Todd – So the first question I’d like to get out of the way is, why work with an agency focused on EDM? Of all the music genres in the world that are arguably more popular or profitable like pop, rock or rap, you chose to go into dubstep. Why is that? 

Eva – Well I have been going to shows for what I think is a long time. Maybe not compared to some other people but, since about 2009. You know there’s a feeling where you go to something and you’re like, yeah this is going to be my entire personality for the rest of my life. It was a little bit of an accident but that’s how it went. I went to a Feed Me show with some friends in high school and it just blossomed from there.

T – So everyone’s first rave, they’re just there to party and have fun right? At what point did you think to yourself, I want to make a career out of this and work for an agency?

E – For me it was really an accident. At first I was actually a teacher before I moved in to the music industry. I had friends who were looking for some help with their music project and I agreed to say yes and learn the ropes, I got taken in by an agency, and from there it finally ended up with me putting my 2 weeks in for my school job and my life became the back end of the music industry. That really only happened because I had some friends who were on the back end of the industry and who were artists and producers and people who were already involved. So I feel really lucky that there was someone willing to take a chance on me. But I really didn’t plan for that direction for my life at all.

T – What was your plan before this part of your life took off?

E – I was going to be a somewhat normal person teaching 1st grade as a 9-5.

T – Honestly you really do radiate elementary school teacher industry.

E – I get that so often haha. What is it about me that gives off that vibe?

 T – It’s the permanent smile, the joke cracking, you radiate this positivity and lightheartedness. That’s really been the energy of every teacher I’ve ever had. Even though after hours they’re probably thinking they want to drive their car off a cliff when grading papers after hours. 

E – That’s exactly how I felt haha. I can actually tell you that whether you’re a tour manager or an agent or just a regular manager, dealing with DJ’s – and I mean this in the most respectful, non-derogatory way – is like dealing with a classroom full of children. It feels oddly similar in my experience.

T – I want to dive a little deeper into that. So we can agree that working with artists is hard. Sometimes just having a linear conversation can be difficult. In your opinion, what are the top 3 shared characteristics between cracked out school kids and grown men and women who are artists in the music industry.

E – Oooooh that’s a good question. I would say, the attention span is somewhat linear. Whether you’re in person or you’re at an event or whether you’re just trying to have a conversation about goals… you know artists, they get excited, you could say one word like festival and artists will be like ‘Wheeee!’ Another thing would be the amount of work that it takes that people don’t understand. The behind the scenes of the music industry to the naked eye doesn’t look like a lot but it’s a 24/7 365 job. That comes the same when you have students and children that you love and you care about and you’re at home and off the clock but you’re still looking over their homework or you’re wondering if they’re ok or if you’re working in a school that’s not very wealthy, you might worry if your students have eaten dinner that night. You just invest all of your love and feelings and time and energy into those things.

T – So big question here. I know that artists think that ‘if I can just get an agent then I’ll start getting booked and start touring.’ I know that’s a myth, but how would you dispel that myth to the readers of this interview?

E – So there’s a really big misconception about agencies, agents, and managers about what they do. This isn’t really black and white but you’ll need an agent if you’re having difficulty coordinating offers and contracts and if that workload of managing your own bookings is just too high to handle on your own. That’s where the supplemental help comes in. An agent gives supplemental help. You don’t need an agent because you don’t have any bookings. You don’t need an agent if you’re not able to get shows on your own and if there’s a lack of desire to book you. Agents can help you with that, but that shouldn’t be the reason you feel you need an agent. If you’re having difficulty with that, then find yourself a good manager who can assist you with your growth. You need to take some low paying gigs and work your way up the ladder. It’s not a bad thing, but rather it helps you get yourself to a point where you would need an agent.

T – I know that sometimes agents will go to shows or festivals that they don’t have any of their roster on. What does that arena look like in a real life scenario?

E – So there’s two reasons for that. For myself personally I don’t necessarily attend those kinds of events for the purpose of scouting talent. It’s more of a really good opportunity for networking. You get to meet other artist’s managers, the artists themselves, other agents who work at other agencies, learn more about those people. Some agents will go to these events for the purpose of scouting talent but it’s usually primarily networking. This industry is all about who you know. People will perform much better in this industry when you have a good social circle of people who resonate around the same kinds of stuff. You can talk about shows you can do together, discuss tours and support slots and stuff like that. That’s how I usually like to use my time at shows where I don’t have my own artist on the lineup. I will say that if an agent were to go to a show for the sole purpose of scouting talent, it’s a little bit frowned upon especially if that artist already has representation.

T – For other industry professionals who might be a bit more introverted, what kind of advice can you give to them to network in a way that would be valuable to them?

E – So if you are in a position where you’re working at an agency or you’re a manager or any other person in that type of power, you have to think mentally that this person might possible just as excited to meet you. No matter what no one’s going to have a bad reaction to you saying ‘Hi my name is so and so and I work here.’ or it can be as simple as ‘Hi my name is so and so.’ you don’t have to pitch yourself to everyone you meet. Make it short and sweet. A lot of these artists they don’t want to have conversations that revolve solely around music. Yes, that is a big percentage of their life but if you take a few minutes to just speak to them as a person rather than as just a DJ that really goes a long way.

T – What are some career goals that you have for yourself?

E – I hit a big goal of mine this year which was really great. I got to join Corson Agency. I feel very lucky that they reached out to me. That had actually been a dream of mine for quite a while. The owner of the agency is someone that I have looked up to since joining the industry, so I already feel incredibly lucky as it is, but I would like to branch out a little bit with my roster and start getting back into the hang of just a rhythm of shows. At least for this year. I also really like to spend a certain amount of time at my artist’s shows and spending time getting to know them better and I would like to be able to do that a little bit more.

T – What do you think you need to do that is within your circle of influence and control that can help make that goal a reality?

E – Well last year unfortunately I was really sick, I was in and out of the hospital. So as much as I wanted to do that last year, I just couldn’t and I fell off the wagon a bit with regards to the consistency of it. It was a really inconvenient year. But now that I work remotely within the agency I’m with now, I’m starting to come back to more of a normal travel pattern. I can definitely see that this year is going to be really good for me.

T- Speaking of travel, how do you manage to just be in so many places so often? From an outsider looking in from the life of an agent, we see you traveling 2-3 times per month, maybe more during festival season. Between all these states and time zones, what do you do to take care of yourself and get good sleep.

E- You definitely have to set time aside for self care and make sure to make mental health a top priority. Ironically though, when it comes to me, the more time I spend at these events and with these people, it doesn’t feel a whole lot like work because I’m doing something I really love. Yes it is completely exhausting at some times, but even if I’m in 3 states in one weekend, as long as my sleep hours are good and I’ve gotten all the work done that needs to be done, then I consider that a successful run. Festival season though, that’s like the Super Bowl. It can be a lot. For example, Lost Lands week is always super exhausting. Even though it is work there are a couple times where you can step aside and have a beer with one of your artists and it does get exciting when you get to meet someone that you used to fangirl over. It’s little things like that which keep my energy up.

T – What is an ideal outcome for a show for one of your artists in terms of production, attendance, and hospitality? And what would be a nightmare situation.

E – A good show means that everything that was laid out in the contract was fulfilled. That’s just the bare minimum right there. I don’t really like to put a label on a good show vs like a bad show. A bad show could be like, an artist shows up to a show and there are no decks. As long as a show isn’t a complete PR nightmare, I think that any show that actually is just put together and runs from start to finish is a good show.

T – Can you describe a moment where you came across an artist that really just set them apart and they had that something special?

E – Yes so for me that would be In Orbit Dubz. I reached out to his agent at the time and was like, hey can I help out with this project? He’s interesting you know, he wears camo with overalls and a mask. He doesn’t exactly scream dubstep DJ when you see him. I think the uniqueness of what he’s doing really just packs a real punch.

T – You as a woman in the EDM industry are already up against impossible odds. You have to deal with things that men normally don’t have to deal with. What do you do to help set yourself apart from the competition?

E – Being a woman is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes being a woman is like a selling point sometimes. Apart from the stigma, there’s really nothing you can do about it other than just give your best effort and work. If you can show the world like ‘Hey I can do this just as well as the next guy.’ then that goes a long way. I try to use being a woman more to my power rather than viewing it as a weakness. At the end of the day, your value should show in your work.

T – What would you say to other women who may want to enter the professional side of the industry who might be a little intimidated?

E – I would say walk into it with complete confidence even if you don’t have it. Make yourself heard, make yourself seen and put in your best effort. That’s really all there is to it, there’s no secret hack.  If you go in believing that you know you can be just as good, you’ll be fine. Also reach out to other women who are in the industry. They’re happy to share their points of view and may even act as a mentor to you.

T – Do you see any changes coming down the pipeline to the culture of agency work?

E – Some things are always changing like rosters and pricing. But I can tell you that drum and bass is absolutely starting to kill it. It’s really starting to hit hard so I hope everyone likes drum and bass.