Thuy-An Julien is a Grammy award-winning entertainment and technology executive, with more than 20 years experience at the intersection of music and technology. She has worked at numerous Fortune 500 Companies including Apple Inc., Time Inc., Sports Illustrated, and other major companies. Currently, Julien is CEO of Hartman’s House, LLC, a management and digital consulting company. She and her team set artists free to be creative while managing all other aspects of their careers and assist companies to bridge the gap between entertainment and technology. Her clients include Grammy Award winner Timothy Bloom, and former American Idol contestant Shevonne Philidor. Previously, she worked at Apple Inc. for 15 years and headed up original content brands in North America for iTunes and was “low-key” one of the most important figures bringing Hip-Hop and urban acts to the mammoth corporate entity. She played an integral role in the success of iTunes Store in multiple market segments. Some she created, while significantly expanding others. She also created the Urban Marketing department—the first ever targeted marketing group at iTunes—to address missed opportunities in the focus of the original iTunes platform, originally designed only for mainstream music. She is also currently responsible for market and growth development at Dash Radio. She successfully builds audiences, brands, and profits for the largest digital radio network in the world. She is also a Partner at Creator’s Capital, a business incubator/fund that was created to help creative- both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs create their visions. We talked to Thuy-An about her business and other matters of extreme importance. AllHipHop: Explain what your job entails: Thuy-An Julien: I run a company that does a few several things. We do artist management, creative incubation and marketing consulting. I manage some amazing artists to get their music out in the world and steer their careers towards what we have determined is their goal, be it songwriting, producing, performing, etc. As for the incubation, I partner with Creators Capital to help music, film, TV and digital media entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs make their ideas for projects and companies investable, and then we give them access to sources of capital. AllHipHop: What’s the most enjoyable part of the job and your duties: Thuy-An Julien: I love helping people achieve their goals. I believe people need to realize that every short-term goal that is achieved takes you one step closer to your long-term goal. I love being around the creative. Hearing the music being created, attending the live shows, watching the vision turn into a business and knowing that I helped in some way make it successful. AllHipHop: What is the hardest part: Thuy-An Julien: I think there are two things that are the hardest. 1. The doors that get slammed in your face when you know an artist or a project deserves that shot hurts. It is hard, but I never give up. Getting underestimated as a woman when you walk into the room. I used to record live sessions for iTunes. I just remember numerous times having someone ask the sound engineer something and they would have to remind them that I was the producer. As a woman, you have to be assertive and yet walk the fine line between being too nice and being too “b#####.” When I negotiated deals at iTunes, often people would want to speak to my boss or a colleague who was a man because they didn’t think I had the power to execute. This is a foolish mistake on their part but just made me more determined. AllHipHop: What advice do you have to offer people that want to be where you are or aspire to make it in the business? Thuy-An Julien: My advice to everyone is to follow your dream. Don’t just hear that and not do it. Regardless of what you do with your life, it will be difficult. So you might as well pursue that which you truly want to do. But be smart about it. Get the tools you need- be it higher education, internship, get a mentor- whatever it takes so you are dressed for battle and have everything you need. I never thought I would use half the things I learned at the University of Delaware but you’d be surprised when random knowledge you learned comes into play. For young ladies, my additional advice would be to learn how to win in a man’s world, because it is still a man’s world, as we saw with the last Presidential election. We still get paid less than men for doing the same job. But show and prove yourself. Less complaining and more doing. I’m not saying take any abuse or discrimination that comes your way. I am saying know that the deck is stacked against you and know you will have to work harder and smarter — but show them your value. AllHipHop: Can you describe a moment of adversity personal and in your career? Thuy-An Julien: This thing we call life is full of experiences both good and bad. There are a few moments that come to mind but here’s one that people in the industry can relate to. Before I started my company, I was at iTunes for a very long time, Pretty much since their launch. Most people in the industry associated me with iTunes. It became so prevalent that I felt like my name was “Thuy-An From iTunes.” When I left iTunes, it was very interesting and a bit hurtful when people I had helped for years didn’t answer my emails or calls. It really played with my self-value and made me think that I was a less valuable person overall because of it. But we all know this industry is about what you can do for me and that’s why there are the term industry friends but I never thought it would happen to me. But two good friends said something to me that I will always remember. David Banner was quick to remind me that I was not […]