Ganesh van Zuiden has been named director of new-business development at the Jenn Lee Design Group. Previously, van Zuiden worked in the artist and repertoire department at Columbia Records, and served as an events manager in the public relations and special-event department for Macy’s West Corporate. She has a B.A. in organizational behavior and management and a B.A. in anthropology from Brown University, as well as an M.A. in music business from a joint program between the Stern School of Business and the Steinhardt School of Education.
PBN: What are you looking forward to in your new position?
VAN: : I’m most looking forward to being part of an extremely creative agency … which, from its inception, has been ahead of the curve in embracing new media formats and harnessing the power of technology. Additionally, I welcome the challenge of educating companies – at any stage of development – on the importance of marketing as well as marketing in the right way. For example, increasingly we are seeing how important mobile devices have become driven by “generation text.” Extensive mobile marketing is on the horizon, for sure.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
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PBN: From your experience, do you think it is vital for business to combine new and old media approaches in order to most effectively grow?
VAN: : Companies need to realize that if they didn’t previously view online technologies as an integral part of their business models, then they must. Today, a Web site that was created four years ago might not be as effective in the increasingly complex Web 2.0 online landscape. Technology and the ways in which we use it are constantly changing.
PBN: During your tenure at Columbia Records, what was your impression of how new technologies impacted the music business?
VAN: : I am definitely one of those who believe that the music industry is not dying but thriving. The development of the Internet and the control it has given artists, in terms of connecting directly with fans in a more personalized, noncorporate-driven way, is awesome. This is what the public has always wanted and now social-networking sites – like Facebook and Myspace – have brought this to the fore: allowing fans to interact both with the artist as well as other fans. The truth is that this constant promotion and attention to fans is the new business model for music. A record’s success is no longer judged by the first week’s sales. •
