Today we’d like to introduce you to Jarek James.
Hi Jarek, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started in the influencer space in late 2018 when Tiktok was still looked at as “cringe.” I was double majoring in finance & music business while trying to juggle a music career. Summer rolled around and I had no classes but the following semester was my graduation. I gave myself one last chance at music. I told myself that if I had a song or a video blow up, I would take it as a sign to continue my career in entertainment. If not, then I would take up a job in finance… bleh.
At the time my account was two people, @bryceprotoj and me. We worked on a remix of the hit song Boys by Lizzo. I wrote the remix and performed it while he produced/mixed the vocals. At first, I hated it but he pushed me to post the video anyway because he loved it. We posted at 11 pm with only 150 followers and less than 1000 views on the account.. the video BLEW UP overnight. I woke up to a video that had 10 MILLION views and our account had received close to 250,000 followers.
Over the years, I have been making music, remixes, and mashups that have garnered over 10 billion impressions overall. I feel I have accomplished my influencer/music success so as of last year, I have focused on my media agency “Smalltownhollywood Media.” I have had the chance to work creatively with incredible brands such as Amazon, Chobani, American Eagle, and Pizza Hut. Converse, Rockstar, and many many more. I have mastered the creative side of the agency and it has been a great contribution to helping me master the agency side with paid media & strategy for brands.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
About 57% of Gen Zers said they would like to become an influencer if given the chance according to CNBC. It is one of the most coveted jobs in the world. Getting into monetizing as an influencer takes extreme dedication. You’re on the clock 24/7 and most of the time it is for no money. It’s feast or famine, one month you’ll get a brand deal for $10,000 and the next 5 months you make nothing.
Starting this media agency has been just as tough. Luckily, I have an extensive background in successful brand campaigns with giant corporations. It’s hard to gain the trust of anybody in business especially brands who try to protect their marketing budget. To get my foot in the door with media buying and content marketing, I decided I would do a month free for my services to showcase my talent.
This allowed me to build trust and show that I am here for the brand, not just for the money.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Smalltownhollywood is the parent organization for STH media and Smalltownhollywood Music.
Starting with STH media, I began this project in NYC two years ago and have been working with incredible brands along the way. We are known for our top-of-the-line social media campaigns, paid media management, and creative strategy. Our media buyers are all meta-certified and have been part of creative campaigns with over 1,000,000 ad spend. Most media agencies are either great at the data side of the industry or good at the creative side. Finding media buyers who can do both is like searching for a unicorn. STH Media shoots all content in-house and runs all the paid media campaigns for the creatives. This way we can read the data and apply it to the creative (and vice versa). We are most proud of our ability to do both the media buying and the content creation. We are so confident in our ability to create great paid social campaigns that if you’re not happy with your experience you don’t pay.
Smalltownhollywood Music is a music collective that focuses on mashups, remixes, and original songs. We have 3 million followers on socials and have received over 100 million likes. Back in the day (2019), I started a mashup style where two people sing different songs over an instrumental at the same time. I call them counterpoint mashups. They can be a little hectic but it scratches an itch in your brain. We have worked with people like Jason Derulo, Montana Tucker, and so many more influencer celebrities.
What matters most to you?
Helps brands. I love helping companies get their product/services seen and heard. I look forward to doing the same with more artists in small-town Hollywood music.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@smalltownhollywood.com
- Website: smalltownhollywood.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smalltownhollywood/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarek-james-39b852224/
