Medium 2024
Rachel Hurley
Writer
United States
Rachel Hurley is a music publicist, freelance writer, and digital artist passionate about the intersection of technology, culture, and art.
Her journey through the realms of music and media showcases a dedication to amplifying a wide array of voices and stories, evidenced by her successful orchestration of press campaigns for a diverse roster of clients. This includes celebrated artists like Shawn Colvin, Drivin N Cryin, Ben Lee, and Big Star, as well as emerging talents embarking on their first EP releases and established musicians unveiling specialty projects.
Rachel's foray into the music scene was marked by her role as a production assistant to Tony DeSantis, then VP of Development at MTV. This pivotal experience paved the way for her subsequent positions as a production coordinator on various MTV productions, laying the groundwork for her expansive career.
Transitioning from film and television production, Rachel ventured into a writing career with her award-winning personal blog, Rachelandthecity, and the MP3 blog Scenestars, one of the first successful music blogs, in 2004, where she collaborated with major brands such as Yahoo!, Microsoft, and Red Bull. She also served as the official blogger for the Lollapalooza and Beale Street Music Festival for two years, showcasing her adeptness at navigating and influencing the digital music landscape.
Her talents caught the eye of legendary producer and engineer John Fry, leading to a significant tenure at Ardent Studios. Here, she not only managed social media channels and created podcasts but also took on the role of publicist for Big Star and played a key role in launching their record label, Ardent Music. Beyond music, Rachel has left her mark as the content marketing director at Morris Marketing Group and as a traffic manager at Signature Advertising. Her entrepreneurial spirit was recognized and nurtured by the Seed Hatchery entrepreneur accelerator, culminating in a $15,000 grant to kickstart her business venture.
Over the past two decades, Rachel's writing has traversed print and digital mediums, including contributing music features and a weekly column for Memphis' Commercial Appeal titled On the Record, where she delved into the Memphis music scene. Her voice has also resonated through publications such as Spin, NPR, The Vinyl District, and The Memphis Flyer, covering a broad spectrum of topics from music trends and promotions to cultural and gender representation. Rachel Hurley's career is a testament to her unwavering passion for the intersection of music, technology, and culture, making her a distinguished figure in the evolving landscape of art and media.
She has also written dozens of campaign bios for her music clients, which can be found here: https://sweetheartpr.com/clients/
The following list of clips is a small sample of her overall output since 2004.
