My first go at making a presskit

[antispatula]

So I just got my album out this spring and want to try and get it reviewed. I've made up a sample press kit. For those that have expirience in this field, can you give me comments and suggestions?



there is my presskit with all it's goodies inside a folder.


(I've edited out my personall info with my amazing photoshop abilities)

there's all the material outside. I've got a business card with my contact info (everything has my contact info on it) an 8x10 B&W glossy photo, a bio/achievements sheet, and an "influences" sheet. I thought that since I want to get my cd reviewed, the reviewers might appreciate an easy-to-read, graphic paper that clearly shows who my influences are and who I may sound like.

This is what my bio/achievements sheet says:
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Ollerton's self-titled debut is not what you would expect a teenage kid to create and produce while still in the middle of high school. While his peers were interested in normal teenage activities, Russell Ollerton nurtured a growing obsession for songwriting and the eventual goal of releasing an album starting at the age of 16. Not knowing anything about how such a thing was done, he began studying books and asking questions, working after school at an electronics store on minimum wage and experimenting. Starting out with a cheap electric guitar and a 4-track recorder, his knowledge and equipment list grew to a decent digital recording set-up and a plethora of instruments ranging from the standard acoustic guitar to the not-so-standard accordion to a cheap violin he bought for twenty dollars. Mixing guitars, vocals, grand piano and quite a few other instruments into his songs, he created a full-length album right in his living room.
"It wasn't quite that simple," he recalls. "Some of the album was recorded in a dentist office garage and some of it in my bedroom. I also had no decent speakers or a decent room to listen to my mixes in, so I would mix my songs on headphones, then check the mix in my Honda Civic. I still have the huge stack of CD-R’s.”
After recording, mixing, and creating the artwork for his album, Russell sent off his work to be manufactured.
"The whole project took about two years," Russell says, "from the idea and learning to the recording, to all the many mistakes I had to fix throughout the entire thing. When I got all my CD's pressed, I realized the cover turned out purple. I was devastated. I had to unwrap all the hundreds of CD's, take out the purple inserts, get new ones printed for lots of money, and put the new ones in myself. I just couldn't live with a purple album, it was meant to be blue, blue has always been my color. Mind you I had school and a job to juggle at the same time throughout all of this. It was all quite frustrating."
Ollerton released his album this spring, packing the hometown venue "Cameron's" and being featured in his city's newspaper within weeks, and was also a guest lecturer by invitation at San Francisco’s School of the Arts (SOTA) songwriting class. Now 18, Ollerton continues to promote his album, playing around northern California and connecting with his fans on a regular basis from all around the country.
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I tried to be as honest and productive as I could with it, but would welcome constructive critisism if anyone has any. I'm really looking for some pointers. Thanks!

[wheelema]

It sure looks better than anything I could have put together!!

Kudos!

Ditto to what wheelma said.

Looks very 'professional'. Easy to read and looks like you put time/effort and a little money into it.

I think it looks good.

I don't have any experience with this stuff though, sorry. But if I were to receive a bunch of presskits each day from artists I think this would stand out to me.

[groovyisland]

is that a picture of eddie munster?

[groovyisland]

sorry i couldnt help myself

[groovyisland]

dude its a joke

i even apologized at the same time

you dont have to give me your little neg rep and whine to the mods

or maybe you do

[groovyisland]

ok ok im sorry again

i dont know what gave me that idea in the first place

[antispatula]

what? I haven't given you any rep, positive or negative. I thought it was funny! I was going to attach a eddie munster image and say something clever like "yeah but he's sexier" or something, but I can't seem to display images anymore, only links, which would ruin the whole thing! So yeah, no hard feelings at all man.

HOW'D YOU get that image to display?!

[eeb]

beautiful.. I love the typography.. simple and elegant.. couldn't have done a better job myself!


have you ever taken any graphic courses cause it seems like you may have a knack for it

[antispatula]

thanks

No I haven't. When I made the album artwork for my album, I downloaded a free editing program and did it all on my parents computer. I do enjoy graphic design though, it's pretty fun!
I print out everything for the presskits in my bedroom with this 100 dollar printer I got off epson.com. And I get the folders from officedepot.com. It's all quite economical.

[timboZ]

The only thing I bothers me is the stain on the mattress.

Other than that it looks very professional.

[groovyisland]

Originally Posted by antispatula

what? I haven't given you any rep, positive or negative. I thought it was funny! I was going to attach a eddie munster image and say something clever like "yeah but he's sexier" or something, but I can't seem to display images anymore, only links, which would ruin the whole thing! So yeah, no hard feelings at all man.

HOW'D YOU get that image to display?!

ok! i guess i was talking to somebody else then. i got a red chicklet and they said to stop posting nonsense and that i had been reported to the mods. it was from this thread.

i used the attatchment manager down below the reply box. i had to convert the image to a gif file cause it wouldnt accept the jpeg

then i tried to come back and it said my ip was banned by the administrators!

yipes! maybe i should try to have less fun.

[groovyisland]

apparently everybody was banned even dragon... freaked me out.

hey russell i finally clicked on your ollerton link. pretty cool tune you have on there.

at first i thought why would you want a press kit and why is it in the newbie forum. now i see what youve got going on so the press kit makes more sense.

looks like youre doin great. i would pick a different pic though cause you dont look like eddie munster in the other ones... first impressions and all that

[antispatula]

haha thanks man

actually, women seem to dig my default pic.....and that's truly what matters, right?

[groovyisland]

Originally Posted by timboZ

The only thing I bothers me is the stain on the mattress.

ha! blood stains maybe

[Mindset]

Originally Posted by antispatula

So I just got my album out this spring and want to try and get it reviewed. I've made up a sample press kit. For those that have expirience in this field, can you give me comments and suggestions?



there is my presskit with all it's goodies inside a folder.


(I've edited out my personall info with my amazing photoshop abilities)

there's all the material outside. I've got a business card with my contact info (everything has my contact info on it) an 8x10 B&W glossy photo, a bio/achievements sheet, and an "influences" sheet. I thought that since I want to get my cd reviewed, the reviewers might appreciate an easy-to-read, graphic paper that clearly shows who my influences are and who I may sound like.

This is what my bio/achievements sheet says:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ollerton's self-titled debut is not what you would expect a teenage kid to create and produce while still in the middle of high school. While his peers were interested in normal teenage activities, Russell Ollerton nurtured a growing obsession for songwriting and the eventual goal of releasing an album starting at the age of 16. Not knowing anything about how such a thing was done, he began studying books and asking questions, working after school at an electronics store on minimum wage and experimenting. Starting out with a cheap electric guitar and a 4-track recorder, his knowledge and equipment list grew to a decent digital recording set-up and a plethora of instruments ranging from the standard acoustic guitar to the not-so-standard accordion to a cheap violin he bought for twenty dollars. Mixing guitars, vocals, grand piano and quite a few other instruments into his songs, he created a full-length album right in his living room.
"It wasn't quite that simple," he recalls. "Some of the album was recorded in a dentist office garage and some of it in my bedroom. I also had no decent speakers or a decent room to listen to my mixes in, so I would mix my songs on headphones, then check the mix in my Honda Civic. I still have the huge stack of CD-R’s.”
After recording, mixing, and creating the artwork for his album, Russell sent off his work to be manufactured.
"The whole project took about two years," Russell says, "from the idea and learning to the recording, to all the many mistakes I had to fix throughout the entire thing. When I got all my CD's pressed, I realized the cover turned out purple. I was devastated. I had to unwrap all the hundreds of CD's, take out the purple inserts, get new ones printed for lots of money, and put the new ones in myself. I just couldn't live with a purple album, it was meant to be blue, blue has always been my color. Mind you I had school and a job to juggle at the same time throughout all of this. It was all quite frustrating."
Ollerton released his album this spring, packing the hometown venue "Cameron's" and being featured in his city's newspaper within weeks, and was also a guest lecturer by invitation at San Francisco’s School of the Arts (SOTA) songwriting class. Now 18, Ollerton continues to promote his album, playing around northern California and connecting with his fans on a regular basis from all around the country.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I tried to be as honest and productive as I could with it, but would welcome constructive critisism if anyone has any. I'm really looking for some pointers. Thanks!

OK

It looks great, except for a few things that you should change (from experience). A press kit is not a life story. You had it right until you started talking about how you recorded it, and then your experience with CD's being pressed and messing up. That's unneccessary material that shouldn't be included in a press kit. You'll want to add your future plans, and not how your going to do it, but rather why, and when Majority of press kits that went through my hands, had a lengthy biography that was absolutly not needed, and half way through I threw it away. I know many friends that run labels, that would say the same thing. Now, your sorta on the right track with wording. From the first few sentences to " starting at the age of 16 ", after that, it could be "etc etc working hard at it etc etc" but not to much of how you work hard at it (I had a 4 track, and made my way up to digital equipment). Don't over do it (not that you did, because your bio is really really really short. Also, the folder stuff looks great

All in all

* Subtract the info that is not needed
* Add more info about your music including where & why
* Your credits shouldn't be a story either. However, the more credits, the better. Productions, recordings, etc.

The appearence of the presskit however, is pretty nice. I would probably crack it open and view & look at it unlike many others I've seen.

[antispatula]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Your help is exactly what I have been looking for!