Sarah Demarco
Listen to the interview (approx. 45 minutes) or download it.
Graduated in 2009 with a major in Music Business. Principal Instrument: Upright Bass
Position: Entrepreneur – Founder and CEO of her own company LDR Brands, which makes fashionable high-tech accessories for women.
UPDATE 2018: In early 2017 Sarah went back into the music industry, as the director of marketing at Capitol Records.
Overview: Sarah worked in the music industry for roughly 6 years after graduation, the last four at Rostrum Records, a small, start-up music label which grew rapidly under her watch as director of operations, later senior director or artist relations & creative services. She helped one of their artists turn his merch sales from maybe a dozen T-shirts per week to over $1,000,000 per year! At that point, she figured “If I could make artist merch successful I should be able to make ‘Sarah Merch’ successful too.” Her regular job had become more routine, so in early 2015 she and a friend, an experienced salesperson, decided to move from LA to New Your and take the plunge after she had put in over a thousand hours working on designs and business strategies…and after she sold most of her possessions to provide startup money.
You can see Sarah’s LinkedIn profile here.
Choice Quotes: “I really love being able to create something every day! Even if it’s not a bag, it may be content or a marketing idea.”
“Startups never have an easy time; there are challenges every day. But I like to be in control and know that if I make a mistake I can own it and fix it.”
“I designed everything LDR sells. Being in music taught me that some people know theory really well, while others learn and play by ear and not knowing all the rules doesn’t stop them. So while I’m not technically trained in fashion, I can still use different media to describe and explain my vision.”
See the full index of successful Berklee grads interviews.
Sarah as a Berklee student, plugging in to play with her band. She considers Berklee a music utopia, and adds, “There were no boundaries or limits at Berklee and it fostered creativity. You’re taking lots of classes per semester, so you’re going 20 different directions, and I got really got at multitasking. These are critical for what I do now.”
Sarah watching a game with a friend. “I like being curious and learning new things every day. I’m 30, and it’s refreshing to hit the reset button. It’s never too late to try something new.”