Staff In The Spotlight - Interview with Digital Marketing Officer Jasper Morvaridi

Our next Staff in the Spotlight features our new Digital Marketing Officer Jasper, who recently started working in our Comms team. Here's a bit about him!

Tell us about your career history to date

I always wanted to work in the arts / music industry, but after graduating university I found myself applying for countless jobs and not getting a look-in. After some disappointment, I found a job as a marketing assistant for a commercial events company who put on big science conferences (not quite my cup of tea…!). Around the same time, I launched a music blog called Lonely Table (LT) with my brother who was working as a booking agent. The blog initially helped me carve out a bit of a space in the industry and in 2019, it grew in scope with the release of Untitled (18 Artists) an Arts Council Funded album and youth engagement project.

After a couple of years at the conference company, I managed to combine my experience in the more DIY side of the music industry with my marketing skills and started working as Senior Marketing Executive at the Royal Albert Hall. The Hall was an incredibly exciting place to work; seeing under the curtain of such a legacy institution was fascinating. I worked across the contemporary music programme and the Education and Outreach work, on projects like Young Producers. Working first-hand with young people in a creative setting was a huge motivating factor when I applied for my current role with Youth Music.

For the last few years, I have also been working for Brainchild Festival, in my spare time, booking the DJs and music for the electronic music stage. Brainchild is a special community, and I’ve been lucky enough to make some amazing friends through working at the festival.

Throughout my career so far, I’ve found that every project and bit of experience in the different aspects of the music world all feed into one another.

How have you found your new role as Digital Marketing Officer?

I’m three weeks in and loving it! It’s been slightly jarring starting a new job from home and not having all the social aspects of the office that help you get to know people, but everyone’s been super welcoming. I’m working on some really interesting and fulfilling projects at the moment, and I’m starting to plan the wider Digital Strategy for Youth Music, which is exciting.

What's the best thing about working for Youth Music?

Everyone shares a common goal of empowering young people through music – and I feel that creates a really positive atmosphere. It’s refreshing to be working for an organisation where there is a genuine clarity of purpose, and where the work has a meaningful and measurable impact.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I spend a lot of my spare time producing music. I can’t really play any particular instruments too well, but I love pushing buttons, chopping up sounds and seeing what I can piece together. I also really enjoy cooking for friends and experimenting in the kitchen. Since the start of lockdown, I’ve started going on long(ish) bike rides – particularly up to and through Epping Forrest – which has been real fun!