DJ Martin: President of Bond Theatrical Group

On today’s show, I have DJ Martin who is the President of Bond Theatrical Group located in New York City.

DJ and I go WAY back, as he was my color guard instructor during high school. In my senior year, he packed up his entire life and moved to NYC in 2006 for an unpaid internship to start paving his way to a career in Broadway. Now, he runs his own marketing and advertising company for Broadway shows such as Escape to Margaritaville, Cruel Intentions, Fiddler on the Roof, Dirty Dancing, The Phantom of the Opera and so many more. Isn’t this a dream job?!

DJ shares how he got started, a behind the scenes look at what it’s really like to market Broadway shows, how he handles all of his responsibilities and sets boundaries in his career, the craziest thing he’s had to do for his job, and the most important question of all: how realistic was the show Smash (anybody else miss that show?!)

Excited for you to tune in and hope you enjoy!

DJ Martin | President of Bond Theatrical Group

Show notes

In today’s episode, you’ll find out:

How DJ got started working with Broadway shows.
The most fun show he’s been a part of.
The hardest and best things about working on Broadway.
One of the craziest things he’s had to do for his job.
Advice he’d recommend for people looking to work in the Broadway advertising industry.
How realistic shows like SMASH is to reality.

DJ serves as Founder and President of Bond Theatrical Group, overseeing the company’s marketing & publicity campaigns for shows on Broadway, on the road and everywhere in between. Having most recently served as Vice President at Type A Marketing, past projects include The Bridges of Madison County, Bullets Over Broadway, Fiddler On The Roof, Holiday Inn: The New Irving Berlin Musical, The Addams Family, Anything Goes, Blithe Spirit, A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, Flashdance, Million Dollar Quartet, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and The 101 Dalmatians Musical. Prior to joining Type A Marketing, DJ was an account executive at Keith Sherman & Associates in New York City working on such projects as Forbidden Broadway, Broadway on Broadway and The New York Times. Originally from Indiana, DJ has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations / Advertising from the University of Southern Indiana and is a proud member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, as well as The Broadway League.

Key takeaways from this episode:

“Every day is so different which is what I love about my job.” - DJ Martin Click To Tweet

“After a while, you start to miss the things you gave up to have city life.”- DJ Martin

“Every show likes a meeting. There are lots of meetings.” – DJ Martin

“Each show presents such vastly unique goals, issues, problems, and opportunities that are all ongoing.” - DJ Martin Click To Tweet

“This world that I once looked at and think “there’s no way I could ever be a part of that world.” – DJ Martin

“I realized that the stars and celebrities that were so influential in my life, they’re just real human beings too.” – DJ Martin

“What I love about music theater is that you emotionally connect to it.”- DJ Martin Click To Tweet

“Because of the nature of what we do in the PR world, it’s always fast-paced.” – DJ Martin

“You’re always running, which is exciting and invigorating, but you have to find balance.” - DJ Martin Click To Tweet

I have real limits about my phone. I don’t follow the construct that because we now have smart phones in our life, you have the right to connect to me 24 hours a day. – DJ Martin

“I don’t pick up my phone when I open my eyes in the morning.” – DJ Martin

We're all in this race but if we don't ever stop and enjoy what's around us, why are we in this race? Click To Tweet

Links mentioned

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