Meet Emma

Describe your current role

I lead the Music Strategy team at a music agency, were we craft music strategies and sonic identities for brands. Essentially, I help brands uncover how they can use sound and music more strategically, both in terms of the music used on content and how they can connect with music culture through partnerships, activations and more.

Working in this area of the industry has allowed me to lead sonic identity projects for likes of TikTok, Wikipedia and the National Trust. It’s an incredibly varied role, giving me the opportunity to work with brands across a wide range of industries and countries.

Prior to this, I worked as a creative producer for music festivals and in digital marketing for artists and record labels.

What did you enjoy the most about studying at Newcastle?

The Combined Honours course gave me the flexibility to shape my degree around my interests and strengths, while offering great variety across my three subjects (Business, Music and Spanish).

I chose to continue all three throughout my degree, and was even able to submit my dissertation as a podcast series where I explored the profound impact that music can have on wellbeing - which is very relevant to the work I do now!

Studying Spanish also gave me the opportunity to spend a year abroad, working in both Peru and the Dominican Republic. It was an incredible experience that helped me develop my language skills, gain a real sense of independence and live in two amazing countries.

Outside of my studies, I loved to the social side of my time at Newcastle. I made friends for life and met my partner, who I’ve been with since the end of first year! It’s an incredible city and I take any chance I get to go back and visit.

In what ways did your music degree at Newcastle prepare you for your current role?

I was always more drawn the business side of the music industry than performance or composition, and Newcastle was a fantastic place to pursue this. Modules like Professional Practice for Music and Music Production were particularly valuable, helping me build strong foundational principles that I still use today, as well as giving me a much deeper understanding of the industry itself.

The Business modules I studied also set me up well to work directly with brand and marketing teams. By combining multiple subjects, I was able to develop a much broader range of skills and insights that I’ve been able to tap into throughout my career.