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Working With Major Artists: What Publicists See (Stories from the Road)
Description
The RIFF S2 - ep4 -Dawn Dwyer Pappas
What is it actually like working with major artists behind the scenes?
In this episode of The Riff, we sit down with an experienced music publicist who has worked at the highest levels of the industry. This conversation goes beyond theory and into real moments from the road, from press days to high-pressure situations where everything is on the line.
These are grounded, human stories about supporting artists, managing energy, and helping things hold together when it matters most.
We get into:
• What working with top-level artists is really like day-to-day
• How publicists support artists in high-pressure situations
• The moments that don’t go as planned… and how they’re handled
• What it takes to maintain momentum at a high level
If you’ve ever wondered what happens around major artists when the spotlight isn’t on, this is a rare inside look.
#MusicIndustry #Publicist #NSYNC #ChristinaAguilera #WWE #MusicBusiness #TorontoPodcast #BehindTheScenes #EntertainmentIndustry #PodcastClips
Resources Mentioned
WWE: https://www.wwe.com
Sony Music Canada: https://www.sonymusic.ca
BMG: https://www.bmg.com
EMI/Universal Music Canada: https://www.universalmusic.ca
Spotify: https://www.spotify.com
myToronto.ca: https://www.mytoronto.ca
YouTube Chapters
0:00 Cold open — the Christina Aguilera hotel story
1:10 Intro to The Riff Toronto
8:48 What does a music publicist actually do?
17:31 Life on the road with Christina Aguilera
21:20 Publicist vs. doing it yourself as an artist
26:36 Rule #1: never want it more than the artist
34:39 Behind the scenes at WWE
39:34 Ric Flair's book and other wild stories
46:05 The creative side of being a publicist
48:42 Food segment: Montreal bagels & Papa Roti coffee
58:43 Final thoughts and goodbye
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