We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Portia Mazone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Portia below.
Portia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
To be successful it takes determination and consistency. You must have the drive and the purpose to overcome all obstacles you may encounter along your journey. In addition, you must progressively work toward your set goals in a way where you can measure the outcomes. The road to success is not an easy road. It is inevitable that as you work towards being successful, you will encounter many sleepless nights and you will forfeit several monumental life moments. However, if your goal is to be successful in whatever your craft may be, all your hard work and effort will pay off.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I am a member of the National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP), the Recording Academy and ASCAP/BMI as a songwriter and/or publisher. I graduated from Florida A&M University (FAMU) with my B.S. in Journalism and my Masters in Applied Social Science. I have also earned a certificate in Music Recording from FAMU as well as a certificate in Music Essentials from New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. Additionally, I have earned my Juris Masters in Intellectual Property Law from Emory University School of Law and am currently working on my Juris Doctorate degree from Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
In 2009, I founded Econtii Music Group (EMG) (formally known as Econtii Entertainment) to give entertainment professionals resource tools to navigate throughout the entertainment industry.
In 2015, I co-founded the non-profit Sports, Music and Entertainment Summit (SMES), a one-day summit featuring panels, workshops and a networking mixer that provides education and networking opportunities for students and professionals interested in breaking into the entertainment field.
In 2018, I became the Music Supervisor for Season 2 of the Emmy award winning show “Giants.” “Giants” is a coming-of-adulthood drama series that chronicles the journey of three friends, each battling their own inner giants as they approach the age of 30. Praised for authentically capturing the black millennial experience “Giants” has accumulated over 3 million views on Issa Rae’s (HBO’s Insecure) YouTube channel. Additionally, the show has been picked up on major networks such as Cleo TV, a new Comcast network from TV One and BET+, and all streaming platforms.
In 2019, I was nominated for Best Soundtrack at the Indie Series Awards for my work in “Giants”. Additionally, I was the Music Supervisor for the short digital series “Unapologetically Black”, which has received rave reviews in the indie film community.
In 2022, I signed super producer Bugsy Malone (credits include but not limited to; Capella Grey-Gyalis, Jnr Choi- Too The Moon, and Sy Ari Da Kid-A Gem) to EMG’s management division. I co-manage Bugsy Malone along with my business partner Omari “Reality” Bashir (Uncut Muzik).
I continue to grow my brand and give back by speaking at conferences about the importance of intellectual property law and how to monetize your craft as an artist. I also travel around the country teaching workshops on artist resources and the impact of music on social justice movements. Furthermore, I continue to work in artist relations and development. I have been assisting music venues and independent record labels to manage concert expectations and/or production programming.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The entertainment industry is mainly built on reputations. What helped me build my reputation was to learn the art of networking early on in my career. The key to building long lasting relationships in the entertainment industry is to be authentic and reliable. You don’t always have to be the best creative, but if people trust you and know they can always count on you, those two strengths will take you a long way. Additionally, I believe what helped me build my reputation within my market is that I am always present. I go above and beyond for my clients. My clients and peers trust me. I am knowledgeable in my area of expertise, and I have the credentials to back up what I am saying. I am also loyal, direct, and honest when it comes to expectations.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative for me is the ability to share my truth with the world. Although, I am mainly behind the scenes and on the business side of the creative’s world, it takes a creative to know a creative. Before, I obtained all these degrees, I use to write music, loved to act, and draw. Being a creative is a form of expression, sometimes we may be quirky, and people don’t understand what motivates us to do what we do, but there is a fire deep inside of us that burns and what we produce from the fire is the results that we share with the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.EcontiiMusicGroup.com
- Instagram: @Econtii
- Facebook: EcontiiMusicGroup
- Other: @EcontiiMusicGroup
Image Credits
Shot by Sed and Urban Scope