Meet Lauren Camp: Publicist & Artist Management

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Camp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In 2017, I started my independent PR company On Record. I previously had around half a dozen jobs and internships under my belt and I initially wanted to be a sports journalist writing for the LA Times. I started off on one career path and have found myself on a very different one.

Once I learned about publicity and the role of a publicist, I knew it was what I wanted to do and I eventually found my way to the music industry having never realized I could make my love of music into a career. From there, I was determined that I needed to find a mentor and I looked for this in many of my bosses and associates. So many of my friends would tell me about how grateful they were to have a mentor and someone to turn to with questions and advice, but to my disappointment I never found someone that I felt I could trust or connected with on a more personal level. I was lucky though because I had really great opportunities and worked with some awesome people in my early career who taught me a lot of what I know today. But for those tough questions, I found myself looking inward for answers I didn’t completely have.

At Hiltzik Strategies, a crisis communications and PR firm based in NY, I helped to build their team in LA and worked on accounts across music, television, and film, including OVO, Hulu, Dreamworks, Sony Pictures, and many more. Being bright-eyed and fresh out of college when I started with them, they threw me right in and I was able to work hands-on with clients, which I found to be my favorite part of the job. I loved working on the corporate side of PR but wanted to focus my work on music publicity, so I left Hiltzik after nearly 4 years and started at an independent PR firm in LA. I was impressed by their client roster and what the company’s founder told me during my interviews. It seemed like my dream job, until it wasn’t.

I worked with some big clients during my time at this firm including, Big Sean, Jhene Aiko, French Montana, Steve Aoki and more. At first, I felt very empowered in my position and worked closely with the founder. Her team in LA was small and we worked from her home office aka her kitchen table. She had been in business for 16 years and also had a few employees based in NY. I built strong relationships with my clients and their teams, but our workplace was extremely stressful due to a lack of leadership and integrity. I found myself so stressed out to physically go to the office, but at the some time I loved the work I did. So, I spoke with the founder and helped her to find a proper office space. I also tried to bring in clients to our roster, but was met with discouragement being that the artist was “too small”. That client was Brent Faiyaz and he was my first client as an independent publicist.

I left the indie PR firm only nine months after starting there, which to me at first felt like I was giving up because I felt like I needed to tough it out. The music industry teaches you that you have to endure a lot of crap to make it in this business and that’s how it is for everyone, no way around it. I was super nervous to venture out on my own and told myself “If you don’t like it or its a complete failure, then you will find something else”. I didn’t have all the answers when I started On Record and I still don’t, but I am so happy that I took a chance and let go of something that wasn’t serving me and it’s one of the best decisions I have made.

Since I started On Record, I have built my own team and we’ve worked with nearly 200 artists and brands. We’ve worked in house as independent PR consult for nearly every major label and dozens of indie acts. My goal with taking a chance and doing my own thing was to build a new age agency that breaks through the walls of traditional press campaigns and working with people that love music and their work just as much as I do. In 2017, I also decided to try my hand at artist management when one of my PR clients was looking to expand his team. Fast forward four years, Kyle Dion and I have toured the world together and are gearing up for his second, full-length album. My advice – take a chance on yourself.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
On Record is a bespoke 360 degree public relations and brand communications firm that specializes in the development of creatives in the realm of music, entertainment, fashion, sports and lifestyle. An independent firm based in Los Angeles, On Record is a new age agency that breaks through the walls of traditional press campaigns, hand crafting each to fit our client’s unique needs.

With expertise in the fields of public relations, brand management, digital marketing, artist development, social media consulting, crisis management, event coordination and more on a global scale, we help creatives tell their stories and develop their brand in an organic and compelling way. From the rising new stars to the biggest players in major industries, On Record’s vast skill set allows us to build from the ground up and strategically tailor each campaign for all aspects of the client’s brand.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It’s Sunday afternoon – I wake up and walk my dogs to grab an iced coffee and a pistachio croissant from La Tropezienne bakery. Then, I meet friends at the Melrose Farmer’s Market where I pick up fresh flowers and a variety of tamales from the Mr. Tamole booth. Every other Sunday, a group of friends and I play soccer at Pan Pacific Park. I’ll finish off my day with a few scoops of ice cream from Wanderlust on 3rd as I chill and prepare for the week ahead.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am very happy to shoutout my good Shanna Jade who was one of my biggest supporters in the early days of starting my own company, On Record. We met through mutual friends at a work event and instantly clicked. Shanna introduced me to a lot of dope artists and always recommended my firm. She was also a great friend that I could turn to when I had questions or was second-guessing myself. Shoutout Shanna!

Website: https://onrecordla.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelaurencamp/