Portfolios Journalism
Page updated March.30.2007
NAMM: Kyung Min
Business article, MBJ Vol. 2 Issue 1, March 2006
Part of a collection of articles that made up the Winter NAMM '06 coverage (~609 words)
For those of us attending NAMM as part of NAMBI, it meant that in addition to experiencing first-hand the new products of 2005 and staring dreamily at famous musicians, we participated in the NAMBI booth, attended seminars, and much more. The NAMBI booth was a place where we could display our résumé, and assist any curious potential employer with any questions they had; also, if a particular résumé interested them, then they could set-up interviews with those students.
Also, the president of NAYMM (National Association of Young Music Merchants), Alysha Sides, marketing and advertising director of Robert M. Sides Family Music Centers, brought back for the second time the NAYMM shadow program, where students were able to follow herself and other prominent people to the back rooms and watch deals between buyers, distributors and manufacturers get negotiated. I participated in this program for the second year in a row and, while last year I had a very good experience shadowing Alysha Sides, this year I was assigned to someone uninteresting who was just in charge of running the demo presentations for his company’s software. All was not lost, however, as I quickly made my own shadowing program with Stephen Croes, the dean of Music Technology at Berklee. It was very interesting and insightful to see how one builds relationships with other companies and makes deals on behalf of the college.
The NAMM scholarship winners, as well as select other students, were also able to participate in a mock interview program, which allowed students to do a “fake” job interview with a high-level executive at a products company or retailer. In addition to the interview portion, there is also an evaluation that both parties fill out, which helps to gauge the experience and areas needing improvement. I participated in this program and was interviewed by Stephanie Reichert, VP of Marketing at Sennheiser, and the interview coupled with the evaluation portion made for a very educational experience that will help me to perform better at future job interviews and to build a better résumé.
There were also some companies that allowed students to volunteer in setting up for concerts during the evenings and helping out with working at trade show booths. I volunteered, along with music business students from Berklee and other schools, to help Sennheiser put on their Dealer Appreciation Concert, which for me included setup issues with equipment on stage throughout the show. It was great to have such first-hand experience working with employees of products companies, and to get a feel for what it takes for companies to have a presence at the show.
President Roger Brown also made the trip out to Anaheim, stopping by the NAMM show to meet with companies and individuals who have had good relations and business with the college, as well as giving a speech at the Berklee Alumni Brunch in L.A. on the last day of the convention. At the brunch, President Brown explained the vision of the college, including both short-term and long-term plans, as well as taking questions from those in attendance. It seemed that quite a few alumni were interested in being involved with the greater Berklee community, being in contact with the school and other alumni, as well as being open to accepting fresh graduates as interns. Such interest was in line with President Brown’s call for continued alumni participation in the Berklee experience.
The show, and the entire weekend, was packed with events and opportunities, and for those interested in the music products industry, the NAMM show is likely the best way to find out more about the industry, gain first-hand experience, and build relationships.
To view this article in the MBJ itself, please visit the Music Business Journal web site, where a PDF of the issues are available for download.
Journalism Outline
The Music Business Journal of Berklee College of Music
· "Editor's Note"
Editorial, MBJ Vol. 2 Issue 1, March 2006
· "NAMM: Kyung Min"
Business article, MBJ Vol. 2 Issue 1, March 2006
· "Paul Goldman: A True Creative, even in Business"
Cover article, MBJ Vol. 1 Issue 7, December 2005
· "The Next Generation Recording Studio: Tainted Blue Productions"
Business article, MBJ Vol. 1 Issue 6, November 2005
· "SSL Rejuvenated: Staying on Top of the Game"
Business article, MBJ Vol. 1 Issue 6, November 2005
· "Marketing Design Group: A New Student Club of the MB/M Dept."
Business article, MBJ Vol. 1 Issue 6, November 2005
· "Mobile Talk: Interview with Tim Nilson,
VP of Global Mobile Technology, Sony/BMG"
Business article, MBJ Vol. 1 Issue 4, August 2005
· "Editor's Note"
Editorial, MBJ Vol. 1 Issue 3, May 2005
· "Editor's Note"
Editorial, MBJ Vol. 1 Issue 1, March 2005
· "The Future of Music"
Model Work, MBJ Vol. 1 Issue 1, March 2005
· "Press Kit: FLUTTR Effect"
Review, MBJ Vol. 1 Issue 1, March 2005
Recent News
8.2.08 - The website for A Green Church, a company dedicated to environmental practices and products for churches, was designed by Mr. Min and implemented by Mr. Min and Rob Sanchez for Elative Marketing.
8.1.08 - Mr. Min transitions from being Content Manager of Web Marketing at Digidesign to working full time as Creative Director for Elative Marketing and Director of Marketing for Addo Label.