We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jada Renee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jada below.
Jada , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
Since 2019 our team INDI Media works to gather local Cleveland and Midwest Artists to join us for our independent SXSW Artist Showcase based in Austin , Texas, SXSW is a music showcase in Austin, Texas where artists from all over the world come to the city of Austin to network , collaborate and have jam sessions with several local shows ranging from official SXSW Shows to #unofficial independent based showcases presented by local independent music platforms from all over the world. SXSW also has several celebrities , label executives, and artist networking opportunities available for artists to market themselves and get to their next desired level.
I think this is one of the biggest risks for independent artists and platforms such as INDI Media and many others simply because of the amount of preparation , and belief in oneself to have a successful experience with tangible goals in mind when engaging in the week of events and experiences what SXSW provides for the indie artists community. I believe the level of preparation for independent artists can be quite intimidating because of the possibility of actually meeting connections that can position your brand or artistry in a new direction and if artists have not studied themselves, their brand and marketing strategies throughout the years it can be difficult to know how to navigate such a major opportunity or how to simply prepare for it.
As a marketing and artist promotion platform , I believe INDI Media has tackled some of that stagnancy on our end by pushing forward with our mission for marketing independent artists and staying ahead of our time by researching the independent artist market along with the tide of what is changing in the independent artist industry and now is a better time than ever to be an independent artists and take the risk of betting on yourself and your success while making sure to position yourself for that success with as many independent music festivals , networking opportunities , media opportunities , and social media content strategies that you can think of to make sure to reach your artist goals.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started the INDI Media platform back in 2014 while in College at Kent State University. The platform started as a clothing brand for creative artists and the artist community and developed into a media marketing platform providing media marketing , events and networking opportunities for artists. With now 10+ years in business we offer these same services for the independent artist community now on a larger scale as the brand has grown and developed.
Our most successful marketing opportunity provided from our platform has been our artist events as we curate independent artist networking events throughout Cleveland, Los Angeles , Texas and more on a yearly basis. This year we will be doing events in Austin Texas , Los Angeles , Cleveland , and Miami all focused on gathering the independent artist community and providing marketing opportunities for musicians , clothing designers , vendors and more.
What I am most proud of when it comes to my brand has been my ability to take risks with the opportunities that I would like to create for myself along with taking risks on creating those same opportunities for others in order to elevate their personal brand. The main thing that I would like clients and partners to take away from my brand is that we are a one stop shop for artist marketing opportunities rather event networking , performance opportunities or opportunities for artists to make sales.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
I believe one of our biggest risks that we have taken with the INDI brand was our last trip to Austin, Texas for SXSW in 2024 as being from the midwest certain opportunities or experiences may seem out of reach based on the lack of of access to opportunities , connections , funding and simple exposure. Our business had also experienced a standstill while balancing several other projects , so the risk was a bit heavy in hopes that certain things could balance out with a great outcome, and with patience , faith and planning thats exactly what happened. Over the years I have realized that while providing amazing services and opportunities for the artist community , as the CEO I also must constantly practice self care and positive thinking methods in order to attract amazing outcomes into my reality so risk taking has now become a more easier part of the process while continuing to set standards and grow the INDI Media platform.
What can be tricky about running a platform for independent artists is simply getting the artist community to trust in your platform and the guidance of your platform, and not taking it personal if others misunderstand your vision. Independent artists go through a lot of ups and downs when it comes to self managing , content creation, scheduling, organizing and just simply believing in their craft consistently in order to see a break through, so at INDI Media we try our hardest to offer artist opportunities that are tangible , affordable and can put you in a better marketing position if you as the artist take the proper initiative to elevate your brand / artistry.
I believe every day I am taking risks with my business that lead to great outcomes because you must be willing to bet on yourself and your ability to make things happen no matter the current circumstances and I have learned that while working in the Independent artist realm there is no risk taking without confidence.
If artists are willing to take a risk on themselves this year they can catch INDI Media in Austin Texas this spring for our first event of the year March 15th as we rock out with several independent artist performances along with our headliner Southside Vic from Arlington Texas. You can check out his On The Radar freestyle that went viral last year : https://youtu.be/POJBdGKIPMQ?si=r3J6jO3ek7ko3oI3
We can’t wait to see what our artists have in store for our #SXSW Showcase this year
You can find our event info here : https://www.indimusicgroup.com/shows
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Rather than unlearning a lesson I feel that I have had to unlearn certain false narratives told to me about success and what that looks like. Being one of the first people in my family to start a business and dive into the journey of entrepreneurship especially building an artist based company where growing up the arts wasn’t the most tangible thing to gravitate to in terms of a full time career, the arts was more-so seen as a hobby or free time activity where I was raised, so a lot of the dialogue around finding a career was to get good grades in order to get a good job once you graduated college. After gaining the confidence to move forward with my artistic endeavors I realize the main lesson is that you can truly do anything you put your mind to. The concept of believing in yourself and trusting in yourself to bring together your desires is honestly the only job you have as an artist, the job of creating and trusting that God, the universe , or whatever you believe in as your higher source to bring those desires into your current reality.
The spiritual nature of being an artist is just as important as creating the art because the act of creation is coming from an inner power that everyone has access to. If this concept would have been broken down for myself and likeminded creatives to understand back when we were growing up , I believe our mentality behind following our dreams would have been stronger, so as I grow my business in my adult life , I focus on breaking those false narratives that don’t necessarily fit the life story I am creating for myself and my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.indimusicgroup.com/shows
- Instagram: @indi.musicgroup / @Indi.media
Image Credits
INDI Media x Undrvfted Productions