”

Sarah Harrison PRL 1180 October 20, 2015

What does it take? • Organization

• Constantly updated knowledge of the trends and issues of the culture, especially in your particular field

• Planning

• Heavy reliance on the calendar

✦ “Because time will pass you by, and you will miss a lead or an opportunity.”

• Connections. A lot of friends. An extensive network of contacts in many different fields and industries

• Energy and a love for people

Christy’s favorite aspect:

“It’s very much a marriage. So, you establish these relationships with your clients that are very tight knit, and they do call on you a lot. It becomes more personal than if you were to work in retail or whatever…even with the media, too. It’s a very people-person type of job, and you make a lot of friends. I like that. I like people. I like engaging.”

Her Least favorite aspect:

“Red Carpets. They tend to be very stressful. You are put in the position of selling your artist in front of your artist and facing a lot of “no’s” in front of them. For instance, you say, ‘I have Miranda Lambert here – Do you have minute to speak with her?’ and very often they say, ‘No, I’m sorry, we don’t have time.’ That’s a really awkward situation. You have to turn to them and reassure them…You have to have a reason to give to your client, because that can make them really insecure.”Her Advice

“Whatever field you are looking to do PR for, read. Read the trades. As far as country music is concerned, our trades are Music Row, and All Access, and Country Air Check…those are resources that tell you what the trends are, tell you who the label heads are, who is at what label, new companies that are popping up here and there. It’s really important to know the state of the industry and what’s going on in order for you to be successful in that field.” Walker-Watkins with her father and founder of The AristoMedia

Group, Jeff Walker, who was honored with the President's Award at the Country Radio Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.