Photo courtesy of Satori Ananda
Between her roles as chief of staff at W.A.R Media, personal assistant to CEOs Guy Routte and Pharoahe Monch (for whom she booked an opener through Sonicbids), and artist operations lead under the W.A.R. Media roster, Satori Ananda is one busy woman. Still, in spite of all of her daily obligations, she found a spare moment to give us social media advice for rising artists, why she thinks every artist should have a Sonicbids EPK, and how she nurtured a career in artist development.
How did you get started in the music industry?
Erykah Badu owned the historical Black Forest Theater in South Dallas, which served as a music venue and community center. I was fortunate to be a part of her team. Over the years, we featured artists like Jill Scott, George Clinton, Jay Electronica (before most of the world knew him), Wu Tang Clan, Monica, Pharoahe Monch, Talib Kweli, and Dave Chappelle.
Were you always interested in the development side of the music industry?
Erykah's theater was where I developed my love for being behind the scenes. Before I realized my interest in artist development, I performed as a spoken word artist at venues across the country, as well as hosting shows and events, but I never really had the love for the spotlight or being on the stage. My love was in the strategy of the stage – getting people on it, presenting the product/artist to the world, and creating success.
What artists have you worked with?
I've worked with almost all of my favorite artists either directly or indirectly, which is really something I am still in awe of. Some of them include: Pharoahe Monch, Jean Grae, Brand Nubian, Homeboy Sandman, dead prez, Statik Selektah, Heltah Skeltah, Talib Kweli and his team, 9th Wonder and his team, and Organized Konfusion. There have even been a few one-offs for artists like Young Guru, as well as producers like Da Dreak, Lee Stone, and Ja'Born. Recently, I've worked with comedians like Wyatt Cenac, Hannibal Burress, and John Hodgman.
What's your best social media advice for musicians?
Social media is probably a term artists I work with come to love and hate. I focus heavily on artists' social media presence. My best advice is to engage! Use social media to become involved with your fans – customer service is the reason people return to any business. You are a business.
What do you enjoy most about Sonicbids?
Sonicbids, for me, is one of those tools I think every artist should have in his or her arsenal! Who doesn’t appreciate a site that does the hard work of finding gigs and opportunities for you?
What projects are you currently working on that you're most excited about?
Besides my daily artist operations activities at Pharoahe Monch's label, W.A.R. Media, I am also working closely with Statik Selektah on showoffhiphop.com, where we offer artists a chance to get radio play and featured on a cool platform called #ShowoffCasino. I am also a production assistant on Jean Grae's sitcom Life With Jeannie and am the newly named content director at SkyyHook Radio. If you want to find me in person these days, I am probably at the next beat battle! Working with producers like Da Dreak is my current passion.
To keep up with Satori, follow her on Twitter.
