Oct 22, 2019
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Jessica Marino, a serial dance entrepreneur who, over the past decade, has acted as a booking agent, producer, performer, project manager, community builder, and arts advocate. In 2017, Marino founded JAMpress Management, which provides support services for the performing arts industry, with a focus on dance. These services include event producing, promotion, project management, booking, tour management, consulting, and more.
Though Marino’s talents are wide-reaching, she’d be the first to tell you that her mentors have helped her become strong in areas of weakness. On the podcast, Marino discusses a wide array of topics surrounding dance and entrepreneurship and focuses much of the conversation on the humility required to succeed as an entrepreneur — humility to admit that you can’t be an expert in everything and that there’s nothing wrong in requesting help from your network and community.
Moving Quotes:
“Mentorship is all about letting [your mentors] help you understand what you’re capable of. And trusting them enough to believe them."
“Don’t be afraid to admit that you’re not the expert in everything. Find someone who knows more than you in certain fields — someone who you trust."
"[To fight low confidence and negativity], I can’t underscore enough the need for presence and trying to expose yourself to new ideas constantly. That way, you never get stuck in one place for too long without having the influence of other ideas to make sure you’re where you really want to be and not just where you happen to end up in that moment."
“If you have vision and a good team, the world is your oyster."
“Completely changing my environment and having to restart, if you will, was a big-time game-changer for me."
“A lot of us are in that position where you’re dancing and creating your art, but you need to have a side hustle somehow."
“I’ve never met anyone inside of the dance industry that’s not a full-fledged dance addict."
Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:
2:50: Jessica describes her many dance-related endeavors, including her talent management company JAMpress Management.
7:25: Jessica discusses the origins of her business knowledge and how her business smarts came about out of a necessity to fuel her true passion — dance.
12:12: Marino explains how mentors have played a huge role in her life and how they’re valuable to validate your strengths and elevate your weaknesses.
17:42: Marino discusses some ways to fight low confidence amongst women in life and business.
21:26: Jessica describes a time where a huge decision completely changed the course of her life.
24:56: Jessica speaks to some of the most challenging aspects of being an entrepreneur.
26:40: Jessica discusses the importance of humility for young entrepreneurs — being willing to lean into experts whose strengths complement their weaknesses.
28:35: Marino describes the inspiration she feels from seeing diversity throughout the current landscape of CEOs and notable decision makers.
30:22: Jessica shares her vision for her business which includes international expansion.
Bullet List of Resources –
Jessica Marino
JAMpress Management