Meet Brianna DeMayo | Artist Helper

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brianna DeMayo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brianna, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I knew I wanted to help artists in new ways and change the industry to be more in favor of the artist, and I didn’t think I’d be able to do that by working for a company (like a record label). I wanted to be hands on with the artists. I saw a gap that I felt needed to be filled so I filled it myself.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Taste Creators is an artist development company focused on helping artists build leverage and be as self sufficient as possible so that they can have a successful career on their own terms. We’re here to empower artists and give them the infrastructure they need to build a strong foundation. This involves a lot of different things, and everything is catered to each individual artist’s needs and goals. One thing that sets us apart is that we always teach artists to fish before we fish for them. Meaning, we’re going to show you how to do it first, and then add support where needed. We want artists to understand what goes into running their business, growing their audience, and getting more eyes and ears on their music. So for instance, we never jump right into marketing, we always start with creating a strategy for the artist and making sure they’re well versed in all of the things they need to be doing (such as how to properly utilize social media to build a community of fans). Our day to day is always different. One day we might be in the studio with the artist to help finalize records, or find the right production, another day we’re making sure their brand is coming off how it needs to be (from writing their bio to designing their website to making sure their social media channels are all optimized so that they’re easy to find etc.). Other days we’re coordinating with our media team to create content, doing photoshoots for cover art designs, developing rollout strategies, and running digital marketing campaigns. It truly depends on the needs of each artist, depending on where they’re at right now.

I’m really excited for everything that we’re doing at Taste Creators because we’re essentially putting the pieces of the puzzle together for the artist without taking any ownership of their masters. We’re finding new ways to help artists in a big way, from partnering with Vydia for distribution to finally launching the management side of Taste Creators. We’re even teaming up with BeatStars to help producers get their beats out there more. And we’re gearing up for the launch of our next artist development program which will happen at our new artist development space here in Philly.

It took a long time to get to this point and I still feel like we’re just getting started. It’s been a long journey that started off as a little girl learning how to harmonize to now being able to help artists build their business. One of the lessons I’ve learned along the way is just to keep going, no matter what. You’ll only fail if you quit. But also don’t be afraid to pivot when necessary. Your vision takes time to develop, so give yourself grace and be patient, and don’t worry about what others are doing. Have tunnel vision. You are your only competition.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First I would take them to the Taste Creators artist development studio, as that’s my favorite place to be lol. Then we would head to Sampan in center city which is one of my favorite spots to eat in Philly (they have the best happy hour hands down + the food is amazing). Then we’d check out a museum or two (or three) because Philly has some awesome museums that you need to check out if you’ve never been here. The Art Museum is one of those places, as it’s beautiful and you get a really dope view of the city, but there’s so many other awesome museums to check out. The Franklin Institute has always been my favorite since I was little. I’m really big on great music, great food and great views, so if my bestie was visiting I would make sure we checked all three boxes. Oh and you can’t leave Philly before having a cheesesteak (with american cheese, none of that cheese whiz bs)! But I would be taking you to Max’s or a pizza spot to get one, not the touristy spots (if you’re from Philly you know that the best cheesesteaks aren’t from the tourist spots.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shoutout my Taste Creators team for believing in my vision and for showing up for me time and time again. Also my girl and my mom for being by my side and giving me the utmost support throughout this journey. I couldn’t do this without a solid support system. I’d also like to shoutout people like Wendy Day and Paul Porter for supporting me early on as they are the initial reason why I got any traction in the early stages of starting my company. Shoutout to Clinton Sparks too, as he might not realize it but his words of wisdom have helped me a lot over the last year or so, and he’s also someone who doesn’t need to even pay attention to little ol’ me but he’s been nothing but supportive since we’ve been in contact. Big shoutout to the artists who have trusted me and my team to help them on their journey. And shoutout to everyone in this crazy music business who are really on the artists side and are pushing for artists to get more ownership and control over their careers. I’m sure there’s plenty more people I can shout out, but I’d be here all day lol.

Website: www.tastecreators.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/briannademayo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannademayo/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/breezyb215

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/briannademayo

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TasteCreators

Other: briannademayo.com

Image Credits
All photos except for 2 or 3 are shot by Wave Lane (@shotbywave)