Paula and team with artist Dean Lewis. Cover Photo: Victoria Theatre in Stockholm.

CAMD student Paula Crea, Music Industry & Communication Studies, is currently working as an International Exports Intern at Universal Music Sweden, where her team markets artists from the Nordic countries to the rest of the world. This is a process that Paula is becoming very familiar with – her former co-op team at Universal in New York had a similar role, working to market American artists internationally. Whether in New York City or Stockholm, this type of music marketing role is fast-paced, exciting, and different each day.

When it comes to the typical responsibilities, Paula sends out updates on upcoming releases, shares this music with Universal teams around the world (to make sure they have all the necessary information to pitch the songs to popular streaming playlists and other outlets), and compiles updates on these new releases when they come out on Fridays.

These daily to-dos, however, make up just a portion of the job’s excitement.

“The fun stuff really comes from the unique projects that pop up alongside my typical responsibilities,” Paula described. “I might help write about our artists and their music for bios, updates, or future press releases, or sit in on meetings and calls about current marketing campaigns or what to do next. I’ve run calls between our artists and international press outlets. Sometimes, I put together themed newsletters for both internal and external contacts to let everyone know what we have going on. I’ve even been a sort of ‘American-English tutor’ to one of the artists my team works with so that she is prepared for future interviews. There are lots of adventures to concerts, award shows, after parties, or brand/influencer events after work as well, which is always a fascinating side of the industry to see.”

This position is Paula’s third co-op under the Universal Music Group umbrella. For her first co-op, back in 2016, she started at Island Records (New York City) as an Artists and Repertoire (A&R) Intern. This position was followed by her role on the Universal Music Group’s international team (also New York City) for all the east coast labels (e.g. Island, Def Jam, Republic). Both positions helped her understand how the industry works, strengthen valuable skills, and recognize what exactly she wants to do with her music career path. Now, she will complete her third and final co-op with the International Exports team for all of Universal Music Group in Stockholm.

This experience abroad is a perfect way for Paula to combine her passions.

“I will always credit my semester abroad in London with N.U.in as shaping my goals,” she said. “Since then, I have essentially committed myself to finding a way to combine my two passions of music and collaborating with other countries and cultures, which has led me down the coolest career path ever, meeting some fantastic role models along the way. I’m basically a superfan of my own job.”

Currently, her Universal team in Stockholm, where she has been living since August, has been working on rebranding one of their more popular artists, which has been a long but rewarding process. Paula has also enjoyed seeing, first-hand, a wide range of up-and-coming artists develop. For example, Universal Sweden works with new Nordic artists like Lil Halima and AMWIN (and many more) who are just branching out into new territories. They also work with a lot of recent successes (like NOTD), determining what’s next for them and how to continue building a world around their music.

As you can see, Stockholm truly has a vibrant music scene.

“This may surprise people, but I think I actually go to more shows and music events for work in Stockholm than I did in New York. They have quite the thriving music scene, which isn’t totally shocking if you think about how many Swedish acts have had success in the United States in recent years. This is the birthplace of Spotify so they’re definitely ahead of the curve!” Paula described. “And of course, Stockholm in general is great. Beautiful city, insanely kind people, and a really great, inclusive culture that aims to make sure everyone here is living comfortably and happily. I’ve gotten to participate in some lovely Swedish traditions like fika every day and attending a crayfish party. I’m also a big fan of visual art and film as well as music, which I’ve been able to incorporate into my life here.”

Paula is making the most of her time abroad, and embracing all of the opportunities she can, which is representative of her entire Northeastern experience. Her journey has been full of taking chances and reaching for the stars – and developing her own path and opportunities. We look forward to seeing how the rest of Paula’s experience abroad unfolds, and we are so excited to hear about her future adventures!