Sam Harris
About Sam
Current role: Co-owner/director of Marisam Events and PR, Social Media & Events Executive at Northside Creative
Degree studied: Contemporary and Popular Music, 2021
About Sam's career
Describe your current role
As with many other creative practitioners, since leaving university I have had to develop a portfolio career in order to support my long-term development and creative aspirations.
Included within this “career” are my roles within Marisam Events (a female-led events company in which I co-own & direct with fellow NU alumni Maria Winter) and Northside Creative (a music PR collective).
Marisam Events (Female-led, interactive live music events company)
- Supporting & promoting local musicians, venues and vendors
- Currently offering three event types: Late 'n' Live (live music quiz), Late 'n' Live Karaoke (live-band-led karaoke) & Platform 22 (local live music showcase)
Northside Creative (New-age, music PR & marketing firm)
- Collaborating with artists, festivals, events and record labels in the music industry, in order to create high impact PR campaigns
My work within PR and events has allowed me to build invaluable networks and develop a targeted skill-set that works to bring out the best in every client/artist and campaign/project, including:
- creating traditional PR & copywriting content (e.g. press releases, social media copy etc.)
- conducting targeted media outreach and building industry networks (both regionally and beyond)
- event management (e.g. guest list/artist coordination, media/venue liaison etc.)
- general administrative work, working within the Creative Industries is a balancing act but a rewarding one
Being able to work with emerging artists (and especially locally-based ones at that!) is such a gratifying experience. And being able to provide opportunities/support that I’d wished existed when I was first attempting to navigate the music industry (as a local artist myself), feels like such a full circle moment that I have the privilege to offer others.
What did you enjoy the most?
During my time studying music at the University, I learned a lot about myself as an artist, an academic, a creative practitioner and a person.
More specifically, I was able to build upon my existing creative network, meeting new colleagues/mentors (most notably Jane Nolan & Pippa Anderson) and making lifelong friends all while making inroads into a long-term career within the Creative Industries.
In what ways did your music degree at Newcastle prepare you for your current role?
Personally, one of the most invaluable parts of my music degree was the business-specific modules I was able to take part in.
These said modules gave me the opportunity to explore the variety of career prospects available within the creative sector, not to mention that my events company took its first steps within an Armstrong Building classroom!
From module requirement, to a registered limited company (as well as a music PR role), my time at Newcastle University pushed me outside of my comfort zone and unlocked new potential.
