Hidden Gems: Meet Kim Ortiz of Prospective Media Management

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Ortiz.

Hi Kim, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It’s incredibly humbling for me to think about where I started and my journey to the present, but I’m so grateful that I get to work in an industry that I love. I come from a long line of gospel quartet singers from Memphis, TN, so music was always in my home. My father played the saxophone and I was classically trained in clarinet. So, for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to work in music.

When I was a student at Middle Tennessee State University a decade ago, I was part of a brief, but successful music trio, surrounded by some of the most incredible talent – all fighting for the same dream. After I graduated, many of my friends who were artists and musicians looked to me to help them get booking opportunities. Unfortunately, many of the venues back then were very candid about not wanting “black music” played in their establishments.

It was disheartening to the artist community we cultivated and from that point on, I made it my mission to advocate for local artists, whose music falls outside of the country genre.

In 2014, I founded Prospective Media Management, initially as an artist management company, that has since transformed into a boutique artist services and consulting agency.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have to smile to keep from crying sometimes thinking back to the roadblocks I encountered. I was so eager back then to get my foot in the door; any door while I was still building Prospective on the side. If I had a nickel for every no I received, I could retire today. Rejection is certainly a part of life, but that doesn’t make it any easier to digest.

I made a lot of sacrifices, constantly moved around, and nearly gave up several times chasing this dream, especially trying to breakthrough Nashville’s bubble.

Even now, I struggle with imposter syndrome. Fortunately, I have an incredible support system that encourages me daily, prays for me, and reminds me why the work I do is important and who I serve – the incredible indie artists in this community.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Prospective Media Management?
Prospective Media Management is a boutique artist services, consulting, and event planning agency that specializes in supporting independent artists with metadata cleanup, song registrations, graphic design services, marketing, and event planning.

Our mission is to extend access to services that traditional labels and management companies would typically provide, to independent artists so that they feel empowered to create their art without the stress of backend management. We also team up with non-profits to provide free music workshops to students from vulnerable and disenfranchised communities within Nashville.

Because we’re located in Nashville, we have a unique opportunity to tap into a community of independent artists and creatives that often feel left behind and collaborate with other businesses that share the same mission. That’s something I’m extremely proud of.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Oh gosh. I’m sure my parents’ answer to this would greatly differ from mine, but if I could sum up my personality as a child in one word, it would be precocious. I felt like I had a lot to prove when I was younger, as a black woman, to be better than the rest. To be stronger than. To be charming, but invisible. Smart, but humble.

My mom would say that I loved to debate and had a knack for anything art related. Both of those things are true.

The very first thing I wanted to be was a basketball player. That was very short-lived when I joined the debate team in high school. From then on I wanted to be a lawyer, unaware at that time, that entertainment law was a profession.

When I think about it, I wanted to do everything. Be everything! My parents created an environment where they truly did their best to involve us in activities related to our interests. I’m incredibly fortunate to have been brought up in that kind of incubator- if you will.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.prospectivemmgmt.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/pm_mgmt?igshid=ZDc4ODBmNjlmNQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prospectivemm?mibextid=ZbWKwL 

Image Credits
Jackie Marks and Shoom Isaacs