Hi. I'm Josh.

Last updated: May 2011

If you are reading this, then chances are you have heard of me at some point. Perhaps you’re a personal friend, an acquaintance, or you have found me through one of my ventures. Or maybe you randomly stumbled across my website and now you’re a stalker. I’ve never had a stalker before.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Josh McConnell. If I were standing beside you, we would be shaking hands at this point. I don’t consider myself the most exciting guy you’ll ever meet, but I will try to give you some insight into my busy work history in a short period of time. It’ll be like a Readers Digest or Coles Notes of my professional career, only you can keep the $6.95 plus applicable taxes.

I began my trek as a journalist. But not the hard-hitting, CNN-style of journalism that may first come to mind. Instead, I’m a little more focused within the walls of the entertainment industry. I have been in the music industry since April 2001 and then for a couple of years before that I was a video game journalist. From Toronto to Vancouver and Los Angeles to New York, I have worked on a regular basis with some of the biggest labels, management companies, and PR companies in the business — including across the ocean in Europe. I also have worked backstage at countless events in major venues North America including Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles. In my video game industry days, I also worked daily with some of the largest video game developers and publishers in the industry.

From 2001 until 2008, I was the Editor In Chief of an online music magazine that gained its share of popularity. We were read by tens of thousands of readers from around the world each month. It was sort of a sudden transition into the position, so I had to hit the ground running and learned everything as I went. During seven years at the job, I had the honour of doing more at my young age than some get to do in their whole career. I interviewed popular artists, reviewed albums months in advance of release, and communicated every day with industry personnel of all job positions. I learned a lot about the entertainment industry, journalism and media in general. Unfortunately, the Editor in Chief position had to come to an end when I started attending post-secondary education for a business degree, which forced me to shift my journalism career to freelance status for now.

My articles can be found in numerous locations around the globe, both online and in print publications. I have been regularly quoted in industry press releases, artist websites, retail advertising campaigns, e-cards, and more. In 2005, I was featured in a workshop’s media panel during a week-long Canadian music event alongside respected TV, radio, and print organizations where we instructed independent artists on how to get the attention of the media. In my Editor In Chief days, I had major record labels and other music industry companies approach me to find ways to work together and create marketing strategies for new releases. I also have been interviewed by a number of media outlets and university students in regards to the music industry and my work experience inside of the field.

Aside from freelance journalism, I am heavily involved in the music business in other areas. I have done (and continue to do) a significant amount of artist / industry consulting. I also have been an A&R Scout for Major Label Scout since September 2006 where we find and identify new talent in the industry. We work (or have worked) closely with major record labels labels such as Arista / J Records and EMI Publishing among others.

On top of my experience in the music and video game industry, I’ve also had a couple of years experience in television. I worked at a studio and my job description consisted of almost everything you could think of: editing, directing, floor directing, producing, writing, on air talent, cameraman, switchboard operator, VTR operator, set design/construction, and much more. I wouldn’t mind getting back into this field one day as well, even just for fun.

Finally, I’ve been into computers and technology since the age of four, when I helped my dad put together a computer. I remember being taught how to use DOS commands before I could ride a bike. Though I can’t code programming languages extensively (though I’d like to learn), my hefty computer and tech knowledge has been combined with my business/marketing/media skills to give me extra insight into social media and personal branding. Because of this, I’ve also done consulting in these fields over the past couple of years for bands and industry professionals alike. But really, when push comes to shove, I’m a nerd and take pride in my love for various tech-related things.

In terms of education, I am currently going through the process of obtaining my Bachelors of Commerce degree in Business Management with a major in Entrepreneurship. My final class should come to an end by December 2012. Prior to the university degree, I went to college for where I earned a three-year honors advanced diploma in Business Administration, an honors certificate in marketing, and two awards (one for Economics and one for contributing to campus life).

Well, that’s my life story compressed into less than one-thousand words. It may not be much to some but I am still relatively young, so there are many pages yet to be written. I’m always open to new opportunities, so you never know what I may try next.

If you have any questions or comments at all, feel free to contact me via email or one of my social media profiles.

Thanks for reading and caring, even if you’re a stalker.

Josh McConnell