We recently connected with Alessandra Gibson and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alessandra, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?
To share how Blossom Media came to fruition, we have to go back quite a bit. From 2011 to 2023, my family and I operated an independent non-profit venue on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, PA. This is where I learned everything I know now – specifically photography. I picked up my first camera, a Canon Rebel T5 in 2015, and got all of my practice photographing every single band we brought to our space (because what better place to practice, right?). I learned the depths of working with low light, motion, color correction and more just through experimentation.
For the next 7 or so years, music photography was my favorite hobby. I always pushed myself as I had an uncontainable passion for it. I’d cover a 4-5 band show, go home, edit, and deliver 100+ photos per band – in under 24 hours. Every time I got those “Wow, that was fast!” or “These are SO cool, thank you!”‘s, it fueled my passion to provide content even more.
In 2023, my mentality shifted. For just a moment I sat back and looked around me and thought “Everyone has a camera now, everyone is a music photographer now. What’s the point?”. At that point, I was very ready to put everything down. I took a long hiatus – and after some soul searching, I started to ask myself: “What makes me different from the others? What CAN I do different to make me stand out FROM the others?” – and this was the chain of thoughts that lead me down the road of creating Blossom Media.
I had to think about what my target audience (musicians, artists and bands) needs. Photos? Yes, always. Videos? In today’s social media world, absolutely. But there was more to this, there’s some depth. There was something I realized A LOT of bands need, especially those starting out and even up-and-coming: a brand identity.
All of today’s biggest artists have a brand that they have established and built. What is Ariana Grande most known for? The long ponytail. Billie Eilish? The big, baggy clothing. Sleep Token? Their dark aesthetic and anonymity – All of these things are centric to their brand, what we all know and love these artists for.
I knew, in this moment, that if I can assist bands and artists in establishing and building a brand identity, then it would be a huge contribution to the growth of their project. Branding is something a lot of acts do not realize that they need, or even have already, and this goes even beyond music. You see red and big yellow arches, you will think of McDonald’s. A red and white aluminum can? Coca Cola, and so on. Realizing this concept is what made me feel like I could succeed, and rekindled the creative passion.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi there! My name is Alessandra Gibson and I’m from Kittanning, Pennsylvania. I come from a family of creatives – my dad used to be a keyboardist in a funk band and got me my first keyboard at 3 years old. My mom was a very talented visual artist, and very crafty – a seamstress, painter.. she could make something beautiful out of nothing.
In 2011, we opened up what was an under 21 dance club at the time. We were hiring dj’s out of Pittsburgh – about 45 minutes from our space. Sometimes we had small crowds, most times we had none, but that didn’t matter to me. I was a kid excited to be in a creative space that I could be my best self, with no judgement. In 2013 we started booking local live music, and in 2015 we converted to a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Our mission is to provide a professional platform for artists and entertainers to learn, grow, and showcase their talents. We had to close our physical space in 2023 following the COVID-19 pandemic – as there was no chance at financial recovery after stopping operations in this duration.
From the day we opened, to the day we closed, is where I learned every ounce of my creative and industry knowledge. I learned how to negotiate booking terms, run FOH(front of house), light design, show production, troubleshooting tech, marketing, box office, graphic design, photography, videography, and so much more.
In May 2023, I formed an LLC – Blossom Media. Blossom Media was created to help artists and bands establish and build a brand identity, something I realized is a deep need in this industry. We provide creative direction, and everything under this umbrella – I could say something as simple as photography, videography, and graphic design, but our job and our focus is to garner an understanding of your vision, develop it, and assist you in executing it, in whatever format that may entail.
We focus in areas that are consistently sought after – short form content(TikToks, Instagram Reels, YouTube shorts) and ones that aren’t always thought of – Spotify Canvas, YouTube Channel Features, Influencer Marketing and more. We do it all, and though that in itself doesn’t make us much different from others, I will say that each project is one that we want to take our time with, and again, understand the vision in depth, develop it, and execute it – the way the artist always envisioned.
I am most proud of the project we launched under the umbrella of Blossom Media, the Blossom Sessions. The Blossom Sessions showcases reimagined performances, connecting new listeners to fresh talent and offering unique content for existing fans. It bridges the gap between artists and audiences with unforgettable experiences. This project was inspired by watching other forms of reimagined performances, such as Bring Me the Horizon at the Royal Albert Hall. They performed with an entire orchestra behind them, and I thought that was so beautiful.
We had two pilot episodes drop in November 2024, and the full launch began in January of this year. We’ve seen so much growth with this platform already, with artists from all over traveling to be a part of it, and establishing key partnerships with businesses and platforms locally and internationally! (BSB TV – UK, New Noise Magazine, Little Giant Studio – Pittsburgh).
The main things I’d like everyone to know about me is that I am incredibly driven and dedicated to art as a whole. I have given up so much for the sake of it, and I will do it time and time again. I want everyone to know that I created Blossom Media as an artist, FOR the artists, and that the Blossom Sessions is here to stay – based in Pittsburgh, PA!
How did you build your audience on social media?
Though the Blossom Sessions platform isn’t huge on social media by all means, as we are relatively new still, I will say this – consistency is key. I know that sounds basic and cliche, but it is TRUE. I have worked with artists who barely posted on social media and showed them that with a little bit of consistency, there is so much room for growth. Especially in this new age of short form content, and here’s my advice in relation to this:
1. Creating content is hard, keeping up with it is even harder. First, understand who your target audience is. Who exactly are you trying to reach? More specific than fans of metalcore, or punk, or pop, or country music. Who do you sound like? Who do you resonate with? What are your core values, your likes and dislikes? Your fans are an extension of you, just like your music. Lock that in, and move on to the next step.
2. You have an EP you’re ready to drop, but that’s all you have, is the music. Great start! Before you even film anything, you need to do some research. Spend some time on TikTok, YouTube shorts, and Instagram Reels, but don’t doom scroll. Take a second and ask yourself what it is about certain videos that make you STOP scrolling? What makes you scroll 2 seconds after watching? What makes you watch the whole thing? Is it the verbal or on-screen hook? Is it the visuals, the sounds? Did they say something that you resonate with? Start taking note of that.
3. Content time! Spend time filming your videos. Set a realistic goal: 30 days worth of content, 15 days, 20 days, whatever you can manage – and just focus on filming the videos. Save time on some other days to then edit and even schedule out those videos (TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram all of scheduling capabilities!)
Cheat code; Go by the 3x3x3 rule (which can be altered however you’d like) – 3 locations, 3 outfits, 3 songs. Start at location 1 in outfit 1, film reels for all 3 songs. Change into outfit 2, repeat reels for all 3 songs, change to outfit 3 and do the same. Move to location 2, repeat, and so on. You’d be surprised how much you can get done if you commit even a few hours of your day to this!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I’m going to talk about the Blossom Sessions project here. Full transparency, there was a HUGE gap between when I filmed Episode #001 (January 2024) and Episode #002 (August 2024), because I realized there were a lot of adjustments I needed to make.
On November 28, 2024, pilot episode #002 was revealed. There was a lot of excitement surrounding it, and around this time, I was secretly planning the announcement for the full launch date (January 1st) as well as the project launch party (January 26). Two days later, November 30, 2024, my mother passed away suddenly from a heart attack.
My dad and I were home with her when it happened, and it was absolutely the most devastating, traumatic event I ever experienced. This shook and broke me to my core and truthfully, I did not think I could ever, ever go on without my mom. She always supported my creative endeavors and even created the flower microphone stand that you now see in every session.
While trying to navigate her death, I was informed that the original space where I filmed now six sessions was going to be sold, and soon. Once again, I was ready to hang it up. I had sessions booked in the new year, and no backup location.
Somehow, that fire was still in me, and during what I felt was my most vulnerable state, I figured things out. I reached out to a local music venue that announced their recent opening, named HAVEN, and they welcomed me into the space with open arms – something I never expected to happen. I knew I had to keep this going for her, and she could watch it all happen through my eyes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blossommedia.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blossommedia.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blossommediallc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alegibson
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlossomSessions
- Other: Blossom Sessions Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/blossomsessions
Image Credits
Tyrell Thompson, Eric Lewis