Despite her passion for music, Meghan Johansson ’08 had not considered a career in the music industry until landing the Artist Management role at Cherrytree Music Company working alongside award winning artists, including Sting and Shaggy. Johansson’s responsibilities range from managing artists’ calendars and facilitating artist performances and requests for music licensing in the New York City office to working on-site at shows and coordinating VIP ticketing for tours. “My favorite anecdote that has come from the VIP ticketing side of things is getting lost in the back hallways of Madison Square Garden with Liam Neeson during my first week on the job,” Johansson said. “He was lovely and insisted I would need to go back for a Rangers game one day!” One of her favorite things about this line of work is the variety of day-to-day obligations. “Some days I’m behind a computer all day, others I’m running around at a venue prepping for a show,” Johansson said. During her time at Oswego, Johansson studied public relations and said the communications classes she took helped her prepare for working in a professional setting. She was a member of the Del Sarte Dance Club and a resident assistant, and met some of her closest friends throughout her time at Oswego. Margaret Horning ’09 met Johansson in a communications course, but they eventually grew close working as resident assistants together. “Some of my favorite memories with Meg while on campus were watching movies in each other's dorm rooms,” Horning said. “We would make lots of snacks and put on a favorite rom-com or Harry Potter and just be in each other’s company.” According to Johansson, studying abroad in London during her junior year was the highlight of her college career. “My study abroad experience was so significant for me because it was the first time I had really done anything on my own,” Johansson said. “It was a bit scary going in, but it helped me develop my sense of independence and responsibility for myself, as well as helped me learn a lot about myself and who I am outside of my immediate circle of family and friends.” Currently, Johansson has been working with her team on Sting’s ongoing residency in Las Vegas. “No matter how many shows we do there, they always end up being incredibly popular, and we have a lot of ticket requests from friends, family, industry colleagues and other artists,” Johansson said. While she often works late nights and has an irregular schedule, Johansson said that “having a good circle of people around you makes even the most challenging work doable.” Horning said she is incredibly proud of everything that Johansson has accomplished in her professional career. “Meghan has been a friend since [we met at] SUNY Oswego into adulthood,” Horning said. “I could not be luckier to know someone so intelligent, accomplished and kind.” While she has not been on campus in some time, Johansson said that she hopes to visit soon and even expressed interest in meeting with students to discuss her line of work, though she said the best way to learn is through hands-on experience. “So many of the particulars are better learned on the fly in an industry like this - but keeping a can-do mindset, being open and willing to learn and take direction and being proactive will get you far,” Johansson said.
~Ariana St. Hilaire '23