Autonomy Music Group have strengthened their ties to Tileyard Education by employing three of our MA Alumni.
Autonomy and Tileyard Education have always had close ties. With their unwavering belief in educating young creative minds, David and Richard have delivered lectures and offered their experience to many mentees over the years. Their belief in emboldening the new generation of professionals in the industry has seen them place their trust in three of our alumni as they continue to expand their team and offer their bespoke artist consultancy services to a growing roster.
When asked about our relationship, Richard Engler the co-founder of Autonomy said ‘Our relationship with Tileyard Ed really works for us – we’ve found three great employees there, used their students as sounding-boards for campaigns, and really benefitted from interaction with a young generation of clued-up and engaged students.’
We sat down with three of our alumni – Amanda Abramczuk, Callum Finlay and Jack Smith – to talk about their roles at Autonomy and how their time at Tileyard Education prepared them to take their steps out into the wider Tileyard Community.
Hey you three, it’s really great to get to speak to you after graduating, could you tell us a bit about your roles?
Callum: My official title is “Head of Digital” but in Autonomy we get the opportunity to do a bit of everything, we’re not restricted by our official roles.
Jack: My role at Autonomy is probably best described as Project Manager. This is pretty self-explanatory in a way, but the role is actually very fluid. My role will largely be dependent on the needs of a given project. Essentially though, I’ll help to come up with the creative ideas to market a project and then help to manage the execution of these ideas.
Amanda: I am currently working as a Management Assistant where I co-manage certain clients with David Rowell while working on their release campaigns.
How were you first made aware of Autonomy?
Jack: I first became aware of Autonomy about a month before going to study at TYE. I spent a couple of days looking through the Tileyard website and the various companies that were based in the complex. I made a note of all of the ones that I wanted to approach and looked into who worked there. Embarrassingly, I did send an unsolicited email to Autonomy before starting my course, which went unresponded!
Amanda: Once I’ve started studying at Tileyard Education I did some stalking to learn more about certain companies within the Tileyard Community and Autonomy caught my eye.
How did TyE prepare you for your position?
Jack: There’s nothing that prepares you for a job like actually doing the job. In many ways, there’s no amount of studying that will prepare you for genuine, real-life releases and the creation of viable marketing strategies. Studying at TYE does exactly what a masters should, in my opinion, do. It gives you the time to explore, in-depth topics that you may have never done before. I bought books on copyright, artist management, the digital economy etc. and signed up to every newsletter I could, to get a grasp of the current musical landscape. You’ve got essays which point you towards the sort of research you should be doing and you’ve got tutors you can speak to if you need help with something or you have an interesting opinion you want to discuss. If you put the effort in and do this work yourself, you’ll be well prepared to speak with the members of the community about a role. When you are ready, TYE were amazing at connecting me with Tileyard businesses I was interested in chatting to. Again, I saw this as my responsibility. No one was going to reach out to me for a chat. If you find a company you want to speak with, TYE WILL try to connect you with them. Then it’s your responsibility to make the most of that opportunity.
What do you enjoy most about working for Autonomy?
Callum: My favourite thing about Autonomy is the fact that there is a high level of autonomy given to staff (forgive the pun). There is a high level of trust between management and the rest of the team and that means that we all have a huge say in the decision-making process. Since I started working here I’ve always felt as if my ideas and input are always taken into account and it’s really fulfilling to have the freedom to build a campaign strategy and implement it.
What are your views on the Tileyard community as a whole?
Callum: What can I say that hasn’t already been said, I really believe this is the best hub for creatives looking to work within the music industry in London. Throughout my educational and professional career, I have always found that there are a plethora of fantastic people on campus who are always willing to give a hand, brainstorm an idea or lend some advice and I think that’s what really makes it work.
Amanda: Tileyard Community as a whole spectrum is something that we really need these days. The music industry is very small when it comes to building an artist’s music career. Seeing so many global and UK-based companies in one is very much helpful to find the best radio plugger, creative team, or distributor. You know you are more than welcome to have a chat with everyone, searching for advice. When you believe in your project/ you as an artist, Tileyard London doors are always open.
Check out Autonomy Music Group here.
