This month KIMBooks is honored to present Anastasia Brown, Nashville recording industry executive, also widely known as former judge on Nashville Star. Anastasia Brown started her music career as Miles Copeland's partner and director of operations for Firstars Nashville and later discover Grammy nominated, and multi-platinum artist, Keith Urban. She also worked
with artists ranging from Sting, Peter Frampton, John Berry and Junior Brown.
Among her many accomplishments, as VP of A&R for Ark 21 Nashville, Anastasia served as executive producer for Waylon Jennings' "Closing In On The Fire," and also worked on compilation records such as the Christmas album, "Mother & Child" with Martina McBride,
Cece Winans, Amy Grant, and many others.
Make Me a Star ‘should inspire you, frighten you and entertain you.’
In today’s economy with business branching out overseas making it past the security desk at a fortune 500 company for an interview can be as difficult as breaking through to a Nashville’s producer for an audition. Anastasia Brown, former judge of Nashville Star, points out, “a bad hire in any business could equal out to be millions in losses... Artists often don’t have business degrees but they do need good, honest guidance.” And like in the top industries of the world, “No one beats around the bush. No one sugar coats a ‘no… and this is why’- and the explanation might not be something you want to hear. Or it might be ‘no’ with no explanation.”
Anastasia Brown Keri Russell at the Hamptons Film Festival.
Brown’s Make Me a Star has been referred to as the how to book with heart, a guide on how to make it in to an expensive, high-stakes industry. Key points aimed for those perusing an artistic dream, yet they generally translate into critical advice for any prospective hire. “To me music is so powerful that I went straight to it after my husband suffered a traumatic brain injury… all I knew to do was pray and play music” Since her husband’s full recovery Anastasia has focused her life and career to her artists and their music.
Make Me a Star is not a test book or a checklist; it’s a guide to finding your strengths and weaknesses and how to mover forward after you have made a mistake. Success in the music industry calls for a lot of “soul searching…This book is for people who have a dream and want to pursue it, who are willing to learn from the experiences of others who’ve pursued the same dream”
Anastasia Brown and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Tips from Anastasia:
“We all make rookie mistakes at the beginning… young artists like to talk a lot, listening is more important. You can learn so much with those of years of experience. Interns are often afraid to reveal questions for fear of being seen as uneducated or uninformed. Its better just to ask.”
“Fist impressions are so important; in recessions jobs (in any industry) are so competitive. This book will help you make that good impression.”
“Listen to your gut! If something does not seem right, walk away… its God’s way of telling you, you are going in the wrong direction. So many clues are presented in front of you. Some people fail to notice and just prolong their agony. Its ok to question if you’re going in the right direction. There are a lot of references of God in my book, he has helped me survive.”