10 Questions with ... Jon Borris

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

After graduating from Loyola College Maryland in May of 1998, I moved back to New York and was playing guitar in a rock band. In August I was lucky enough to get an interview at Atlantic Records, assisting Gary Spivack in Modern Rock Promotion (the interview actually took place with my contemporary and close friend Alex Levy from Epic, who was moving on from that assistant position to a regional job). A year after getting my foot in the door, I accepted a position at Epic Records working for Joel Klaiman. That was a great job, and Joel really opened a lot of doors for me and introduced me to the world of promotion. I spent the next seven years at Epic, doing regional promotion stints in both Texas and Florida, and graduating through the ranks back in the New York headquarters. Lee Leipsner came to Epic in 2004 and we worked very closely together in breaking new artists on the radio. When he segued to Columbia Records in 2006, an opportunity presented itself for me to transition here as well to help run the Top 40 department under his leadership, which has been invaluable. All in all, I've been in the Sony Music Entertainment family for over a decade.

1) What is your favorite part of the job?

The vacation days. Really, I think it's being the liaison between the artist and radio, and then through radio exposing that artist to the public. Hearing brand new music in its infancy is so exciting, because you build a passion for something early on that very few people have been exposed to. Then when it gets to that pop culture level, the pride and sense of accomplishment that comes along with that is truly rewarding.

2) Brag on the artists that you work with. What's going on in their worlds right now?

BEYONCE cleaned up at the Grammys and you just cannot mess with her on any level. She rules pop culture around the world.

JOHN MAYER is selling out arenas every night and proving once again that he is on his way to truly becoming the American Eric Clapton. His singles perform across FOUR FORMATS of hit radio.

TRAIN is back with a colossal worldwide hit record!

BOYS LIKE GIRLS is coming off their first Top-5 pop single, making that their third Top-10 pop single in 36 months.

3) What's been the most significant change in the business since you've been in it?

Wow, well I've been in it for 11 years and this is what we've seen in that time: Napster, Internet piracy and the decimation of the physical sales business ... WalMart and the advent of the superstore ... traditional callout research ... the Attorney General investigation ... severe radio Consolidation. Severe Label Consolidation ... Premium Choice ... PPM. That's just to name a few. I'm not sure if there's an answer for the one most significant change, so let's just say that all of the above (and more) have contributed to "significant change" in the business all around.

4) What's been your most rewarding project to work?

I think it's gotta be Boys Like Girls, because radio and radio promotion truly broke the band. When I first got to Columbia in Oct. 2006, "The Great Escape" was the first song I was handed and asked, "When's the pop impact date?" The answer we gave was, "When it's ready to impact, because it ain't right now." The band went out on the road and worked their tails off. We set the record up for six months, competing with every Warped Tour bands' single for a slot at radio along the way. A little over three years later we're at over 10 million units of combined sales -- albums, singles, and ringtones.

5) What's been the most frustrating?

Well it's interesting because when you "get" the frustrating projects, they always end up being the most rewarding. I would have to say The Ting Tings fall into that category. I heard a lot of, "I just don't get that one" during the life of that project, and when all was said and done, over 2.5 million singles were sold, and I got a few "yeah, maybe you were right" e-mails. But I've never minded rolling up my sleeves and fighting for the 'frustrating' ones ... that's actually part of the real fun of the job, and why you come in everyday to work.

6) What's the longest road trip you've ever been on, and where did it take you?

Oh boy... in the old days, doing regional when you didn't really have to worry about your budget, there were some long ones. Doing regional in Florida, I lived in Miami Beach, so I'd fly up to Jacksonville and then just drive the whole state for the whole week. So that would be: Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Tampa, Ft. Myers, West Palm Beach and back to Miami. As the Texas guy, I covered Mississippi and Louisiana, too. So again, I'd fly to Jackson and do:\ Jackson, Biloxi, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, Beaumont and back to Houston. Can't say I miss that part of those days, but I miss nearly every other part.

7) What's the worst excuse you ever heard from a programmer?

Hold on, it takes a few minutes to open that vault, but... "I don't hear it, and I'm not going to play it, but if it ends up being 'a hit'... I'll admit I was wrong." That's about as chicken-hearted as it gets. We go do all the work to grow the record, grind it out, travel, persist, convince, PROMOTE ... while you sit on the sidelines watching and not contributing ... and at the end of it all when we've sold a million singles, you'll admit you were wrong? What a relief, I was aware of that to begin with.

8) What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?

I played Division 1 Lacrosse at Loyola. I was a defenseman. I played for all four of my years there, culminating in a #1 team ranking and NCAA Final Four appearance in 1998. That game was played in front of 30,000 fans at Rutgers Stadium. It was one of the best and most memorable days of my life.

9) What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?

Growing up on Long Island, I listened to the CW Post college station! I think it was 88.1, and it came in and out depending on the weather because the stick was so weak. But they were cranking out Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Faith No More, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, and Sunny Day Real Estate before anyone even knew who they were ... and that music changed my life.

10) What music do you listen to when you're not working?

Here's a pretty representative cross section: Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne, Radiohead, Guns 'N Roses, The Damnwells, Stone Temple Pilots, Tool, Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes, The Cars, Depeche Mode, Def Leppard, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Faith No More, Incubus, John Mayer, The Killers, Michael Jackson, Pearl Jam, The Police, R.E.M, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Rage Against the Machine, The Strokes, A Tribe Called Quest, Van Halen.

Which character on a current TV series most reflects your personality?

GLEE! No, I'm kidding, but I think I might be bound contractually to bring up GLEE during every interview:)! I think Lost is probably a really good reflection because it's all about the struggle between "science" and "faith" ... and to a certain extent that's exactly what it's like being me and doing radio promotion. On the one hand, you've got to sell this piece of intangible art and you have faith and passion in the group and the song, and you hope radio does, too. If they don't, the "science" comes in and you gotta prove it through numbers, research, etc. Or maybe it's just that I'm trapped on an island with crazy people in radio and records and I can't seem get off.