Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Westby. He shares his story with us below:
Knowledge is power, and executive/entrepreneur Jeremy Westby is the power behind 2911 Enterprises. It takes a myriad of professionals to turn this wheel we call the music business:
- Radio air personalities
- Tour managers
- Record label insiders
- Specialists in television programming
- Directors of live events
- Publicists provide artists with the exposure needed to keep the wheel in motion.
Westby is the rare individual whose twenty-five years of experience in the music industry champions each of those arenas on a multi-genre level in all realms. After all, how many people can say they’ve worked side by side with Megadeth, Meat Loaf, Micheal W. Smith, and Dolly Parton? Westby can.
“I want 2911 to be a change agent in the world: in entertainment, sports, politics, and many different areas because I think the world needs to hear good messages,” says Westby. “The world needs healing and inspiration, and if there is a way I can go about my day and provide inspiration, healing, hope, and change, I want to do that.”
- 2911 Media – Publicity and Marketing
- 2911 Productions – Production of any necessary media assets
Audio/Video Productions:
- Liners
- Lyric Videos
- Concept Videos
-
Events:
- Red Carpets
- Concerts
- Showcases
3. 2911 Digital – branded as Mission CTRL
- Website Development
- Social network calendaring
- Insights & data
- Google Analytics
- Online advertising
- MailChimp lists & integrations (set up & maintain)
- Spotify for Artists
- Pandora AMP
- SoundCloud
- Distribution of singles, EPs, albums
- Video distribution
A Minnesota native, Westby admits that the music business wasn’t in his original plan. “Once I realized I was too tall and my vision wasn’t good enough to be an astronaut or a fighter pilot, I thought, ‘Hmmm, broadcasting is cool. I’ll do broadcasting.’” From there, Westby worked for a Christian radio station in Blue Earth, Minnesota, taking a position as an on-air personality for 104.5 KJLY when he was only 16 years old. “I walked in and said, ‘Hey, I’ll sweep the floors. I’ll take out the trash. I’d love to learn about broadcasting,’ and the next thing I knew, I was doing a live air check and the weather.’”
Westby chuckles as he remembers his supervisor handing him the weather, and the next thing he saw was a red light. “I think I forecasted tornadoes and a 30-degree drop in temperature. I was so flustered. But I got the job, and I worked for the station for two years, working nights and weekends, doing news, weather, telethons, commercial production, literally everything, for the station.”
Next, after hunting for a college with a good broadcasting program, Westby relocated to Oklahoma and enrolled at Oklahoma City University. While working to earn a degree in Mass Communications/Broadcast Journalism, he met legendary artist manager Jim Halsey. “I shot a Q&A on The Oak Ridge Boys and later attended their show and filmed some clips. Afterward, I edited a piece to promote the University’s entertainment program.”
Westby remembers Halsey was pleased and told him, “You need to join my class.” So, he did, and it was then he became fascinated with the entertainment and music business. That was a pivotal moment in Westby’s life. Although he grew up singing with his family in the church and performed with various ensembles throughout high school and college, he never considered the business side of entertainment as a career until Halsey opened his eyes to the possibilities.
“I was classically trained vocally and instrumentally, and I’ve always had a love for music,” he said. “But college is where I figured out what I wanted to do. I had a scholarship taking care of all the computers in the mass comm facility, so I maintained everything from the T.V. station to the newsroom to the Mac lab.
“At the same time, I road managed our fraternity brothers’ band, called ‘Kerowac Jack,’” Westby adds, “And we traveled all over Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas doing shows. There were also times when big acts would come into Oklahoma City; we’d have the opening slot for them, so I mixed sound, sold merch, and learned how to do the road management thing.” In addition to his production and computer jobs, Westby worked as a D.J. at proms, weddings, and dance clubs. While in college, under Halsey’s direction, Westby spent a week in Nevada working on the television special, The Oak Ridge Boys Live From Las Vegas.
“I constantly worked on projects to make connections and build experience. Downtime for me is a sin,” he says. “I want to be active, doing things that matter. Within twenty-four hours of moving to Nashville, I was on a bus with the Clark Family Experience, working fairs, festivals, and two tours with Tim McGraw. I perfected my skills as a camera operator by shooting footage of the artists. I shot 8mm film on the group while we were on the road with Tim. Then in ’99, we were on the George Strait Festival Tour on the Strait Land stage, where I learned how to do front-of-house sound engineering. Since then, I’ve loved mixing live sound. It creates an experience between the artist and the fans. To me, LIVE is everything.”
“To this day, that’s what drives me.,” Westby continued. “Seeing our clients connect with their fans in a very personal manner. No matter what I do, getting to stand side stage or front of house and watch fans react to our artists – to me, that’s everything. You are allowing the artist just to be themselves and to do what they are supposed to do without having to worry about anything else. That’s our job in the industry – to help them get the platform. Then we step back and watch the magic happen.”
After two years on the road with The Clark Family Experience, Westby landed a job at Provident Music Group. “I was the digital go-between for four imprints – Reunion, Diadem, Brentwood, and Benson labels,” he says of working with Michael W. Smith, Joy Williams (pre-Civil Wars), Newsong, Bob Carlisle, and many others. “My job was ensuring that the creative services department, marketing, A&R, and publicity were all sending and receiving what they needed. Socials had just started back then. MySpace was around, but Facebook, Napster, iPods, and MP3s had just started, so everybody was freaking out about digital things. I had to help the presidents, vice presidents and marketing departments at the company understand the technical side of things. As a young 20-something, it was my job to inform them.”
After three years with Provident, Westby was excited to volunteer with his church, Bethel World Outreach Church in Brentwood. He also worked with the non-profit Mercy Ministries (now Mercy Multiplied) in IT and donor development. But the entertainment industry lured him back. In 2004, he accepted a job with a talent agency, booking performers in commercials and videos while delving into commercial photography, shooting headshots and promotional pieces. Then, when an opportunity arose to return to the road, he took it and spent the next two years (2005—2007) as the tour manager for Dove award-winning Christian group Avalon.
“I was their tour manager, merchandise guy, and front-of-house sound engineer. I did all of it. It was just the four of them and me on the road,” Westby recalls. “We performed at a number of mega-churches as well as the Women of Faith arena conferences in 2006.” But another career change was looming. After some friends bought 12th & Porter, Westby signed on to help revive the noted Nashville nightspot. “We gutted the whole building, fixed it all, and brought it up to code,” he says. “We rebuilt the venue and reopened it. During that time, John Rich had his ‘Gone Country’ TV tapings, and I was stage managing and mixing live performance elements of that, including countless industry showcases.”
During his first fifteen years in the industry, Westby amassed a wealth of experience in several areas and became the go-to guy for anything technical, photography, road management, and live sound. His understanding of the burgeoning social media movement, and the fact that he was one of the most well-connected young movers and shakers in both the country and Christian music communities, opened doors for him. That diverse experience coalesced when he took a job with Nashville-based Webster Public Relations. Over the next nine and a half years, he earned a Senior VP title. He was instrumental in working on various projects, from political campaigns to international tours for country and rock acts.
“In 2008, we worked on the McCain/Palin campaign. In 2012, we worked on the Romney/Ryan campaign, and through that time, we also worked with both the RNC and DNC providing talent for their events, as well as countless fairs and festivals, and helping many companies with their marketing efforts,” Westby shares.
“We did international tours with Dolly Parton in 2011, 2014, and 2016. We helped establish and market the StarVista Live cruises. And we helped produce the ‘All-In For The Gambler: Kenny Rogers’ Farewell Concert Celebration.’”
In addition to his work with recording artists, Westby has also steered PR/marketing projects for Time Life including Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Tae Bo creator Billy Blanks, and various other actors, authors, athletes, and organizations.
As President & CEO of 2911 Media, Westby continues his career-long/25-
“I created 2911 to be a vehicle for change in the world for the right reasons,” says Westby, who named the company after his favorite namesake Bible verse. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Managing expectations is always a challenge – both with the employee and the employer – but I’ve always kept dreaming and focused on doing the best I can at every step of each job I’ve had. Starting my own company and charting my destiny and that of my clients has been the most rewarding and fulfilling part of the journey.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
At 2911 Media, we specialize in PR and marketing. Because I’ve developed such a broad background in a record label, touring, artist management, broadcast, and live event production, we’re able to offer a plethora of services far beyond what a normal pr/social media ad/influencer shop can bring to bear.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
Do your very best and network like crazy. Your word is bond, and handshake deals are foundational to good business. I wish I knew how to save more money early on and how it’s okay always to be out and about. I partied a lot in my younger days rambling around Nashville. I don’t hear from most (if any) of those people anymore. They may still be my friends on Facebook, but that’s about it.
Pricing:
- Pricing is custom to each client’s needs
Contact Info:
- Website: www.2911.us
- Instagram: https://instagram.
com/2911co - Facebook: https://facebook.
com/2911media - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
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