Ever since Vinson Baker graduated college, he’s had his heart set on fulfilling his dreams of being in the music industry. And, the singer-songwriter is doing just that. As he puts it, he originated from DC, grew up in Georgia but has been culturally seasoned by New Orleans.
“I have gone through so many ups and downs following my dream,” he says in a recent interview. He’s currently promoting his latest project, Clark Kent, which highlights his personal story of transformation and understanding his gift.
Read what else he has to say. –yvette caslin
What is your specialty?
My specialty is in music and entertainment, public relations and marketing. I came to Atlanta to pursue music and attend college. It was at Georgia State [University] where I majored in journalism, with a concentration in public relations, and minored in music management. At my first internship, I was blessed to meet a lot of people, including Sobe, a visionary for Maximum Animation which is a full-service branding and public relations firm, and my new partner at VMG, Ashli Cummings.
What do the letters VMG represent?
VMG stands for Vision-Music-Management-Media Group. As an artist, people often mistake my first name, Vinson, for the V.
Why does a business need public relations when there’s social media?
Every successful business needs public relations. Social media falls into one of the categories of how public relations is currently being practiced. I personally am a fan of social media, but I actually feel I have always excelled when connections are made the old fashioned way – face-to-face. Social media is a tool used to build relationships that extend beyond your physical reach. But just like music, true fans always want to physically see a concert, then post pictures and tweet about it later, so they go hand in hand.
What is your background and experience in the field?
Music has always been my background. I’ve worked in Music House studios, as an intern for Grammy Award-winning producer, Dru Castro, where many names in hip-hop and R&B came to record and write. I also have had a couple songs on the radio – “Learn to Fly” and “Take You There” – here in Atlanta and throughout the southeast region while working with Jayar Brown at One Million Sold Promotions. I interned with Nikki Walker Public Relations where our clients ranged from NFL players, spa owners to music artists. We also worked as media at BET Hip Hop Awards, for a couple of years. With all the music and promotions connections I made, working in public relations seemed natural. Sobe is a close friend and we did a couple of songs together; the connection just worked.
We have a long list of projects together including Citizens Trust Bank and our new push to expand the way people “brand.” That push includes my company doing event planning, proposals, consulting, and writing while focusing on connecting the corporate world to the entertainment world. Any company that needs to reach the urban, young professional eclectic and cosmopolitan markets is who we look to work with. Sobe brings these concepts to life through animation, video and graphic design. I recently was able to start this push by working with Crear Creative Group based in Las Vegas as they did all the urban marketing for the recent UFC Championship Fight here in Atlanta. We also provided the entertainment and photography for a recent make-up launch at Macy’s at Southlake Mall this past August.
How do you use technology as a tool for public relations?
I actually am more of a YouTube, email and Twitter guy when it comes technology. Ashli came on board to help with the blogging and tweeting; she’s an excellent writer. I also stated earlier I usually make phone calls, set up events and facilitate people with what they need; that’s the heart of PR, media and marketing. I believe it’s what makes me who I am in this business.
