Sing Your Own Song: Event VP's 7 Tips On Finding Passion For Your Work
Danielle Madeira, VP of Another Planet Entertainment, here with Neil Young, says she loves her work in the music industry.
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Danielle Madeira says that music and movies were her escape when growing up. As a student at the University Of Kansas, working for the student union association gave her access to big names in music in the 1990s and sparked her interest in production.
Booking the group, They Might Be Giants, at a large concert venue on campus—one that had also given a start to Pearl Jam—Madeira says she was hooked on music. An internship at Amblin Entertainment in Los Angeles, let her in on film production as a career, but proved to her that the process there took so much longer, and then it was over so quickly.
Concerts and events were different, more lively, more engaging and more fun.
“I fell in love with producing,” says Madeira, vice president of Another Planet Entertainment, that oversees special events and also private events for clients including Apple, Dropbox, Google, LucasFilm, Pandora and Pixar.
Based in San Francisco, Madeira’s company books artists such as Justin Timberlake, Pink, The Killlers and more. Since she started with company shortly after it launched in 2003, Madeira says she has moved from managing the marketing department into building the special events sector. Another Planet was named 2015 and 2016’s “Top Independent Promoter” in the U.S. by Billboard Magazine.
In her 15 years in event creation, promotion, and production, Madeira says she has seen a shift in the culture of mostly men working as agents, producers and promoters to more women in leadership. And with that also more transparency, with the rise of the #MeToo movement.
“The music industry is seeing a shift in the culture of mostly men working as agents, producers and promoters to more women in leadership. And with that, more transparency with the rise of the #MeToo movement. #womenleaders”
“I hope it evolves to have more women in power,” she says. “That would change things a lot. It’s hard to change a paradigm when everybody is not invited to all conversations.”
PRS Foundation recently reported in the United Kingdom “that 78 percent of women interviewed had experienced some form of sexism in the music industry. In addition to that it found that only 16 percent of UK songwriters and composers are female, on top of the fact that men dominated every other role in the music business,” according to Mylène Besançon, co-founder of @Tunedly, writing in Thrive Global.
Hannah Ellis Petersen writes in The Guardian about the gender gap in the music industry globally. “Jane Third, senior vice-president of record label Because Music, said a major reason the industry was failing to promote women to senior roles was because women were rarely credited with success. ‘In my experience, women … tend to be described as just ‘having been in the room’. There’s a perception that women have a passive role, whereas men quite often are credited with their success. And that stops them being considered promotable above a certain level,’” Elisa Petersen writes.
That may be changing in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Billboard recently honored 100 women executives in the music industry across all platforms and in leadership, demonstrating a shift to more women in power positions.
“Billboard recently honored 100 #womenexecutives in the music industry across all platforms and in leadership, demonstrating a shift to more women in power positions.”
There is a movement to acknowledge the women in music who are behind the scenes as well as on stage as talent. This year, The She Rocks Awards, were launched in 2012 by the Women’s International Music Network this week honored Pat Benatar, Melissa Etheridge, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson of The B-52’s, Exene Cervenka of X and Jean Millington Adamian, June Millington, Brie Howard Darling, Patti Quatro Ericson and Alice de Buhr of the all-female rock band Fanny.
Madeira says in her career in the events industry, she has learned takeaways that can be applied to anyone who is looking to do what she loves, make a career shift or effectively lead an organization. Here is her best advice.
You have to have tenacity to work in these environments. “Make sure you are at that meeting and that you have the strength to know you deserve to be there.”
Do not second guess yourself. “Once a woman gets to a position, she seonc guesses her own success. The more a woman owns her position and stops apologizing, she shows strength about deserving and owning the success. “
Train yourself not to make sure everyone is OK. “Sometimes you have to be short and succinct. It helps to be outspoken and not just allow things to happen.”
Know that mistakes are essential. “Mistakes tell you to go in a different direction.”
“In building a successful career, know that mistakes are essential. #careeradvice”
Have a moral code. “Sometimes I would jump to conclusions or react based on emotions. The biggest lesson is not to have a knee jerk reaction. Be very respectful and do be able to digest something and approach it in a logical way.”
If you are passionate about something, follow that and get the experience. “You have to let go of ego and if you are passionate about something, it is infectious.”
Deliver solid communications. “To have a positive, inspired group, have a vision and be sure you all stand behind it.”
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About the Author
Michele Weldon is editorial director of Take The Lead, an award-winning author, journalist, emerita faculty in journalism at Northwestern University and a senior leader with The OpEd Project. @micheleweldonwww.micheleweldon.com