Most Promising Promotion Executive:
Jackie Kajzer
10th Street/Eleven Seven Music
New Jersey native Jackie Kajzer began her radio career at Seton Hall’s WSOU before getting her first taste of commercial radio atWHTG/Neptune and WDHA/Morristown. Kajzer then set her sights on working at artist management company The Firm and moved across the country to Los Angeles. Seven years later, in addition to working at The Firm, she also hosts the Metal show Chaos on Indie 103.1and syndicates the program herself. With all of this activity going on, we caught up with Kajzer about her many endeavors.
On discovering Five Finger Death Punch… I’ve been doing my radio show on Indie for about four years now, so as somebody involved and aware of the Metal world, I had been hearing about this band, Five Finger Death Punch. I had people calling up my show and requesting them. I went to their MySpace to check out the music and loved it – it was immediate for me. That week I went to see them at the Whiskey. There were like 10 people there, but I knew right away this band was going to be huge. Never before had I had that feeling when going to see an unsigned band. We signed them to Firm Music and signed them for management. We worked the first single at radio, and within a few weeks it was on the charts, went to Top 10 and stayed there for about six weeks. We’re on the second single now and that just went Top 10, and we’re at 168,000 units sold.
On her biggest challenges in working with radio stations… I feel that sometimes when I’m calling people, programmers don’t always have the best feelings about promotion people. I know in business you’re not supposed to take it personally, but I found this band, and I’ve been a part of what’s going on, so I do take it personally. I just can’t help it. So when I’m very passionate about whatever their resistance is to playing it, they might think I’m going to be calling them the next week about some other band and yelling the same way. But this is my band. I’m the manager for this band. I brought this band here, and I feel like we’re all a part of this.
On her radio show, Chaos, on Indie 103.1… I’ve always had a full-time job and radio has always been nights and weekends for me, so I’ve given up my weekends and my holidays because I was always so eager and willing to fill-in and do whatever just to get more experience and be valuable to a station. I feel all those years of doing that, all those years of upsetting family and loved ones and not being able to be there for every event or birthday or holiday – where I’m at now and what I’m getting to do on Indie is what it was all for. Getting to do a Metal show in the number two market in the country, playing the music that I love, getting to interview and meet all of the bands that I’ve grown up with and play their music on the radio, is a dream come true.
On working with some of the other Indie 103 hosts like Henry Rollins and Steve Jones… It’s surreal to walk down the hall and bump into Henry Rollins. He’s so intimidating, but not scary. He’s just so smart. Steve Jones is a legend but if you see him walking around, he’s just like a regular guy. Plus Dave Navarro is there all the time, and the Crystal Method guys come in on Friday nights and do a techno show. They come in with their turntables and all their stuff, as if it’s a techno club. Then they’re spinning and it looks like a rave in the studio! It’s pretty amazing. I love every minute of being able to be at a station like that.
On one of the proudest moments of her career… Watching Five Finger Death Punch – the first band that I ever personally found and signed and had a part in breaking – watching them on theMayhem Festival now. I’ve gone to a couple of shows this summer and watching the entire crowd chanting with their fists in the air, singing the words to their songs, I get goose bumps. I’ve seen that band a hundred times, and I still get excited to see them live and watch the crowd sing along and destroy each other in the pit!
