10 Questions with ... Lauren Sieh

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

It's been an...active...2018 for Lauren Sieh. She not only got married, but also found out over the summer she and her new husband would be expecting a baby boy in February. All while running a radio promotions department at the thriving indie record label that's been her work home for nearly a decade. Seemed like a good idea to check in with her before the holidays and her impending maternity leave before things get even crazier for this future mom.

1. You've seen a lot of changes at Tooth & Nail since you first started in 2009. Can you share about some of those transitions within the company that you were present for and what impact that had on your career path with the company? Are you doing what you initially came into the company to do?

Yes, there definitely have been a few transitions since I started. When I first joined the team, Tooth & Nail was part of EMI/CMG. Our main offices were in Seattle, but I made the move across the country to our satellite Tooth & Nail office. I was initially hired to do more administrative tasks and help support Tamara Moore in the radio department. I thought talking to radio programmers would be way too intimidating and was against my personality. Luckily, I eased into it and Tamara was a great teacher.

My role eventually evolved from more admin to mainly tracking. I am so thankful I ended up in the role I have today because I love all my relationships that I have made over the years with programmers and radio stations and couldn't imagine not having that be part of the job. After a few years, I decided I wanted to be closer to my family and made the transition back to our Seattle office. Also, over the course of my time here, [label president] Brandon Ebel decided to go independent again with the label. I have had a unique experience to be able to be part of a big corporate machine and also get to be part of a tight family of employees.

Looking back, there have been pros and cons to both; but I have really enjoyed the freedom to believe in the artists we sign and come up with creative ways to market them. And less paperwork and protocol to jump through is always nice! My role in the radio department also evolved again about five years ago, when I moved into the Director role. It has been a great journey and learning experience over past nine years.

2. Were you always a Christian music fan? If yes (or no), what/who did you grow up listening to? What got you into it?

I would say music has always been a part of my life, but I think as I got older I definitely became more of a Christian music fan. I remember my mom having Christian radio playing in the car as we would drive around town. I always had fun trying to guess the name of song and artist as quickly as possible - like a human Shazam. One of my favorites growing up was Amy Grant and then as I got into my teenage years, I had to have a Christian boy band, so PlusOne was on my listening stack. I remember going to a youth conference in Colorado and Chris Tomlin led worship for the week. I think that experience was very powerful for me. It really started to pique my interest into music as possible career. I never wanted to be on stage or a singer, but began thinking that maybe the business side of things could be my calling.

3. What have you experienced as some of the biggest benefits for working in radio promo with a smaller, indie label compared to a major?

Conversely, what have you experienced as some of the tougher parts to a small-label gig in your line of work?

I think some of the bigger benefits as a smaller, indie label is that we do have a lot of freedom. I love that from the start of the label, Brandon Ebel has really believed and been passionate about the music we put out. It is not all about the numbers, but instead we have the ability to join the business side with the love of music. We have the ability to be creative in promotional aspects and implement ideas quickly - less hoops to jump through has been very nice. I think it is also even more rewarding when you have big wins for the label. Being part of a major definitely does have benefits too. I think sometimes you have resources and automatic connections within a major label that you don't within an indie label. Although, within the music climate today, it is encouraging to see that at the end of the day making the best music and what connects with listeners and fans is what will make the ultimate difference and impact, major or indie.

4. Which promo trip ranks as your all-time most memorable and/or crazy, up to this point?

I always joke that I have had a pretty normal promo trip track record, or maybe I am just comparing myself to my former co-worker Jordan Smith, who has some great stories. You'll be in for a treat if you get to hear a few of them. I guess maybe one of my most memorable trips (and a trip I think God was protecting all of us) was a street week trip I did with All Things New. We were in a van and trailer for the week doing radio visits, but also following along the routing of the Newsboys tour (which was more routed for tour buses). We had early-morning radio visits and then also fitting in the tour with late nights. All that to say, we were very tired. One morning we were driving and one of the guys sadly fell asleep at the wheel. The Lord definitely protected us and we ended up jack knifing into the grass median on the freeway. It had been raining and the trailer was so heavy that I think it slowed us down and we didn't flip - praise the Lord! We were able to get pulled out of the mud and still make it to the show that night!

5. Brandon Ebel is likely one of the most successful indie label heads in the history of Christian music. What have been some of your biggest takeaways with working for him throughout these years?

It has been awesome to be able to work for Brandon over the years. He has this amazing creative side, but also has an uncanny way with numbers and the business side. I wasn't here when the label started, but I loved watching the Tooth & Nail documentary that came out a few years ago that shows the beginning of the label. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it! He took chances and believed in what he was doing and it paid off. He shows that you can be passionate about the music, give creative freedom to the artist and also make it financially and long-term successful!

6. This one will be a little tough, but what are the top three Tooth & Nail/BEC singles you've worked that take on the most personal meaning to you?

This one is definitely hard for me - I'll try to pick three that span different points of my time here at the label. One of my top songs from my early years at the label would be Kutless' "What Faith Can Do." There was something magical about that song from the point we heard the song as a demo and when it went #1. We did a radio event in LA during the time we were promoting the song and I still remember sitting in a restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier and the guys played it acoustic. I think you could feel it in the room that there was something special. It has been amazing to see the impact that song has made. Another favorite song would be Jeremy Camp's "Overcome." It was an awesome experience to be a part of the impact Jeremy has made at radio, but I personally just love this song. I love the message and takes me to a place of worship. Lastly, my favorite song would be 7eventh Time Down's "God Is On The Move." It was the first #1 for the band and also my first #1 as the head of the radio department. It has been an amazing journey so far with the band and I'm so excited to see what's next!

7. What are some singles from outside your label that impacted you the most over the past five or so years?

Lauren Daigle's "How Can It Be," Tauren Wells' "Known" and Phil Wickham's "Till I Found You."

8. Who are some of the artists you're looking forward to working with most in 2019?

There is so much to get excited for in 2019 for the label. We have some new artists that we just started working with - Tasha Layton and London Gatch (new music coming!). We already released Tasha's debut single "Love Lifting Me" and it has been really awesome to see it already connecting with stations and listeners. I know this might be a late 2018 release technically, but our partnership with River Valley Worship has been incredible. I love getting to partner with a church that cares about their community and also wanting to make a great impact outside of their city with their music. They are pastors at the core, but also incredibly musically talented. Also, we have new projects from David Dunn and 7eventh Time Down coming early 2019!

9. It's been a crazy 12 months for you. What have you learned most about yourself during this season? And what do you look forward to most over the next 12 months?

Yes - it has definitely been a crazy 12 months. We are trying to fit everything into the first year of marriage! I've had to learn to have a better work life balance. It was an adjustment at first to try to balance a new commute, traveling for work and still wanting to excel at the job. The next 12 months I see more changes and learning as there will be a little baby boy also demanding of my time and attention. Jen Mouttet and Meredith Leatherwood have also been good sounding-boards to me about balancing radio promotions and life as a mother/wife.

10. How do you suspect a career in radio promotion has best been preparing you for motherhood?

I think this job has provided many skills that I hope can carry over into motherhood, although, I know it will all be pretty overwhelming at first. This job has made me learn to be a good at multitasking, working with all different types of personalities and learning to survive and take charge on the road on little sleep. Hoping this will help me come February. Maybe check in a few months after the baby's born. It might be a different story.