by Ivan Grimblat
I met Erin on a Zoom call thanks to my artist management class at Berklee, which taught me virtually nothing, but proved to be extremely useful. She was invited as a guest to talk to us (students) about her experience and how she had started her own company, Olivia Management. I was instantly drawn in and after she mentioned that she was looking for interns for her company, I decided to ask her where to apply and submitted my application.
It didn’t work out the first time, I guess there were more suitable candidates at the time, and I lacked the experience. I remember when I got the email saying they decided to move forward with other candidates, I got very dissapointed. By that time, I had probably applied to over 100 entry-level jobs within the music industry and about 50 music-related internships without any luck. They were all looking for someone with experience.
Even though I was frustrated, I decided to keep trying and started harassing Grace via email, reminding her that I was still looking for an internship in case they were looking for someone for the upcoming term. Until one lucky day, I got an email from Grace, offering me an internship for the summer.
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to not only start the internship at Olivia Management, but another one, simultaneously. I also got offered another internship for the upcoming term, thanks to the experience I’ve gathered during the past three months.
Looking back at my experience working at Olivia Management, I have to say, I’ve learned a ton. However, it isn’t what I’ve learned these past few months that I treasure the most from this internship, but the way I’ve connected with the people I’ve met through this opportunity.
I’ll always remember Olivia Management as the place that opened the doors of the music industry for me and also as a really fun place that introduced me to an amazing group of people.
Special thanks to Erin, Merk, Grace, Maddy, Mallory & Evan for making this such a valuable experience, hope you all stick around!