Meet Pippa

Describe your current role

Like many creative professionals, I juggle a few different roles.

My main job is at Wipe Out Music, a local artist services, distribution, and publishing company, where I work as Marketing Manager.

In this role, I pitch our artists for DSP playlists (such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon) and for sync placements in film, TV, and advertising - recently, a lot of my focus has been on pitching for Love Island which has been fun! I also manage our website, mailing lists, and social media channels.

Alongside this, I co-run my own business, Index, with my two co-founders Helen Walkinshaw and Sarah Barron.

Index is a one-stop online platform for the North East music community, designed to help people find contacts, make connections, and access useful information.

Our main feature is the North East Music Directory.

What did you enjoy the most about studying at Newcastle?

One of the highlights of my degree was the opportunity to complete a work placement module.

I didn’t want to take a full year out for a placement, as I was keen to begin my career after university, but this module allowed me to gain valuable industry experience while continuing my studies.

I also really enjoyed the chance to take part in collaborative band projects. Coming from a small school in Wales where only three of us studied Music, it was a real highlight to play in a band with like-minded musicians as part of my course.

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

My placement module was incredibly valuable in helping me build the skills and contacts I needed for a career in music in the North East.

I was placed at a local talent development company, and through that experience, I met my current teams at both Wipe Out Music and Index.

The North East music community is very close-knit, and my degree provided the perfect stepping stone to start building meaningful connections and uncover work opportunities I hadn’t even known existed.

Index was also fortunate to receive Newcastle University’s Start Up Grant, which was instrumental in getting our business to the point where we’re ready to launch our core product.

I wouldn’t have had access to that kind of support without doing my degree, and it’s made a real difference in helping us turn our idea into a reality.