It's been a little hectic around here lately at Olivia Management, but this guy has been helping us out for a couple weeks now and has already started making life easier for us. Introducing our intern Delaney Willson! A passionate, creative and organized Vandy student from FL, Delaney is a huge asset to us around the OM office. Read all about his eclectic musical tastes and love of Nashville below!
1. What do you want to get out of this internship?
I want to be able to say I made a measurable and tangible contribution to the projects we’re working on. I want to easily be able to define what I was responsible for. Additionally, I’d love to learn more about the interactions that management has with other aspects of the industry, especially record labels, agencies, distribution, and radio.
2. What is your favorite part about Nashville?
My favorite thing about Nashville is the sense of collaboration between musicians, as well as between the various people that represent them. In so many other "music" cities, there is a sense of ruthless competition that really kills opportunities for sharing ideas and creating art as a community. I'd like to think that the music industry isn't a zero sum game, and for that reason I'd take Nashville over NYC, LA, ATL, or London any day of the week.
3. What do you love to do? Hobbies? Activities?
Obviously I love music or else I wouldn't be here. So like most other music interns I love songwriting, performing, and just creating new music in any shape or form. In a world where we're expected to take 18 hours of classes while also nailing down more internships than you can count on your fingers, picking up a guitar can feel a lot like therapy. But aside from the world of music, I love baseball, tennis, road trips, and mentoring younger students. I get to do that last one a lot as an RA on campus, which is one of the most unexpectedly rewarding experiences I've ever had.
4. If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
I gotta go with Jalena on this one; nothing beats a nice juicy steak. If my college student sized budget could somehow afford it, I'd probably order one 5 times a week. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise because that can't be good for your health.
5. Favorite musicians, artists, genres, equipment, shows you’ve been to...tell us anything you love about music.
For this, I'll try to start as broad as possible and then reign myself in. I'd have to say my favorite genres are indie rock/alternative and Americana. But I also love some R&B, hip hop, and even a little 90s/2000s country. To be honest, the best music in my opinion tends to blur the lines between at least a couple of those genres.
- Favorite Alternative act: Young the Giant
- Favorite Americana act: The Lone Bellow
- Favorite Hip Hop act: Chance the Rapper
- Favorite Country act: Allan Jackson
- Favorite Local act: Colony House
I'm not much of a gearhead, but I recently rounded out my own pedalboard setup with a sweet Electro Harmonix Cathedral reverb pedal and also picked up a TC Helicon vocal processor. I tend to write Americana-esque lyrics to indie/pop rock melodies, so I'm excited to see what new textures those effects will bring.
There are too many great shows here to count, but my favorite experience might come from a venue that surprises you. Every year Vandy puts on a great spring festival and I've gotta be honest; my freshman year lineup is tough to beat. Check it.
- Chance the Rapper
- T-Pain (my middle school dreams came true)
- Young the Giant
- Portugal the Man (we got BOTH _____ the _____ bands!)
- The Lone Bellow
- RAC
- Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes (an Olivia Management artist at the time!)
- Mocha (battle of the bands winner from Belmont)
6. What do you want to be when you grow up?
I guess this is still up in the air a little, but I’m leaning towards working in marketing (still in music industry) and promotion, because I love the challenge of molding an idea into a strategy, and then taking that strategy and building a following.
7. Why did you want to intern with Olivia Management?
I chose to intern at Olivia Management because I knew it was a place that I could get hands on experience, making meaningful contributions every day. Sometimes bigger companies get caught up in bureaucracy and that prevents people at the bottom of the totem pole from having much of an impact. I love how consistent Erin is in her messaging across all mediums because it demonstrates her ability to control content and develop a brand. I wanted to be able to learn under someone that had that level of attention to detail, but still had autonomy in their decisions so that if a good idea came their way (hopefully via myself occasionally) it could actually be used and not left by the wayside. My first couple days here definitely reaffirm all of my beliefs about the awesome direction Olivia Management is heading! And of course, it'd be remiss of me not to mention that I absolutely love the music of the artists that we represent!