You could say Beata Czechowski was destined for a career in the music business but it all happened completely by accident. One of her good friends who was working part time at WLLD (WiLD 98.7), the hot radio station in her hometown of Tampa, Florida, invited Beata to the studio one night. Soon after she began interning, until one day she got the bug to do more. Then one day she stumbled into, then APD/MD afternoon personality, Orlando Davis’s office with questions about how he broke into radio. Orlando gave Beata a blueprint which she would later use to her advantage, having decided she needed to learn something more instead of just running around the station having a good time.
Orlando explained his job and how he became an intern and slowly started to do things around the radio station to the point where he’s made himself so valuable they couldn’t get rid of him. So Beata arrived at the station the next day and sat in his office. He asked: “What are you doing here?” I’m like, “I’m here to do what you did.” She kept going in every single day, and finally he started making her do various things and at some point he also realized she wasn’t leaving.
In 1999 she was hired as a part-time programming assistant, and in 2000 went to full-time programming assistant, 2001 MD, and then 2004 APD/MD. She’s also scored her fair share of radio awards including being a two-time FMQB Music Director of the Year. In search of a new challenge Beata shifted to the record side of the industry a year ago this month. She went to work for one of the hottest labels of 2007, Jive/Zomba and in the process scored even more recognition as FMQB’s Most Promising Promotion Exec. Her passion for the artists, the music and business in general is hard to find, and Beata is living and loving every minute of it.
What factors went into your decision to leave radio and move into label promotion?
I was to the point at WiLD where I hit my ceiling as far as my growth. I had learned everything I could possibly learn from [PD] Orlando and my [GM], Charlie Oakes. There was no more growth further than where I was as far as a position. Orlando wasn’t going anywhere so at that point I had already starting to look for a PD position. Then at the time Jay Stevens was looking for a PD forThe Beat in Austin and he thought I was ready. I actually got the gig and turned it down because I was told that CBS was going to sell it off, which they ended up doing. So I was in the process of looking for my next step, and [Zomba SVP] John Strazza called and asked me if I would consider coming over to work with him at Jive/Zomba in a National position overseeing Rhythm, which is a format that I absolutely adore.
He flew me out there to meet with him, [Zomba EVP] Joe Riccitelli and [Zomba President]Barry Weiss. I thought it was very cool being in radio and having the opportunity to meet some of the big name people who I know make things happen in the music business. I pretty much fell in love with everybody and the company had a great vibe. When I walked into Jive, it was like a family and everyone was so cool. They had mentioned L.A. and I thought, “I can move to L.A.”
How hard was the transition having had to relocate to the West Coast?
I would have been harder moving to New York. California is similar to Florida in some aspects, so it wasn’t too much of a culture shock for me as far as temperature. The second thing is I’m not home ever. I’m home fourteen days out of the month.
What’s been the most challenging part of your new position?
Building relationships with so many different people who I didn’t know and working with so many different personalities and stations, while trying to find different ways of doing business and creating partnerships.
What makes a great promotion rep?
Taking care of the radio station. Going above and beyond to make the radio station a priority, and making them feel they’re a real priority. Not just going to them when you need that add or with a promotion just because you have a promotion. But actually discussing things with them on how we can partner together and create that true working relationship.
Having worked in a radio programming department, how can labels and radio work more effectively together to better strengthen their partnership?
There is such a breakdown of communication in some markets. It’s on both sides. Sometimes its radio, that you can’t get to someone at the station to even give you an answer or feedback on something. Then there are some stations that feel that they can’t get anything from the record label. Both sides need to realize, and sometimes they forget, that it’s a working relationship. There has to be communication. You may think we’re constantly pushing records, but you also need those records to run your station. If there were no record labels to make music, you wouldn’t be in the job. Better communication on both sides can only strengthen the partnership.
What’s it like working under Joe Riccitelli and John Strazza?
I love it. I don’t think I could have picked a better team. They’re different in the way they attack things, but at the same time both of them are great teachers. They’re real, hands-on, and they really care. We set goals. They’re mentors, and they have a vested interest in me and want to see me succeed.
Coming from radio, and having worked the record side for more than a year, what do you now appreciate about record promotion and label reps that maybe you didn’t?
The little things I thought were so easy to do. I had no clue how hard they were, like artist phoners. Do you know what a pain in the booty it is to get an artist to call a station or set up promos? Or the amount of paperwork it takes to do a promotion, or to get CDs. Those little things that certain reps had down that I didn’t even have to think about.
Needless to say, 2007 was a great year for you to join the Zomba family. Could you have scripted this any better?
Absolutely not. I couldn’t have picked a better label at a better time. One of the things I looked at was that Jive was a label that turned a profit every year. I looked at the artist roster. T-Pain is my boy being from Florida, Ciara, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, R. Kelly, Chris Brown andOutKast. That’s an all-star roster.
Have you noticed a change in your fellow radio programmers since joining the record side?
Well Orlando doesn’t count because I’ll just call the house. I may not get my records on as fast as I would like but I still get through even if I have to go through the wife! At first there were a couple of programmers that were really cool to me because I was close with them, then I think some others almost held me to a higher bar and a higher standard from the start. Over time and working together, we’re all good now.
Give us one great road story from this past year.
I got my first tattoo with one of our Hip-Hop artists, Huey. We were in San Antonio on a promo run, setting up “Pop Luck & Drop It.” He wanted to get his sleeve filled in before his next video shoot. We ended up going to a tattoo parlor to get it finished, and he got half-done then we had to go do a station visit. When we were done we went back, and we were at this tattoo parlor after hours all freakin’ night and the place turned into one big party. All these people showed up and I ended up walking out of there with a tattoo of a bumble-bee.
What’s your most rewarding moment of 2007?
The Huey “Pop, Lock & Drop It.” That was the first record I came in on. I took him on two separate promo runs and ran him through Florida, the Carolinas and then Texas. We worked so hard in breaking him as an artist and getting people to give him that shot, and to see the record finally come through and be one of the top on demand songs of the year and become a huge ring tone success was awesome! To see that your hard work, putting your relationships on the line, doing everything you could to get this guy out there and get people to believe in him and see it come through was awesome.
** QB Content by Bob Burke **