“To me, as long as I’m doing something that’s focused around music, then I’m succeeding,” said senior public relations (PR) student Gavin Joyce (he/him).
Joyce has spent his last four years at Temple University actively seeking music industry experiences and ways to develop his PR skills through internships and extracurricular organizations. He also recently started pursuing a minor in communication studies because, as he said, there is no excuse not to communicate with people and having those skills is important in any industry.
Ever since high school, Joyce knew he wanted to combine his love of writing and talking with his love of music. He had a friend that wanted to pursue a music career, and he and Joyce developed somewhat of a manager-artist relationship that gave Joyce an interest in pursuing a career in artist management.
One way Joyce is getting music industry experience is through his work as a Live Nation employee at The Mann Center and other Live Nation venues around the greater Philadelphia region. He started by doing security for events, but eventually he joined the newly formed operations team that does special maintenance projects around The Mann Center.
It’s the coolest job he’s ever had, Joyce said. The Mann Center is currently in their off-season, but he wants to return next summer and pick up shifts at other venues in the meantime.
This past summer, Joyce worked the Adult Swim Festival at The Fillmore campus. During his shift, he did set-up and operations, but when his shift ended, Joyce volunteered to meet journalists at the doors and walk them to their destinations.
“He knew what to do, and he got it. He was curious, he was poised, and I was delighted to meet him,” said Adjunct Instructor at Temple Cheryl Squadrito (she/her). Squadrito has a PR agency, Media Friendly Public Relations, and was also working the event when she met Joyce.
Squadrito was impressed with Joyce’s desire to keep working in the Philadelphia summer heat after his shift was over and even more impressed by his work ethic and professionalism. When they weren’t on the move, the two had down time to chat about the music they liked, including their mutual love of Pearl Jam.
This fall, Joyce audited Squadrito’s marketing music and media class, and she hopes to see him in it again in the spring.
In addition to his work at Live Nation venues, Joyce also sought out a PR internship at Brian Communications and is currently exploring what it’s like to work at an agency. He reflected on his personal growth since starting the internship, noting that he is starting to be more independent and confident in the things that he can do.
Joyce noted that his work as an account associate at PRowl, Temple’s student-run PR agency, prepared him for his internship. PRowl gave him experience working on social media and posting press releases for clients.
To complement his work with PRowl, Joyce has also been involved in Temple’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) since the spring of 2021. This year he is the vice president of the chapter, but he was also previously part of the community service committee.
It’s been a great semester with PRSSA so far, Joyce said. As vice president, he has helped lead workshops that give him and other students more information about the field than they would not get from taking classes alone.
“You can do anything with PR, because every industry needs public relations,” Joyce said.
Joyce also joined Temple’s Music Business Club as a way to connect with other students who want to pursue careers in the music industry. As an event planner in the spring, he organized a tour of a recording studio and other experiences as a way for him and other members to get to know the music business in Philadelphia. He is adamant that the Music Business Club is a club that Temple needs to have.
“He’s just the kind of person who looks at the world and thinks, ‘What can I learn from it? And how can I make it better?’” said former Assistant Professor at Temple Tricia Richards-Service (she/her).
Richards-Service had the pleasure of teaching Joyce in several courses, and she noted that he was always smiling when he logged onto a class or walked into a room. His interest in music was evident from the records on his wall in the background of his Zoom screen and from his blog that he discussed with Richards-Service during class.
“He’s clearly taking planned and intentional steps toward getting where he wants to be. I don’t have any doubt that he’ll succeed,” Richards-Service said.