Will Run For Work: A Creative Way to Land a Job in the Music Business
Here on Hypebot you can read countless stories of musicians who have used out-of-the-box ideas to stand out and boost their music careers. But it’s rare to hear about people who use creative thinking to land a traditional day job in the music industry.
This is one of those refreshing stories.
In May 2011, Mike Castellucci graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Music degree in Music Management and Trumpet Performance from William Paterson University of New Jersey. With two internships, management, and performance experience under his belt, he was ready for employment.
“For the past year and a half, I have been looking for a job in the music industry,” Castellucci says. “With so much oversaturation in the job market, it has been a difficult task to stand out. After sending out more than 250 resumes, I have had some close calls, but I am still out of a job.”
To channel his frustration, he started running. In March 2012 Castellucci ran in the New York City Half Marathon and raised $900 for Bergen County’s Habitat for Humanity. “I know I’m not the only one struggling,” he says. “Plus, I feel I need to lend a helping hand to others before I can receive.”
As Castellucci was preparing to embark on his first full marathon on Sunday, October 7, at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, an idea came to him.
“I will be making history this year by being the first racer to run with an oversized resume attached to my back,” he explains. “My hope is that it might catch the eye of prospective employers either running or watching the race.”
Castellucci’s creativity has already paid off with some local news coverage. Here is a video clip he put together to tell the story:
“I hope the video will be a source of inspiration for the thousands of people out there who are eager to work but can’t find employment,” he says.
With the Chicago Marathon he is also continuing his charity efforts, this time raising money for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that provides support and assistance to the families of Chicago Police Officers who were killed or injured in the line of duty.
Visit Mike Castellucci’s donation page here.
What do you think about Castellucci’s creative way of seeking employment in the music business? Do you have other examples of out-of-the-box job hunting methods to share? I welcome your comments.
Bob Baker is the author of three books in the “Guerrilla Music Marketing”
series, along with many other books and promotion resources for DIY
artists, managers and music biz pros. You’ll find Bob’s free ezine,
blog, podcast, video clips, and articles at www.TheBuzzFactor.com and www.MusicPromotionBlog.com.
I also have an applicable bachelors degree, several years experience in the music industry, and have had trouble getting a full-time job. I’m also currently training to run a marathon.
However, I’m not running with a resume attached to my back, because running has nothing to do with my professional skills.
This is nothing more than a silly stunt. I thought you said this article would tell a creative way to land a job. Creative implies constructive.
Actually, the word Creative is defined as “Relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work.”
No mention or implication of the word constructive at all. But the creativity of Mike Castellucci is much more likely to end up with a positive outcome than is your attitude.
He should have business cards on hand and have that written somewhere on the back of his shirt….might make it easier for employers to find him! Good luck Mike!
Unless he’s jogging from NY to Chicago, he’s getting airfare from somewhere – sounds like he doesn’t really need a job that bad.
Actually, production and construction are synonyms.
And, you don’t know my attitude or whether or not I’ve been creative in my job search. I’m actually quite positive, but more targeted.