Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristina Mazzola. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kristina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

My parents did a a multitude of things right when raising me, it’s hard to narrow it down to just one thing but, I do think I can find an overarching theme in how they raised me. I was raised with the belief that I was capable of anything I put my mind to and it’s my work ethic that will determine my success. I’m the only daughter in my immediate family, I have 2 older brother’s and my parents never raised me to believe I couldn’t do what they do. I was always told I am just as tough, just as smart, and just as adept as them. My dad always ran his own businesses and taught me the ins and outs of doing so. He taught me how to give firm handshakes and how to negotiate and haggle in the streets of little Italy. He didn’t reserve those lessons just for my brother’s and everything I learned back then plays a role in the meetings I have today. I watched my mom start and run her own web-development and graphic design business for 30 years while raising 3 kids. She always exemplified the idea that in a world where they make you choose categories you didn’t have to choose as long as you worked hard. Again, it was driven home in my household that my work ethic will be the determining factor and it’s something no one can take away from me.

Kristina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have known my whole life that I was going to be involved in media or Hollywood in some way. As a little girl I used to clean my room and pretend I was being interviewed by Oprah or Ellen and they asked me about my success, my journey, and my role in media and culture. I can’t explain where that feeling or practice came from I just found myself doing it in my room over and over. I remember being on my flight home from college graduation listening to music and thinking about how much I relied on music. I used it to celebrate, to wallow in sadness, to feel understood, to connect with others, etc., and that is the moment of no return for me. I knew instantly and adamantly on that flight that music was the field I was supposed to work in.  I got my 1st job interview with Sony Music Entertainment, specifically for RCA Records in Sync and Licensing. I made it through all 3 rounds of the interview process but didn’t get the job. I was bummed but I didn’t let that stop me. I knew I needed to build my resume in music and get a better understanding of the industry so I enrolled in 2 online NYU programs: 1) Sync and Licensing and 2) The Music Business. Just a few months after finishing those courses, almost a year after my 1st rejection from Sony they called me back in. The head of RCA’s sync and licensing department had another spot on her team open and she had remembered me from the previous hiring process. I was hired for the role and started January 2020. It felt like a dream, I had done it, I cracked open a door in the music industry and was running through it.
My 2 years at RCA were great and I loved the company but I had a realization that I wanted a bigger say over the music I was pushing. I wanted to develop art and talent that I believed in so I decided to leave and starting my own artist management and development company, Mazz Lab Music. It was truly a blind leap of faith. I had no concrete plan at the time only the belief that I understood the industry, I had an ear for talent, and I knew I could outwork anyone. I learned quickly that music takes a village and my job was to build the right village around my artists, so that’s exactly what I do. I am very hands on. I am at every studio session, every meeting, I develop content plans, schedule shows, and shoots. I record, edit, and post content for my artists. I make sure their distribution, publishing, splits etc. are all in place. and much, much more. I love the hustle this dream takes and while at times it can be disheartening or even financially and emotionally draining, I could not see myself doing anything else.
My progress so far has surpassed where I thought I would be in this stage of the game. My country artist, Michael David, had his 1st single spend 10 weeks on the top 80 country songs on MusicRow Radio charts, he recently performed for iHeart Dunkin’ Latte Lounge, and he is being considered for a Grammy Nomination. I see progress everyday and it’s the little wins that turn into huge milestones. My eagerness to succeed and learn from those around me has connected me with some really amazing power players in the industry. I have been brought on board to co-manage and develop some incredible acts with Kas at Big Wins Only. I know he saw my work ethic and ability to execute and has given me a huge opportunity to level up as a manager in the industry. He has been an incredible mentor to learn from, I truly believe he will go down as one of the biggest names in music and I plan on using everything he teaches me to be just as big. I am passionate about talent, developing it, branding it, and bringing it to the masses and I know all of my wildest dreams will come true. That little girl practicing interviews in her room would be so proud of me today but not surprised. This is my path and I can’t wait to succeed with the village around me and my artists.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The music industry can be really hard to navigate, there are so many amazing people to work with and equally just as many not so great people to work with. In my early stages of leaving RCA and starting my own management company I teamed up with some individuals to manage an incredible artist. A few months in they started to have meetings without me and slowly but surely brought to light that their plans to cut me out. They called me, told me I didn’t need a lawyer to review anything but they were making some contractual changes and and giving me less of a cut and say in the artist’s career. In their eyes I did not bring much to the table and they figured pushing me out was the best option, less of the pie to share. At the time I was devastated and at a loss, this was the only signee I had under my management company and thought it was all over. However, I remembered how my parents raised me. No one could determine my success or what I was capable of except for me. As long as I worked hard and believed in what I was doing I would succeed. What at once felt like a huge blow is now the best thing that has happened for me because I remained resilient and persevered. My company continues to grow and succeed because my work ethic and treatment of others speaks for itself.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I firmly believe my approach to networking has helped me build a great reputation in music so far. I walk into every room thinking, “How can I add value here?”. I like to use the analogy of a garden for networking. Instead of walking into someone else’s garden and climbing their tree, I am growing my own. Every connection I make is a new seed I plant in my garden. Each seed requires a different amount of watering and sunlight aka reach outs, and follow ups. Some connections will need to be reached out to every couple of months, some want to grab coffee or lunch regularly to stay updated, and some only want to hear about the huge milestones. When the seed or relationship has bloomed and is ready, pluck it! Pull that string and ask for a collaboration or favor to help your company or artist grow when the time is right. It is based a lot on instincts and consistency but you’ll know when you’ve fostered the right opportunity. Don’t pluck it too early and don’t pluck it too late. You also want to make sure to never kill the garden, don’t under or over water it. Be respectful and self aware with your reach outs, follow ups and favor asking. Soon your garden will flourish and you’ll be able to extend what you’ve grown to other’s that are just starting out, like so have many have done for me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Kristinaamazz

Image Credits
Studio Session photos: Rich Focus Photography WhiskeyJam Photos: Perfect Shot Pro Productions