Cat's Mother of the Month - Emma Bailey
As the first month of 2023 draws to an end, we’re delighted to introduce you to our Cat’s Mother of the Month - Emma Bailey!
After years of building up her experience behind the scenes of some of the biggest television shows, Emma settled at Music Promotions company, Your Army, where she’s now bossing it daily as the Head of TV.
In this interview Emma lets us in on her first steps into the creative industries, what some of her most memorable moments are, and what it takes to be great at a role just like this one.
If you find yourself stuck between choosing a career in music or TV, you might wanna keep scrolling…
What is your role and what do you get up to from day-day?
I’m the Head of TV for an independent music promotions company, Your Army .
We work closely with artists unsigned, indies and major labels, and their teams, to curate and secure them the best TV appearances that will help support their releases and over all brand goal. It’s important to match the right artist to the right TV appearances as a big onscreen moment can have a large impact on their career, and sometimes even completely change their trajectory.
In the past few years, we have expanded the TV departments reach, and as well as onscreen opportunities, we also pitch for digital, social & sync looks. Some examples over the last couple of years have been securing Jools Holland performances, Chicken Shop Dates, BBC Glastonbury coverage, and CBBEBIES Bedtime Stories, for artist such as Pheonix, Joy Crookes and Christine and the Queen. Additionally, we’ve secured multiple syncs on shows such as Love Island and Made in Chelsea.
I’ve spent the last 15 years building great relationships with all the main shows; bookers, producers, commissioners. Tastemakers in these roles are instrumental to what we do as they decide whether to give our artists a platform on their shows. We ensure we are in constant contact, playing them new music ahead of release, making sure they know our artist’s story and taking them to gigs (usually with a nice dinner beforehand and a couple of glasses of wine thrown in for good measure!).
When we’re not pitching for slots or attending promo, we A&R new artists to bring on to the roster. A great perk of my job is getting to work artists I am passionate about, and helping them take their music to a wider audience is very rewarding. For example, we’ve recently started working with Flowerovlove who has been tipped for big things this year!
How did you get into the role?
I studied Drama at A-Level and quickly realised I was not destined for a life in front of the camera! I decided university wasn’t for me, and I started to apply for internships at various TV production companies. One of them eventually gave in and I started my first job in TV as a runner. I did 3 years making cups of teas and sorting stationary cupboards (all very glamorous!), before I started at ITV working on Loose Women. It was there I trained as a Celebrity Booker (which I didn’t realise was even a job at the time!) and I loved every moment. I continued as a Celebrity Booker, working on shows such as Jonathan Ross, I’m A Celebrity, Sounds Like Friday Night and the Paul O’Grady Show.
After fourteen years it was time to change it up. The opportunity arose to join Your Army and I jumped at the chance. I’ve always had a huge passion for music, attending gigs weekly, and loved the idea of working in music. I transferred my skills, learnt a few more along the way and haven’t looked back.
Can you tell us about a memorable project you’ve worked on?
There have been a lot of standout moments with our artists!
Most notably for me, our TV campaign with the super talented Joy Crookes was great to be a part of as it was her debut album charting top 5 in the UK. When you’ve worked with an artist from the very beginning and see this kind of success, it’s so rewarding. This is a perfect example of where TV can really impact an artist, as well as all the hard work from the rest of her amazing team (management label, radio & press).
In the space of 6 months she had appeared on; Sunday Brunch, Tonight With Target, MOTD X, Chicken Shop Date, Stand Up To Cancer, The One Show, The Hootenanny & Graham Norton.
Although, the peak has to be walking on to the Pyramid Stage with Joy at Glastonbury last year, it was one of the best moments EVER!
Where might your current job lead you?
I would love to expand the TV department team and reach. Additionally, the aim is to work the biggest acts and make sure we are on finding the best new emerging talent
What/who has inspired you to get into the entertainment industry?
I grew up watching shows like Parkinson, MTV, and The Big Breakfast and always knew I wanted to be involved in them in someway.
I always loved the quality of guests on Parkinson and the stories that they would offer up, it was different to the usual formatted interviews across most channels. Also, like most kids back in the 90s, I’d rush home after school and plonk myself in front of MTV for hours. I’d get so excited when there was a new video out from one of my favourite artists, and MTV would always have the exclusive (there was no online premiers back then!).
The Big Breakfast, I just loved the chaos of this show! I thought it was brilliant that you would see the crew on camera and it was when I first pictured myself being part of that one day (and yes, I was picturing a headset and clipboard!).
If you were hiring someone as your assistant, what qualities and skills would you be looking for in them?
The main trait for me is a passion for music because this can’t be taught, and you want someone that’s going to enjoy their job. It’s meant to be fun, we’re not saving lives! On a practical note though, there is a lot to learn and it’s not always glamourous. With late nights and sometimes demanding clients, a willingness to get stuck in and a strong work ethic will take you far.
What would you tell your younger self, knowing what you know now?
Recognise your achievements as you go, it’s good to be ambitious but it is also important to acknowledge how far you’ve come!
Be nice to people, you never know when that intern might end up being your boss!