A Day In The Life

Sarah Bo Parker

Posted 01 September 2017

New York Program

August 2014 Intake

Sarah, a graduate of The University of Manchester, is a multi skilled Business Development Executive at Sony Music, a Creative Producer at Radar Radio, and a Writer.

In her role at Sony Music, Sarah is responsible for everything business development related including launching albums/projects, running artist ticket pre-sales, and curating fan events to name a few; whilst in her other role as Creative Producer for Kamilla Rose at Radar Radio she books artists, creates show content and selects music to play on the show.

My Alarm Goes off... 6.30am (unless I’ve been at an event the night before and that’s an 8am + snooze situation!) to squeeze in a quick gym session before heading over to the office in West London.

I'm Responsible For... everything business development related across Sony Music (Columbia, RCA, SYCO, Insanity, Ministry of Sound, Relentless, CMG etc) which includes but not limited to launching album/projects, producing exclusive merch and music formats, running artist ticket pre-sales, curating fan events, working on digital strategy, and finding new business and partnerships. I’m also the creative producer for Kamilla Rose at Radar Radio – every other Thursday 3-5pm – responsible for booking artists, creating show content and selecting music to play on the show.

I Got The Job... because of my love for music (and Craig David!!!). Let me explain… After New York, I started working at The Guardian and producing at Radar Radio but wanted to be back in the music industry full-time. My flat mate, at the time (who works in music) introduced me to a contact at Sony, who I had coffee with and from that introduced me to HR, which landed me an interview and an opportunity to demonstrate my passion/skill to work in the industry (and they had just signed Craig David to Insanity so was perfect timing when I started speaking about him – always do your research!!). But it is 50% who you know in this life…

My Typical Day... varies!! I start my day going through emails from the night before to make sure there is nothing urgent and spend my day either in meetings with current/new clients, brain storm sessions for new projects, or at my desk working on a launch!

The Culture Of My Workplace... is work hard, play hard! Our Chairman & CEO Jason Iley is also really passionate about maintaining a forward- thinking, creative and collaborative work environment for staff, and launched a committee so we (staff) have a platform to execute new ideas we feel passionate about outside of our day-to-day roles.

My Most Memorable Work Moment... has to be 2 key moments!! First was being flown to Stockholm for one night with a backstage pass to Drake’s Boy Meet’s World tour…. You can imagine how incredible that night was!! And my second was interviewing American R&B singer 6lack at Radar Radio. I stood in for Kamilla (with about 15 minutes notice) to do the interview or lose the slot. I had to step it up and ended up with an incredible 20 minute interview with one of the most successful new artists in 2017 who just finished a support tour with The Weeknd! Listen back here:
https://www.mixcloud.com/sarah-eleanor-bo-parker/sarah-bo-meets-6lack/

The Most Challenging Part of My Job... is that it’s very fast paced and high-pressured. You need to know the industry inside out and have your finger on the pulse with the latest trends, news and events.

The Best Part of My Job... is working with incredible artists and on projects I feel passionate about! I also love hearing new music before it is released and working / championing upcoming artists to help them achieve their dreams!!

After Work... It really varies depending on what’s going on in and about London. I usually head to a gig or a networking event. Or just hang out with friends!

Plan B: If I wasn't doing this, I would... be doing this!! I’ve worked really hard to get my foot in the door and I’m working in an industry that inspires me every day!