Meet Katy Irizarry

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katy Irizarry. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katy below.

Katy, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?

For a very long time, it was difficult for me to ignore the negativity and I took a lot of it to heart. I had low self-esteem to begin with, so it was easy to allow for the hateful voices to prevail as they echoed my own internal narrative that was dictated by my lack of self-confidence.

Eventually, I realized that my accomplishments spoke for themselves. It started to focus more on what I was achieving and the people who supported me, realizing I could not be where I am if the doubts I had about myself were actually true. I am only human and therefore I learned to give myself grace for the times I have failed or made mistakes. Above all, I realized it’s okay to celebrate my victories with the understanding that I achieved these things because I am worthy. Once I shifted my own outlook, it became easier to ignore the haters and realize that their vitriol towards me was more of a reflection of how they felt about themselves and less of a reflection of how they actually felt about me.

Now, I take pity on the haters. I know firsthand what it’s like to deflect your own self-hatred onto others. I recognize these people are coming from places of envy, insecurity, and fear. These are people who I sincerely hope find peace with who they are, much as I have, because it truly changed my life for the better, not just professionally, but personally.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ve always been passionate about music, but never really understood that the dream I had to work in music could actually come true. I was blessed with a strong supportive network of teachers in High School, one of whom recognized my gifts as a writer, my passion for music, and more impotently, he recognized that I was lost and didn’t know what I wanted to do after High School. He pushed me to apply for internships at my favorite magazines and to my shock, I got my first internship during my senior year of High School for a nationally syndicated music magazine, ‘Metal Edge.’

From there, I pursued another internship in radio at SiriusXM, where I eventually would land my dream job assisting my favorite DJ, Eddie Trunk. From there, I explored a career in radio marketing, which led me to realize my talents were not just in journalism, but in marketing and publicity where I could apply my creativity, writing skills, and music knowledge. I had worked for a number of PR companies and record labels, and always knew deep down I would eventually want to become an independent publicist with my own company. I never had a timeline or plan, I just felt that when the time was right to make my move, I would know.

Sure enough, after working for four years with a record label and burning out spectacularly, the signs that it was time to make my move as a business owner presented themselves clearly. As I was reaching my lowest point at that label, I received two emails in one week that would change my life; one from the agent of Italian composer Claudio Simonetti and one from emerging black metal artist Blackbraid, both of whom I was (and still am) a tremendous fan. Each asked me about handling promotions for them and that’s when I knew that it was time to create my company, which I named ‘Suspiria’ after my favorite horror film that was scored by Simonetti.

By the end of 2022, I already had a full roster of clients, so I put in my notice and left the label at the start of the summer of 2023 to invest into my company full time. I am still stunned by the rapid growth and success of my company as I did not expect it to take off as quickly as it did.

As of this year, I have now expanded my company into handling PR for four territories – North America, Latin America, the UK and Europe. I am also shifting my focus into working with more independent artists and labels as I really have found artist development to be the most rewarding part of this job. While I do represent major artists like Opeth and Paul Masvidal, I pride myself on also handling artists from the underground and helping them rise above the surface with my tastemaker campaigns.

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?

Believe it or not, some of the most practical and unlikely skills were the most important foundations of my journey. My advice to others isn’t necessarily learning these qualities, as everyone’s personality and journey is different, but to rather identify your strengths and examine how they best can be applied to your career. This can be helpful in figuring out a role best suited for you within your niche as well. Any necessary skills or tasks needed to do the work can be learned, but it’s first important to figure out how your passions and natural abilities fit into the puzzle in order to really thrive.

For myself, here are some of the seemingly random or silly qualities I have that have helped pave my path:

1- Fandom:
Being an extreme fan and having a serious passion for music was integral to working in this industry. Some people might call it “obsession,” and maybe they are right, but my constant need to discover new music and then learn as much as I possibly can about the artist behind it has been the cornerstone of every music industry job I’ve worked. My desire to really understand my clients and their products is what allows me to sell their art from a place that’s knowledgeable and authentic. If I was not a genuine fan, it would be a lot harder to connect with my clients and therefore a lot harder to get others to also see their potential and check out their work. My love for music is a hobby, so therefore, it never really feels like I am working. I have a lot of pride in knowing that the hyperfixations that made me “weird” growing up is what now allows me to excel at my career.

2- Social Skills:
I am a very naturally outgoing person and have never been shy about introducing myself to new people. This has allowed me to build a very strong and supportive network within music, which has given both myself and my clients opportunities to break into spaces that aren’t easily accessible. More importantly, I’ve built genuine relationships with my peers; having reliable friends in the same industry has been a massive help for when I need advice or assistance when challenges arise.

3- Organization
As someone with a very “Type A” personality, I thrive when things are organized and efficient. Even in my personal life, I keep a detailed calendar and agenda while ensuring my personal space is always the utmost sterile and organized to give me peace. While I can handle chaos well, which is also important when working in the music industry, I don’t think I would be as adept at navigating calamities if I didn’t have a natural and visceral urge to untangle even the biggest of messes. Sometimes, creativity and organization don’t always go hand in hand, and that’s okay! There are plenty of creatives within this industry who may struggle with organization. However, that has worked to my benefit as it opportunities for me to step in and help those who might not possess this skill.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

In the words of Skid Row, I have been a “slave to the grind” for most of my working life. I’ve been nonstop since the age of 17, typically juggling multiple side hustles and jobs to shape my skills and pay my bills. As an American, I never really understood burnout. Looking back, there were a few times I experienced this, but always thought I was just weak and would push myself through, never giving myself the proper amount of time to rest or reflect. I always believed that if I took time to rest that I was just being lazy.

After the serious burnout I experienced in 2022, I finally had the language to understand what I was going through. This was in part to starting to work internationally and learning that the Europeans treat burnout as a serious mental health crisis and that the remedy was indeed to rest for a prolonged period of time. It was a hard concept to grasp at first as I had been programmed to align hard work with virtue, never understanding that self-care is the real virtue.

I now recognize that I cannot operate at my best if I am not mentally healthy. Taking the time to pause and invest in myself is important. When I start to get overwhelmed, the worst thing I can do is let it snowball until I reach critical mass. Typically, I would just handle being overwhelmed by ignoring it and pushing myself even harder, which would only make me feel more overwhelmed in the end. Even if I overcame the challenge that made me feel that way in the first place, I wouldn’t feel energized or accomplished, but just tired and depressed.

Instead, I have totally shifted my mindset. When I become overwhelmed, I now will take a pause from whatever was causing me to feel that way. If that means signing offline two hours after I have signed on, that’s okay! The work will still be there tomorrow for me to tackle with a refreshed outlook. Sometimes just being totally unproductive will help me reset. Other times, it’s putting my energy into something personal like spending time with friends or family, journaling, organizing my closet, meditating, or just getting outside for some sun and fresh air. I used to feel so guilty about taking time off work, even working through vacations and weekends. Now, I have learned to let that guilt go, because it only makes the feeling of being overwhelmed a lot worse. I leave my office at 3PM every day to do 90 minutes at the gym, where I don’t look at my phone or email until I get back. This also helps me reset during a busy work day and gives me the energy I need to finish out my tasks.

It’s also important to have clients who are understanding and respectful of my personal time. Thankfully, many have also experienced burnout on some level, so they typically are more than happy to give me my space to rest and reset when needed.

I am still learning to create better boundaries and a better work/life balance, but I have made significant strides over the last 2 years. I’m not afraid to say “no” anymore if I feel a task might be too much of an undertaking. I am also not afraid to drop a client if I feel they are being unreasonably demanding or disrespectful. I am learning to be proactive because it helps alleviate future scenarios that might strain my mental health.

All in all, my biggest advice to anyone is to put yourself first. Taking a pause and revisiting a challenge when you have the bandwidth is the best way to handle overwhelming situations. It’s okay to take time off and to rest. Because once you burnout, you aren’t going to perform to the best of your ability. Go easy on yourself, set boundaries, and learn to thrive outside of toxic hustle culture.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

These are all personal photos taken by myself or friends at various music events. I wanted to showcase my strong female colleagues who have been a huge part of my journey.

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