When I was in my early 20s I was lucky enough to land a job with Virgin Retail. The Virgin Megastores were new to Australia and I started with the company just before the 1988 opening of the Darling Harbour store, the first of what was to be many stores around Australia. I started with the company as the receptionist. While overqualified (I’d held jobs previously in promotions and was a good office all-rounder) the role was a foot-in-the-door to an industry that I wanted to work in. Within a few months of starting I was moved to the role of Marketing Coordinator, working with the then Marketing Manager, who ended up being an important mentor to me and who inspired me to forge a career in marketing. One of the benefits (of what was to be my favourite job), was getting to see live music on a regular basis and meeting musicians who would come to the stores to meet fans and promote their new albums.
One artist I had the chance to meet twice during my three years at Virgin is Kate Ceberano. She and her band (I’m Talking) were in the height of their career and were topping the charts with hit after hit.
I recently found this photo that was taken with Kate at the Darling Harbour megastore. This image takes me back to some great times. Those times involved lots of music, nights out, great friends and big hair (but we won’t dwell on that point). I’m the one with the Love and Hatred t-shirt – which tells you a little about my 20-something-year-old personality and attitude.
What I admired then about Kate Ceberano was her steely determination and super-friendly personality. She was extremely kind to all the store staff and showed her appreciation very openly. It was therefore a great pleasure to, 25 years (yikes!) later, have the opportunity to interview Kate about her new book and memoir, I’m Talking. Listen to the interview, here:
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In the interview (about 30mins) we discuss her career and how she’s managed it over decades, including managing her own brand and taking music seriously as a business. She talks about the need to manage the magic that is creating music with the business of doing business – which she says is essential if you want to last the distance in your industry.
I enjoyed this interview on many levels, but mostly because Kate made me laugh. She displayed that same friendliness that I remember all those years ago.
I didn’t mention to her that we’d met before. She wouldn’t have remembered it. But I did. She made an impression and continues to, through her work and how she presents herself to the world. I hope you enjoy listening to this interview as much as I enjoyed doing it. Best wishes, Suzi
