Meet Lindsay Teske | Founder and Director of Carnival of Oddities

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

Hi Lindsay, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
This going to sound cheesy, but my answer to this is self-belief. I truly believe it’s everyone’s best resource, and I certainly found it to be mine. Carnival of Oddities was my first full-time job out of grad school. Anywhere else I had worked prior was a side gig, an internship, or as a freelancer. I knew this component, combined with my age, could stack cards against me in some people’s eyes. I also started the business in the UK (I’m originally from the US), and coronavirus lockdowns meant that I hadn’t had a chance to really grow my network over there yet. I had written a business plan, but given that the whole world had been more or less fully shut for a year at the time, I had no idea how achievable anything I wanted to do would be for the foreseeable future. In other words, I was starting from square one in the fullest extent of the phrase. Nonetheless, I deeply believed that I could turn the business into something big and impactful. It may have been my first “real job,” but I had absorbed lot being the quiet girl in the corner in offices over the years and strongly believed that I was someone to fill the gap I had seen widening in the market, which was the total lack of developmental support given to early-career musicians.

Having this sense of belief helped me to chase opportunities, put myself out there, and challenge my perceptions of what the realm of possibility looked like. Of course, believing in yourself is far easier said than done and I’m not going to pretend like that always came easily to me. I had a constant battle with imposter syndrome for the first three years of my career. But eventually, I had to get over it. I could never expect anyone to believe in Carnival of Oddities if it seemed like I didn’t even believe in myself, especially since I’m the face of the business. I genuinely feel that simply believing in yourself is the foundation through which the house of success is built upon. It really does lead to so many doors opening, and that’s largely due to how you grow and evolve through having that sense of belief. I know it sounds simple, but that’s what makes it so powerful. Something I often repeat to myself is “It has to be someone. Why not me?”, and that inspires me to constantly push for greater heights. At the end of the day, if I didn’t have this mindset, Carnival of Oddities probably wouldn’t even exist.

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?
Carnival of Oddities is a public relations and promotions agency that exclusively represents emerging bands in heavier genres. I’m most proud of how Carnival of Oddities has been able to redefine what’s possible and/or achievable for bands who are early in their careers. There’s very often an air of jadedness among newer bands, and rightly so, since this industry isn’t designed to start caring about an artist until they start raking in loads of money (money that too often goes to other people rather than the artists themselves at that). Being in their position can make making music feel like a long, thankless slog of trying to knock on doors that don’t want to open. Something I’m really proud of is that Carnival of Oddities set out to be, and has been, a business that has opened those doors. For instance, I’ve given a lot of bands “firsts” — first gigs, first interviews, first airplay, first international tours, first agents, etcetera. That’s something I’m really proud of and means a lot to me to be able to do. There’s a lot of rhetoric around the industry about artists needing to be “ready-made” to start receiving big opportunities, and Carnival of Oddities has been able to flip that narrative on its head. I’ve gotten plenty of bands just as far, and in many cases further, on my own than bands who have teams of agents, labels, publishers, and more all working on their behalf. This proves what I’ve always suspected, which is that people are perfectly willing to embrace music made by emerging artists — there just needs to be more intermediaries willing to get in the trenches with them and work on their behalf. When there is, the bar raises in a wonderful way and artists can then grow leaps and bounds — as they deserve to.

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?
I’m based in London, so I’ll be giving local answers. This is actually convenient because I recently had three of my oldest friends from the US come to visit me, so I can take the easy way out and share some of the places I brought them, haha.

I’ll begin by saying that a majority of museums in London are free, so that’s worth taking advantage of. My parents and all my friends loved and will never tire of Gordon’s Wine Bar, so I’ll recommend that too. It’s considered to be a little “basic” but I literally don’t care, it’s amazing and well-worth visiting. There’s also a “secret” bar in my neighborhood called Evans and Peel Detective Agency that’s good fun. If you’re like me and are happiest somewhere dive bar adjacent that plays rock (and all that can fall under that general umbrella), Dublin Castle, The Black Heart, Devonshire Arms, and Slim Jim’s will be for you. Also, as a vegan-leaning vegetarian, I can confirm that there are plenty of really good plant-based options all around.

Go to the Daunt Books in Marylebone. Go to Hampstead Heath. Go to the vintage markets at Brick Lane and Notting Hill. But above all else, go have an adventure! Leave the day unplanned, explore, and see where it leads you. Most of the time, it will be somewhere really, really good. Some of my favorite, most magical days here have resulted from doing just that. I think the best way to experience London is when you allow yourself to be surprised by it.

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?
Adrian De La Court at Goldsmiths, University of London, was absolutely instrumental in helping me grow into who I am as an entrepreneur. He was my advisor while I was completing my master’s at Goldsmiths, and also when I was later a Graduate Entrepreneur in Residence upon the completion of my degree. Adrian saw me through from the point of reaching out to the band I piloted the business with while I was still a student, to later organizing multiple international tours years later. He has this wonderful way of leading me to find answers within myself, and that has been integral in helping me grow my confidence as a business owner. His belief in me has been moving and heartening. Adrian has been a fantastic mentor and ally, and I feel lucky to have had his guidance over the years. Carnival of Oddities would by no means be what it is without it.

Website: https://www.carnivalofoddities.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carnival_of_oddities/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindsayteske

Image Credits
The Silver Lines poster credit to The Silver Lines