The Women Pushing the Buttons | Brianna "Breezy" DeMayo

I didn’t run an open invitation to who I would be featuring in this segment of “Women Pushing the Buttons” because there has been one name on my mind since the first installment: Brianna DeMayo, owner and CEO of Taste Creators. I’ve been following Brianna, more commonly referred to as Breezy, for the last few years. We’ve hopped on a couple phone calls in 2021; talking about our respective stories, career paths, and goals. Each time, the phone call felt like something tangible, like we were in our own private conference room. Her words, as inspirational as they are, are also a call-to-action. It’s also refreshing speaking to someone who has a very similar train of thought when it comes to music as an art, a business, and cultivating creators who are bringing it to life. Without a doubt in my mind, this is a woman pushing the buttons. A real example of what these stories are all about. I’ll be asking these questions, not only to inform those of you who may not know her, but I’ll be using this opportunity to pick her brain for myself as well.

I feel that between our calls, I’ve picked up on a lot of your story. For the sake of those who may not be familiar with what you do and how you began this journey, how would you outline your story in how you reached this point?

How much time do you have? *Laughs.

Overall, I’m someone who’s very protective of artists, because I was once in their shoes. I grew up like the Jackson 5, you know, “school’s over, time to rehearse for six hours”. *Laughs. I grew up with a father who played the keys, the drums and was an amazing singer and songwriter. On top of that, my aunt owned a dance studio that my mom taught at (as she grew up dancing ballet, jazz, ballroom, etc.) I was on pointe shoes at age 10, around the time my dad taught me how to harmonize. I grew up in recording studios and around musicians. My dad was friends with William “Poogie” Hart, the lead singer of The Delfonics. We used to go to his house and harmonize together as Poogie would play the guitar. I was recording with Bobby Eli at twelve years old. I remember seeing all the plaques on his walls from all the greats - everyone from Stevie Wonder to The Spinners, and not even being really phased by it as a kid. I didn’t understand what an honor that was at the time, but I’m so thankful for those experiences today.

When I was a teenager, I formed an R&B group with my nephew. Recording and rehearsing was literally our lives. I remember we had to run around a football field in Northeast Philly 5 times while singing, and then run to the middle of the field and workout, and then head back home where we had a mic set up in the basement and rehearse until past our bedtime. We performed all over the tri-state, from the festivals at Penn's Landing on the waterfront in Philly, to winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in New York a few times when I was 14 (that experience was crazy!). We had to perform on the spot, on cue, no matter where we were. We could be at the park enjoying the weather swinging on the swings, but as soon as there was a little crowd of people, my pop would make us sing. It was a lot of fun, but it also caused a lot of heartbreak, and overall it never went anywhere. Not because we weren’t talented, not because we didn’t have opportunities presented to us, but because we didn’t know wtf we were doing, and neither did our three (yes, three) managers. It was my pop, the father of the other two girls that were in our group at the time, and some random guy they brought on board who actually brought a horrible contract to the table. My mom was like “you’re not signing that.” *Laughs.

But I don’t regret it. If I didn’t have that experience and get exposed to the things I did, I wouldn’t be able to do the things I’m doing today. I’m grateful for everything I learned during that time as it was really great training for everything I’m doing now. But after I decided I didn’t want to pursue a career in music anymore, I attended Community College in Philly to take my liberal arts classes because I had no idea what I actually wanted to do with my life at that point, and I had a grant so my classes were free. Then I transferred to Pierce College for a degree in Business Management (as I figured you can’t go wrong with a degree in business), but I got my real estate license and dropped out a little over two years in to work in real estate full time (which was actually amazing preparation for entrepreneurship). I still had friends and family who made music, so I would attend their shows, and I would still write music because I genuinely enjoyed it, but I knew I didn’t want to pursue it as a career. My interest in the business side of music caught my attention because I didn’t want the people I loved to get screwed. So I started researching the music business. We finally had the internet at the time. *Laughs. As I was researching the music business, I became pretty obsessed with learning about it. It was so interesting to me, and at the same time, it made me feel even more passionate about wanting to change how things are done. Learning about all the horrible deals and crazy things that happen in this industry just lit a fire under my ass and made me even more passionate about wanting to go to war for artists.

At one point I joined Twitter and started simplifying the things I was learning about the music business and I would tweet tips for artists. This was around 2011/2012. At the same time, I started networking with as many artists as I could in Philly and helping them however I could. I wanted to get some real experience under my belt on [the business side]. I did this consistently for a few years before people started telling me to write articles on all the knowledge I was sharing online. Once I did that, things really started picking up. One day ASCAP shared one of my articles in their newsletter and Wendy Day followed me on Twitter. That was a huge deal to me in many ways because 1. That’s Wendy Day. She’s someone I look up to in this industry as she’s done so much for artists and she truly is in favor of the artist and doing right by people in general. And 2. Her acknowledgement was the confirmation that I needed to boost my confidence enough to really jump into the music industry. We all have those moments when we’re like, “Is this a good idea?” *Laughs. So the feedback and traction I was getting at the time, from people I respected, definitely helped put things into perspective for me and it kept me going.

I ended up starting my own company called ‘Exclusive Public’ back in 2013. I was doing PR for artists while helping them with their overall branding and marketing strategies. I had also started throwing a monthly networking mixer and music showcase called Philly Sound Sessions. That opened up a lot of doors and allowed me to build relationships with so many people. I remember one time Jasmine Sullivan pulled up to one of our events, which was definitely a dope moment to experience. I’ve learned to appreciate those “little” successes, because those are what keep us motivated to keep going.

So at that time, I was throwing my monthly event on the side while still working a full time real estate job, which is what I eventually got fired from for working from home once a week to work on my own business. At that point, I decided to see how long I could survive as an entrepreneur. It was definitely a struggle but I made it work. WE can go into detail on that another time. *Laughs.

Taste Creators came about a few years later and it started off as a music blog, just curating playlists and showing love to all the music I was finding that was going under the radar. That turned into doing a bunch of panels and hosting a few stages at the A3C festival in Atlanta. Then I decided that I didn’t want to build two brands at the same time, in the same field, so I decided to merge both brands and run with Taste Creators’ name across the board. Since then, we’ve helped a nice handful of artists grow their businesses – from rising indie artists, to artists like Casey Veggies, who’ve already had a ton of traction but needed help navigating without a major label, to recently, I just did a consultation with one of Quincy Jones’ new signees, and now we’re having conversations with labels to give their artists more hands on attention, too. There’s been a lot of growth over the years and I’m just staying consistent and doing what feels right.

Overall, for those who aren’t familiar with what I do or what we do at Taste Creators, we help artists be as self-sufficient as possible and build enough leverage so that they can do what they want. Whether you want to get signed, or want to stay independent, you need to build your leverage so that you can do what you want to do on your own terms. That’s what we’re here to help artists do. We’re helping them build their business and grow their community of fans. And we’re also helping companies who sign artists be able to leverage all of the amazing things they’re doing too; because if your artist is more efficient, then everything their team is doing makes even more sense and gets even more results across the board.

This entails a lot of things, most of which fall under artist development, digital marketing, and bit of project management. But it’s different for every artist, because every artist is different, is at a different stage in their career, has different goals and a different target audience. The bulk of what we do is strategy and coaching because that’s always where it starts and how artists are able to move with intention. I come on board and look at everything you’re doing right now, from how 'you’re presenting yourself to how you’re marketing yourself, and look at all the inner workings of how you’re engaging with your audience, and I help develop the plan, and the systems, and train the artist and their team on everything from implementing the social media content strategy to the fan-communication strategy (i.e. how are we collecting emails and phone numbers from our main supporters and engaging with them on a deeper level and monetizing that relationship?) On another side, we’re shooting content, running ad campaigns, designing websites, writing bios and all that jazz. Another day I might be connecting you with a producer, or an entertainment lawyer, or a distributor. We’re really just immersed in the process, in the trenches with the artists. And we’re launching a whole other side to Taste Creators soon too, where I’ll be able to help artists in even bigger ways. I don’t like to talk about things until I pull it off, but stay turned.

So when it comes to how I reached this point, I just kept going. I had a vision, I knew what I stood for, and I stood firm in that. If an opportunity came along that didn’t align, I stuck to my gut and politely declined. You just have to have a vision, do whatever you can to begin executing that vision on your own, move with intention and be patient. If you bet on yourself and your vision, and you don’t quit, things might not happen on your time, but everything usually turns out even better than expected.

You were essentially thrown into entrepreneurship. How was the process in the beginning stages of Taste Creators? Is it the first…sort of.. “business model” that you knew you wanted to pursue from the beginning? How would you describe Taste Creator’s mission moving into 2022?

When I was thrown into entrepreneurship, I didn’t have a business model. I just knew I wanted to help people. My business model was helping artists grow however I could at the time. At that point, it was still a lot of what I’m doing now, as far as providing direction and strategy, making connections, etc. and the blogs were a thing back then so I was helping artists get interviews and write ups. But I never said, “This is exactly what I want to do, and this is how I’m going to do it.” I was really just strategically winging it at the time and learning as much as I could in the process. I didn’t even realize I was a publicist at the time until people started calling me a publicist and I looked up what that role really entailed and realized, “Oh, you’re getting artists press, duh.” I just never liked titles. I just do what needs to be done at the time and focus on my strengths. The more you educate yourself, the more you’re able to see how you should maneuver, and you get a lot more clarity on what’s for you and what isn’t. With Taste Creators, I let it grow into what it was meant to grow into. We’re still not in full form yet, honestly. I’m still putting certain pieces to the puzzle together. As far as the mission goes, it’s still to change the music industry to be more in favor of the artist, and to help creatives make a living doing what they love on their own terms. The overall mission has always been that. Big shoutout to everyone out here on a mission to truly help artists succeed and to help change the way things are done in the business. I' got mad love for y’all. We’re fighting this battle together. *Laughs.

I was impressed with your focus on the artists. For some reason, this seems to be lost with certain industry practices. For a while, it seems that major labels have opted for milking an artist for a couple years and moving on to the next. How do you want Taste Creators to alleviate this gap?

I’d say we’re helping to alleviate this gap by helping artists and their immediate teams be as self-sufficient as possible. I don’t ever want an artist to depend on anyone or any company, like their label, to see any results. Also, we’re leading by example. Everything that we do at Taste Creators is in favor of the artists – from the services we offer and how we offer them, to the contracts we use, etc. We’re being the change we wish to see and connecting with those who are on the same mission. We don’t sell artist things they don’t need just to make money. Our contracts are the most artist-friendly contracts I’ve ever seen. I’ll go into more detail about that when it’s time. Overall, I’m really trying to be the change I wish to see. I can’t control other people or what goes on at other companies, but I can control what I do and how we do things at Taste Creators. So that’s my focus. The hope is that others follow suit. That’s what being a Taste Creator is all about, anyway – following your own lead and being the change you wish to see.

I hate to mention the ongoing pandemic but it has changed the dynamics in how artists maneuver. I know we’ve talked about it but how has it impacted you and Taste Creators? What do you recommend to artists who may not be able to perform at venues and have that in-person contact with their listeners?

When it comes to Taste Creators, I was definitely scared at first. When they initially announced COVID, a whole moth went by where all work ceased and I was definitely uncertain about how things were going to look for my business moving forward. But then it turned around in a big way, as artists had more down time with lockdown, so they were taking that time to strategize and focus on things they once felt they were too busy to do: getting their branding in order, understanding marketing more, and finally put a marketing plan in place, etc. I will say I’m extremely thankful for all the relationships we’ve built over the years, because without that word of mouth, dealing with the pandemic would have been a lot more of a struggle. We did move out of our space at the start of the pandemic, too, but honestly that was a coincidence that ended up working in our favor as we knew we were moving out a few months before COVID was a thing. But COVID is a reason I wasn’t in a huge rush to find another space. *Laughs.

When it comes to artists, it’s really about staying even more connected to your audience in different ways. For instance, by staying more present: posting and engaging on social media, as well as connecting in other direct ways like sending newsletters, communicating via a text app like Community, throwing virtual events, going live, etc. And if you’re comfortable with being around people during this time, you can also throw more intimate/private events. when you can’t communicate in one way, such as in-person contact with fans, you communicate in other ways. Focus on what you can control and double down on that. That’s always my thing – focus on what you can control and don’t stress about what you can’t. I know that’s easier said than done, but once you master it, things are a lot less stressful and you’re able to think clearer.

We share a lot of the same feelings when it comes to social media. I think that’s why crossing paths on Twitter was almost an inevitability. The two of us thrive in the background and have no desire to be in the spotlight. We don’t hold these accounts in fears of “missing out” or relevancy. Myself, I can’t seem to resist taking a hiatus. Obviously, social media can be an effective tool when used correctly. How do you walk that fine line in today’s environment when so many people are glued to their socials and what is your advice for artists navigating these platforms?

I think it really depends on what your goals are as well as finding your own rhythm. We can’t get around the fact that we live in a digital world now. We have to accept that. Social media isn’t going away anytime soon, and now we’re about to be meeting in the metaverse. You just have to look at social media as a way to connect with people and focus on that part of it. It really is an amazing tool if used properly as it allows you to reach people all over the world and allows your content to spread with the click of a button.

But it is a fact that if you use TikTok consistently and post great content, you will grow an audience. Same with Twitter, IG, and so on. So if the goal is to grow an audience on these platforms, then you do have to use them more frequently. When I was first starting out, I was posting a lot. I was on Twitter all day at work. *Laughs. I was very active and it was fun connecting with people and putting knowledge out there and helping people. Now that I’ve built up my brand a bit and have some things going, I’ve been able to chill out a bit on the social side and hide more behind the scenes. But again, it all depends on your goals. If I wanted to reach hundreds of thousands of people, I would need to hop my ass on TikTok and get to posting. But that’s not my goal right now. I’m behind the scenes working hands on with artists and their teams. But who knows? You might see me on TikTok in the future. *Laughs.

So it’s really just: figure out what your goal is and accept the fact that if you want to grow a really big audience, you can’t get around social media. But that’s also why it’s important to learn about it so you can strategize and plan it out. So if you don’t feel like being on it all the time and having to always worry about what to post, you can plan it out and shoot content in batches and schedule it. You have to educate yourself on it and understand it in order to be able to utilize in a way that works for you. Knowledge brings a lot of clarity – clarity that you’ll need to move strategically.

Social media isn’t all just about posting constantly. It’s really about engaging with your audience and actually getting to know people in real life. Literally get to know people outside of these apps so that you don’t have to be on them all the time trying to reach new people. I’ve had actual conversations, via phone or in person, with at least forty percent of the people I’m following, and that helps because if I take time off of social media, people know me in real life so they know I’m still working and they know how to reach me, and I can still reach all of my clients and artists and contacts without social media. You have to make it a point to do this throughout your career. Relationships and fans are what you need, not just followers.

Whatever you do, just don’t waste time being bitter about social media. It’s not going anywhere. Take some time to learn about it, understand it, and then develop a plan that works for you so that you can have a healthy relationship with it without driving yourself too crazy. Use it with purpose and take breaks when necessary. Just understand that you can’t build an audience without being present and engaging with them. So it’s up to you to find a balance that works for you.

I particularly enjoy your Twitter account for the knowledge (see also: gems). There’s this interesting occurrence where artists are becoming more drawn to these types of accounts; where they feel as though some of us are “industry insiders”. Are there any gem-dropping accounts that you would recommend to artists?

There’s definitely some really dope accounts that artists should follow, but before I go into that, I just want to say that artists should really do their research on people and take what everyone says with a grain of salt. Because everyone’s path is different. There is no blueprint to success in the music industry. There are tried and true tactics that have worked, but you still have to test things out and see what works for you and your goals.

I also want to say, don’t get so caught up in learning that you don’t execute what you’ve learned. That’s the quickest way to overthink yourself to stagnancy. You will not fully understand anything until you put your first foot forward and try things out yourself. So of course, learn as much as you can, spend hella time researching, but make sure you’re focused on applying the knowledge you’re taking in.

As far as who to follow, definitely follow the queen, Wendy Day. She’s more on IG now than she is on Twitter, but she drops hella gems. Also follow Z, Music Entrepreneur Club, Ray Daniels (watch his interviews on YouTube), my guy Mike Sto, The Digilogue always has cool knowledge and opportunities for artists. There’s definitely others. Just go on my Twitter and follow all the people I’m following. *Laughs.

What lessons did 2021 teach you? About business? Artistry? About yourself?

2021 actually confirmed a lot of things for me. It confirmed the fact that what’s meant for you is meant for you and although something might not work out in the moment, if you stay patient and keep working, things will work out even better than you can imagine. There’s a Jay-Z bar that always stuck with me, “Sometimes you get what you need, not what you think you want.” – and I think that is so true. It also taught me to trust myself more and go with my gut. Anytime I trust my intuition, even if I seem crazy in the moment, it always turns out that I made the right decision by trusting myself in the end. That goes for everything – even with creative decisions. On the business side, I learned a whole lot about investments this year, and taxes, and contracts, and so much more. I was on a mission to tighten up some loose ends. I definitely did a lot fo adulting this year both personally and professionally. I’ve been very focused on personal growth and it’s been paying off in the most annoyingly painstaking way. *Laughs.

I’m very interested in knowing if you read any books this year. If so what were they?

I read a lot. Like every day. Because I’m constantly researching things, however I honestly haven’t read many books this year. I need to make it a point to read more books, so if you’re reading this right now, send me some book recommendations pretty please. However, I did read a few, one was a gift from a good friend of mine called ‘The 12 Week Year’ by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. Another was ‘The Book of Mac’ written by my good friend Donna Claire. And a few weeks ago I picked up Russ’s book ‘It’s All in Your Head: Get Out of Your Way’. Got through that one in a few hours, very quick but great read. I feel like I’m on a constant mission to improve however I can and I love learning. So any books that are gonna help me be more efficient, self-aware, or that will teach me something I can utilize, I’m here for it.

We’ve always known the music business to be an abusive one, particularly when it comes to women. Is there anything you want to say to the women who are pursuing these career paths?

Go with your gut and be intuitive. If you ever feel uncomfortable, remove yourself from the situation ASAP. Remember, there’s never just one door or one way to the goal. There are many ways. So don’t ever feel like you have to do something you really don’t want to do or compromise your dignity or integrity in any way. No one can stop what’s meant for you. So set your boundaries and don’t apologize for it. Also, find a good support system that you feel safe with and when you’re going to meet someone new, don’t go alone.

Be sure to follow Breezy on Twitter and check out her ever-evolving company that is Taste Creators.