Ava Tunnicliffe
I’ve been meaning to interview Ava Tunnicliffe from Tallulah PR for quite some time because I’ve always loved working with her and interviewing more people in the music industry have been one of my goals. I think it’s important to understand every actor of this industry and to understand the music industry in general. Some people deserve more credits and appreciation, especially women in the music industry. People like Ava deserve as much attention as artists. She’s part of these people who make the industry better and who truly help artists in the best possible way. Artists can’t do it all by themselves and people like Ava are here to make a true difference.
Ava is a true passionate, a hard-worker. She has an insane work ethic (I can’t say this enough but having a solid work ethic makes all the difference in this industry), an amazing writer and she has great music tastes. Like I said, I’ve always loved working with her and to be honest with you, I think my blog is not much comparing to other big blogs out there so getting to work with her is a true honor. I don’t deserve to get to work with such amazing talents haha I am truly grateful for Ava for giving me and my blog a chance. I wouldn’t be much without publicists.
Thank you Ava for what you do and thank you for this conversation :)
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
My name is Ava Tunnicliffe and I run Tallulah PR, a music publicity company based in New York City. I’m originally from London but have been in the US for the last 16 years. I currently reside in Brooklyn with my dog, Ozzy Pawsbourne.
I originally kicked off my professional career in fashion, interning at Teen Vogue, Marie Claire UK and Cosmo UK, and freelance writing for Refinery29 and NYLON. I was feeling quite unfulfilled by the fashion industry and so I started to look into pursuing my other passion, music. I landed an internship at Republic Records, which eventually led to a full-time job.
Given my background in journalism, I started to help out some of my musician friends with landing press. The more press I landed, the more my friends were recommending me to their friends… and so on and so forth. About 4 years ago I quit my record label job and officially launched Tallulah PR.
What did you grow up listening to?
I grew up listening to a lot of different things. My dad introduced me to all of the classic rock greats, like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Rolling Stones. On the other hand, my mum introduced me to a lot of great disco tracks - I remember she had this disco compilation track with songs from Donna Summer, Kool & the Gang, Chic, etc. that she’d always play in the car after school.
I’ve always had a very eclectic taste in music. I listened to a lot of Britney Spears, Spice Girls, Avril Lavigne, Good Charlotte, Coldplay, Robbie Williams, and Scissor Sisters while growing up… my taste was all over the map!
When did you know you had to be involved in the music industry?
I actually resisted being in the music industry for a long time as my dad works in the industry. I started out with the intention of working in fashion and I was interning at a bunch of different magazines. However whenever I had the chance to pitch my own stories I always ended up pitching music features. I just found it more interesting writing about music rather than writing about fashion.
I started to panic about my chosen career field as I was going into senior year of college and so I started applying for music PR internships - I felt like I could parlay my skills learnt from my magazine world into this field so it seemed like a good place to start getting my intro to the music business. I ended up landing an internship at Republic Records and fell in love with the excitement of working at a record label. I think that’s probably when I knew that I wanted to work with artists for the rest of my life. I’m very lucky as that internship led to my first paid full-time position straight out of college. Working at a major label really helped me to round out my music industry education before starting my own business.
I also grew up singing and playing piano and drums… I was never very good though so being on that side of the industry was never really an option, haha.
When did you decide to create your own company TALLULAH PR ? And what made you want to create it?
I loved my job at Republic Records and I got to work with the coolest artists (The Weeknd, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Drake, etc.) but I was craving working with artists in a more hands on manner. I love the developmental stages of working with artists when you’re able to help tease out their brand and artistic identity. As I mentioned previously, I was always sort of dabbling in doing PR work for my musician friends and eventually there was enough demand for me to be able to really give it a shot at running my own business.
For those who don't know, could you tell us what publicists do?
At the most basic level, a publicist secures press coverage for artists. However the world of media is always changing and therefore so is the definition of “press coverage.” It’s not just blog write ups and magazine features anymore. My job as a publicist can include arranging podcast interviews, social media takeovers and brand collaborations, among a multitude of other things. It’s a constantly evolving field!
I think a huge part of what I do is actually working with the artists one-on-one to help define their story and the message they want to share with the world. With so much music out there it’s more important than ever for an artist to stand out from the masses. Crafting the story around the artist and release is definitely my favorite part of my job.
What are you looking for in artists when working with them?
If I dig it, I’ll work on it. I need to feel passionate about the artist and project above all else. I’m not sure how to explain it - it’s not necessarily about the numbers or followers or streams for me, it just has to be something I love.
Why hiring publicists can be beneficial for artists?
Being a publicist is hard! It’s not as easy as just sending an email and securing coverage… it’s about maintaining and building relationships, thinking outside the box of traditional press, helping an artist to define their goals, their story, etc. There’s a lot that goes into PR.
What do you like the most about this job?
I love working with artists to help them craft their story and the message they want to put out to the world. It’s really important for me to have close relationships with all the artists I work with.
As a PR, what are the biggest struggles?
The biggest struggle is trying not to be annoying!!
What advice would you give to artists?
Success doesn’t happen overnight. You have to have patience.
In your opinion, what skills a publicist need to have to be a "good" publicist?
Creativity, ambition, passion, and strong communication and writing skills.
What lessons have you learned since the beginning of Tallulah?
I’m constantly learning and evolving. Every day I learn something new about the music industry, media, or even just the ins and outs of running a business.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Even though the music industry has definitely made strides in the right direction over the past few years, it’s definitely still a boys club. I’d love to see more respect for women in all facets of the industry and more women in executive roles. I think there is always room to grow in terms of diversity - in all forms - whether it’s in the boardroom or in the studio. We have come a long way but we still have a long way to go.
Some people say that music blogs aren't as relevant as they used it to be - what's your opinion on this?
I think that blogs are still important but blog coverage should just be one part of a much larger PR strategy that includes a whole range of different media formats.
Any favorite current songs? Any artist you'd like to recommend?
My current favorite songs of my own clients are:
“Silver Cowboy Boots” - Anna Shoemaker
“Better Than Love” - Foley
“Forever” - Eighty Ninety
Some of my favorite songs I’ve discovered lately outside of the artist I represent are:
“RUNAWAY” - Lucy McWilliams
“Apricots” - MAY-A
“Vintage” - Blu DeTiger
I’m also loving everything that Baby Queen and Royal & the Serpent have been putting out lately. I can’t wait to hear more from both of those acts.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
To go with the flow. I’m a very type A person so the last year has been a true learning curve for me. I’ve had to learn an important lesson that no matter how much I want to have control of my future, I can’t. It’s out of my hands.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
For a start, more equality and inclusivity. I also have a lot of thoughts on how America in particular could do better… defunding the police, gun control, investing in public education, and universal healthcare.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
Life is short - take risks and do what you want!
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