Meet Sony Music UK's junior digital partner manager Samantha McKenna...

How hard was it to get your break?
“Breaking into the music world is a challenge no matter what direction you’re coming from. My path took me through a music education that included attending specific schools and furthering my experience and adding specialist skills and tools to get into the industry. I firmly believe that putting in the hard work leads to exciting opportunities to meet new people, which quite often results in new ventures. Being in the right place, at the right time always holds up, too.”

What’s been the biggest surprise about the industry so far?
“The biggest eye-opener for me has been the sheer amount of people within the industry that live and breathe what they do. It’s more than just a job – music encompasses life whether inside or outside of the business. From the outside, the industry can appear like a machine, but as anyone working in the business will say, there’s so much more to it than what a casual observer might ever be aware of.”

What’s the best thing about your job?
“I love the versatility in my job, working with different labels and artists within Sony. Every day brings dealings with new campaigns, whether that’s albums, singles, Top 10 records or artists just starting out. There is a challenge with every account and release, but there’s also so much room to grow and develop. There’s never a quiet day at the office – or an empty inbox!”

How are you finding working from home?
“No doubt it’s different, but now I’m eight weeks in it feels kind of normal. I am definitely missing the general buzz you get round the office as well as the abundance of snacks (hot cross buns all year round are a firm favourite with my team). Generally, I think we’ve been very lucky that adapting to the new ‘normal’ has really been quite an easy transition. And I certainly don’t miss the morning commute, or the Circle Line!”

What will the business learn from the time we’re in now?
“I think the main lesson that will come out of the current situation is that anything is possible. Making sound booths in artists’ living rooms, filming videos in front of green screens and being able to collaborate with people thousands of miles apart highlights the power of the music industry to keep motoring. We’re always evolving and that shouldn’t ever be underestimated.”

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