A Keynote exploration of my personal brand.

1. PERSONAL BRAND
EXPLORATION
ZACHARY PRADOS, PROJECT & PORTFOLIO 1, 5/24/20

2. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
WHO IS ZACHARY?
▸ Zachary Prados is an DJ and Music Business
Major. He began DJing in high school, highly
inspired by the work of Daft Punk and Radio
Soulwax, he uses his eclectic taste to bring new
sounds to the dance floor. Graduating in 2021,
his time as a Music Business major at Full Sail
University have been filled with multiple projects
on the topics of business law, marketing, and
data analysis. He uses this knowledge to help
independent record labels and artists to grow
and flourish within their scene.

3. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
PROFESSION
▸ The main professions I would want to get into are marketing, management of
artists, and public relations. Taking my Guy Next Door and Entertainer archetypes
into account, I feel like having a humble or more personal outlook on marketing
and public relations. Having a friendly face or “everyman” as the face of your
public relations or marketing divisions can make an audience more invested or
attached to your company than a more clean-cut, “professional” type. This
especially comes into factor when talking about independent record labels &
artists, where positive interaction with an audience is key to retaining them. As a
manager of artists, I would use my archetypes to make sure they get booked in
the right places and ensure their career follows the path it needs to.

4. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
TARGET AUDIENCE
▸ My target audience is mainly managers and recruiters for electronic music or
alternative focused record labels & distributors like !K7, [PIAS], Ninja Tune, Big
Beat, and Parlophone. More specifically, the people working in the marketing/
Public relations departments, as that’s what I really want to go for.

5. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
CAREER GOALS
▸ 2021: I hope to have a strong network of colleagues in the music industry as
well as multiple DJ gigs outside of Central FL.
▸ 5 -10 Years: I hope to have a successful career in Marketing & Public Relations
with at least 2 record labels, as well as having a mildly successful career as a DJ
with my own niche record label to release my own music.
▸ 15 - 20 Years: By then, I would hope to be in charge of my own successful
record label or be in charge of a whole department at one of the bigger ones
like Parlophone or [PIAS].

6. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
SKILLS ANALYSIS
▸ One hard skill that I possess that is required for these jobs are my prowess with
most media editing softwares, such as Audition, Premiere Pro, & Photoshop.
Another is my knowledge of electronic mail management softwares
(Mailchimp, etc) for use to promote a company or product.
▸ Some of the soft skills I possess are being able to speak clearly and concisely
about a topic or to the public, social perceptiveness which is the ability to
understand other’s reactions to things and act accordingly, and finally,
coordination & negotiation, I am very skilled at coordinating with others as well
negotiating & persuading them to get the preferred outcome.

7. I USE MY ECLECTIC TASTE AND LONGTIME
INTEREST IN THE ELECTRONIC MUSIC SCENE TO
NOT ONLY MAKE SURE THERE’S NEVER A DULL
MOMENT ON THE DANCE FLOOR, BUT TO BRING MY
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE AUDIENCE WANTS
AND NEEDS TO BETTER MARKET TO THEM.
Zachary Prados
PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION

8. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
CREDENTIALS
▸ Employed for the last 8 years as Production Manager and Social Media assistant
for Starstruck Productions where I am still employed today.
▸ Successfully established a social media presence for the DJ collective known as
EDM Syndicate, increasing interactions with their content exponentially.
▸ Have experience writing copy for artists, events, and music releases.
▸ Possess many certifications pertaining to media softwares like most Adobe
programs and experience working in them making flyers and editing audio/ video
for promotional use.

9. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
COMPETITION
▸ Alexander Williams, a fellow student at Full Sail. He has experience working for
and managing multiple bands that have been involved with large events like
Warped Tour, as well as creating flyers and merchandise for them. He is also
going for a Music Business degree and has a strong social media presence.
However, he does not possess the insight nor the longtime experience that I do.
Not only have I been in this industry since I was 13 years old, but my Guy Next
Door archetype helps me understand and sympathize with the market more than
his hero archetype, as that one is more based around an idealized figure than a
“normal guy.”

10. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
COMPETITION

11. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
BRAND POSITION
▸ To work with me is to work with your best friend. I’ll always be quick with a joke
and a smile, always understanding your point of view but being able to build
on it and bring a new perspective. Not everybody can be as personable or as
ready to help as I am, but at the end of the day; I’m just a guy who loves music
and wants to make it a viable way of life and I think that speaks volumes to who
I am and why. I am dedicated and experienced in so many facets of the music
business as a result of building my own career as a DJ and working as a
production manager at Starstruck Productions.

12. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
NETWORKING & MARKETING
▸ I am already a member of the Music Business Association and attend their webinars at least once
a month, I had also planned to go to their Music Biz convention, but it has been canceled due to
the pandemic
▸ I also attended Full Sail’s Hall of Fame earlier this year where I was able to network and interact
with a lot of colleagues & industry figures.
▸ I also plan on joining the Florida Songwriters Association, as they provide many services for
artists that can prove invaluable as well as being able to gain professional experience working
with them on the business side of things.
▸ I plan on continuing to post my DJ mixes and re-edits on platforms like Mixcloud and Soundcloud,
as well promoting them on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter. I am also working on a blog &
accompanying podcast where I talk about obscure records from my collection of 300+. These will
all be archived on my digital portfolio website, which works well as a hub for all of my content.

13. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
▸ To help bridge the gap from who I am now to my future professional self, there are
multiple things I can do. The first is to gain more professional/ published
experience working for record labels and artists. The second thing is to improve
my network to include more people that work in the places I want to work, that
way I can have a repair and familiarity with how things run in those places. I do
believe that I should find a mentor or coach that works in this fields to help guide
me and keep me heading the right direction. I think that the next year and a half is
crucial time to keep building towards these things, however due to the state of the
world, it may be harder than usual, but I’m ready for anything.

14. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
ELEVATOR PITCH
▸ In the modern world, having a strong social
media presence is the most important thing for
an artist or record label to have. I’m able to
look at a brand’s social media and build on it
by bringing an intimate understanding of the
audience to it, making it strong than ever
before.

15. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
RESOURCES
▸ https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-2021.00
▸ https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-3031.00
▸ https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-1011.00
▸ https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
▸ https://www.ziprecruiter.com
▸ https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm