We were lucky to catch up with Angie Carlson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Angie, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I am a Midwesterner who grew up in Northern Minnesota in Hibbing, MN a melting pot that gained prominence for its iron mines in the early 20th century. Our school was incredible — built in the 1920s with mining money. Because of the severe weather and so many 2nd and 3rd generation people, it was a tough, no B.S. place to grow up. You had to be prepared. My Dad grew up at a small family resort and was a fishing guide and dealing with guests from age 12 on. He helped put himself through college by harvesting wild rice. I grew up with summers spent at our small family resort where we had to pitch in and clean cabins, rake, fix things, be pro-active and also we met a lot of different kinds of people who came to stay at the resort.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I have spent the past 30+ years in the music industry. I first wrote about music in the early ’80s in Minneapolis (MN Daily, City Pages, Matter) before becoming a working musician, spending years recording and touring with IRS Records artists Let’s Active and later Grover (Zero Hour) from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s. I returned to writing in the late ’90s and spent two years as the music editor/pop culture writer at award-winning alt-weekly the Independent Weekly in NC. I left to help create the press department at then largely regional label Yep Roc Records in 2002, a position I held until founding Press Darling PR in 2006. I moved to NYC to take a position with Press Here Publicity. In 2012, then was offered a job back in Minnesota at famed folk label Red House Records. I moved to Nashville in 2018 when Compass Records acquired Red House. As director of publicity, I directed or assisted on campaigns ranging from Grammy-winning bluegrass artists to singer-songwriters and more. I started my own indie PR company, Propeller Publicity. I’ve worked on and off for years with Grammy-winning folk icons the Indigo Girls and Amy Ray. I’m based in Nashville and currently work setting up interviews and press opps ranging from the Grand Ole Opry and NPR to Rolling Stone and other major music publications.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My journalism degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, was the base for everything. I learned how to find “the story” and what was needed, skills I still use when I start working with a new client. Coming from journalism, I know what writers will need for their stories as well as how to craft a press release and bio that is engaging and steers the narrative.
It was also amazing to be in a touring rock band in the ’80s (pre-internet) and tour with artists including R.E.M. and The Church, among others. It taught me what the life of a musician is really like — the tedium of touring, how important press and radio are and how to build a press database and maintain it with new contacts and press and rain outlets.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I love a good story. I also want to champion the underdog. I’ve worked several projects that include books by musicians as well as films that tie in with an artist’s career and work. I recently did an album and book by a trans artist and have worked with many LGBTQ artists. I like to work closely with the film and book publishing folks to put a team together to get the best results.
I’ve worked for years with Indigo Girls and promoted their annual Minnesota “Honor the Earth” charity where they partner with Native American environmental groups. I am drawn to career artists who have bucked trends and carved out a living in the music biz and found their niche, not an easy task.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.propellerpublicity.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angiepropellerpublicity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angie.carlson.18/ and https://www.facebook.com/propellerpublicity/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angie-carlson-4a6b9a2/
Image Credits
Photos courtesy of Propeller Publicity
