Rising Star: Meet MTV's Roberta Hickey

Rising Star: Meet MTV's Roberta Hickey

How did you break into the music industry?

I started out as a digital ad buyer for Samsung and Coca-Cola and just used to try and involve myself in any music related campaigns.

I then took a social media content course so I could move over to a more creative role that was more music-focused.

From there, I landed a job as Carl Cox’s social media manager and it all grew from there.

What’s your proudest achievement so far?

This year I curated and booked all the panels and parties at the first ever House Of MTV pop-up. We partnered with MixMag, Disturbing London and New Gen for some really fun events and had super-exciting industry people on the panels as well as artists such as Donae’o, Ms Banks, AJ Tracey and Eats Everything.

Ten of the events were sold out and we had lots of positive feedback from both the industry and audience alike.

The House was staged in association with MTV Breaks, our pro-social arm of MTV that provides young people with opportunities to get into the creative agencies, and their inbox was full of people thankful for and inspired by the event.

Knowing I had been a part of something that motivated others made me feel really proud.


What do you enjoy most about your job?

Discovering new talent and being able to devise different ways to give the artists exposure across the MTV platforms. I also get the opportunity to see lots of live music at gigs or other cool events, which I love.


What’s the biggest challenge?

Time! I wish I had more time to go to more gigs, there’s so much amazing live music in London, I wish I could split myself into five each night and see it all.

There’s also so much exciting music out there, especially from UK artists making some real waves, and I wish there were more hours in the day for me to hear it.
 

What advice would you give to those looking to break into the biz?

Don’t be afraid of showing your passion! There’s no shame in geeking out on your favourite artists and showing enthusiasm and knowledge in interviews.

It’s important to know about the company you’re applying for, if it’s a label then know who’s on their roster or if it’s a publisher have in mind favourite bits of content from their platforms.


What’s your greatest ambition?

To create content with artists that is truly engaging, as well as to grow opportunities for emerging talent.



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