Last updated: October 2009

If you are reading this, then chances are you have heard of me at some point. Perhaps you’re a personal friend, an industry acquaintance, or you have found me through one of my business ventures. Or maybe you randomly stumbled across my website and now you’re a stalker. I’ve never had a stalker before.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Josh McConnell. If I were standing beside you, we would be shaking hands at this point. I don’t consider myself the most exciting guy you’ll ever meet, but I will try to give you some insight into my busy history in a short period of time. It’ll be like a Readers Digest or Coles Notes of my professional career, only you can keep the $6.95 plus applicable taxes. And in Ontario, that’s a lot of tax.

I began my trek as a journalist. But not the hard-hitting, CNN style of journalism that may first come to mind. Instead, I’m a little more focused within the walls of the entertainment industry. I have been in the music industry since very early 2001 and then for a couple of years before that I was a video game journalist. From Toronto to Vancouver and Los Angeles to New York, I have worked on a regular basis with some of the biggest labels, management companies, and PR companies in the business. I’ve always worked with a handful of companies based out of Europe. In my video game days, I worked with some of the largest video game developers and publishers in the industry.

From 2001 until 2008, I was the Editor In Chief of an online music magazine that gained its share of popularity. We were read by tens of thousands of readers from around the world each month. This job in particular is what changed my life. It was sort of a sudden move, so I had to hit the ground running and learned everything as I went. During seven years at the job, I had the honor of doing more at my young age than some get to do in their whole career. I learned a lot about the entertainment industry, journalism and media in general. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end when I started attending school for a business degree, which forced me to move my journalism career to freelance status for now.

My articles can be found in numerous locations around the globe, both online and in print publications. I have been regularly quoted in industry press releases, artist websites, retail advertising campaigns, e-cards, and more. In 2005, I was featured in a workshop’s media panel during a week-long Canadian music event alongside respected TV, radio, and print organizations where we instructed independent artists on how to get the attention of the media. In my Editor In Chief days, I had major record labels and other music industry companies approach me on a regular basis to find ways to work together and devise marketing strategies for new releases. I also have been interviewed by a number of media outlets and university students in regards to the music industry and my work experience inside of the field.

Aside from freelance journalism, I am heavily involved in the music business in other areas. I have done (and continue to do) a significant amount of artist / industry consulting. I also have been an A&R Scout for Major Label Scout since September 2006 and continue to find and identify new talent in the industry. We work (or have worked) closely with labels such as Arista / J Records and EMI Publishing. Music journalism and scouting can really go hand in hand, and I’ve been told I have an ear for pop music, so the scouting position has proven to be quite successful so far. I’m constantly searching for new talent and the ‘next big thing,’ so any and all submissions are welcome.

On top of my experience in the music and video game industry, I’ve also had a couple of years experience in television. I worked at a studio and my job description consisted of almost everything you could think of: editing, directing, floor directing, producing, writing, on air talent, cameraman, switchboard operator, VTR operator, set design/construction, and much more. I wouldn’t mind getting back into this field one day as well, even just for fun.

Finally, I’ve been into computers and technology since the age of four, when I helped my dad put together a computer. I remember being taught how to use DOS commands before I could ride a bike. Though I can’t code programming languages, my hefty computer knowledge has been combined with my business/marketing/media knowledge to make me very knowledgeable in social media and personal branding. I’ve also done consulting in these fields over the past couple of years.

In terms of education, I am currently going through the process of obtaining a degree in Business and maintaining Honors Student status. This is still a couple of years away from completing, however. I would love to eventually get a masters. Though an MBA would be nice, I’m actually thinking a Masters in Journalism so I have formal education in that field too. But that is more of a money issue and may not happen for some time afterwards, if at all. If that doesn’t work out, I’m always learning new things in life and in my career, so at least I’ll be continually expanding my knowledge that way.

Well, that’s my life story compressed into over nine-hundred words. It may not be much to some, but I’m only twenty-one (as of the time I am writing this), so there are many pages yet to be written. I’m always open to new career opportunities, so you never know what I may try next.

If you have any questions or comments at all, feel free to contact me. My e-mail is josh[at]joshmcconnell.net.

Thanks for reading and caring, even if you’re a stalker.

Josh McConnell