Founder, CEO, Musician
Current City: Boston, MA.
Current Job and Entrepreneurial Focus: CEO of Rococo Punch, an audio content creation company.
Notable Prior Jobs: Producer, Modern Love Podcast Producer, NPR/WBUR's Here & Now Freelance radio reporter Program Analyst, Department of Justice Tour guide, Lower East Side Tenement Museum Bowling alley attendant, Barnard College :).
When I Started Performing: 4 years old.
Performing Arts Background: My mother enrolled me in Suzuki violin lessons at age 3.5 and I was routed through Houston's public arts schools from K-12. The violin was an integral part of my identity. When I went to college, it was the first time I wasn't identified as solely a musician.
How did your performing arts background supercharge your entrepreneurship? I learned discipline from a young age; this was not always a welcome skill (!) but it is a valuable skill nonetheless. Most importantly, I developed my ear which would truly serve me in my career in radio and podcasting. This is something I'm not sure I could have learned as an adult; it's an instinct, an art form, a gut feeling.
There is also something very important about the act of performing and the act of being in the audience. At an early age, this experience gives us an understanding of the vulnerability and effort involved on both sides of the stage. I remember feeling more and more comfortable onstage as I got older but I also remembered the importance of feeling the joy of a performer when I was sitting in the audience. This translates directly to business. As an early career producer, I can still feel those early feedback sessions and how much I valued those interactions when they were constructive. I aim to be that type of manager with my own producers; what are the deeper issues at play and how can I help them to become better storytellers? I'm always thinking of my audience whenever I'm listening to a final cut of an episode or pitching my company to investors. What are they feeling? What is the takeaway from this experience?
Favorite Performer: Beyonce.
Follow this Performer:
Twitter - @hihiJessi
Instagram - @rococopunch
Facebook - rococopunch
LinkedIn - /in/jessicaalpertsilber/
