10 Questions with ... Lee L'Heureux

NAME:Lee L'Heureux POSITION:Promotion COMPANY:Asylum/Warner BORN:Maine RAISED:Maine

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I began radio in college radio when I was in high school and college. I was hooked and spent several years at WRED in Portland, ME before taking the rhythm job at Asylum Records.

1. What was your first job in the business?

I called it a job but some people called it a hobby. I ran the college radio station at my school. I think I spent more time on that then school work. I loved it and genuinely love radio. I still stay in touch with the school and the people running the station to help advise and consult.

2. You were at WRED/Portland, ME and left at the end of 2005. Did you jump directly into record promotion?

Yes. I was very fortunate that they were willing to offer me the opportunity. I was talking with my friend J Grand at Asylum in 2005 about potential next moves and he suggested a possible new position. He's been a close friend for years and I was excited to have the opportunity to work with him and a growing Asylum.

3. Having been in the record promotion business for awhile now, would you have liked working Lee L'Heureux, the APD/MD?

Haha! Totally. I really enjoy music of all genres. I still hunt on the internet for new music and buy albums and mixtapes. I know there are so many time hurdles in people's schedules these days but it's always great to talk about and get excited about new records.

4. What stands out about your first meetings with Asylum about the job?

Honestly, the first thing I noticed was how passionate everyone is here for what we do. I genuinely believe everyone here really loves doing and has fun doing their jobs. I wasn't here from the very beginning but wasn't too far after and it's been great to be a part of something special that is growing. I'm really privileged to be around a lot of great people in the whole WMG system.

5. What's the first job related thing you do in the morning?

Call everyone in Hawaii! I get a hard time because I wake up so early but it's always fun to talk to my Hawaii friends as they're leaving the club! Every morning I always go through the real time for every station on both panels just to see if I missed anything in the last 24 hours.

6. Where do you get your greatest pleasure in doing record promotion?

Honestly, it's all a pleasure. It's a blast. I love talking to people, I love traveling and I love the music. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this.

7. Who do you consider to be your mentor(s)?

I have a lot of people I consider mentors from various aspects of life. When I was living in Maine I coached high school basketball. I give a lot of credit to one of the coaches I worked with for helping me with a lot of things. Sometimes I feel I learned more then some of the kids we were coaching. In this industry I'm around a lot of very intelligent and driven people on a daily basis beginning with the foundation at Asylum of Todd Moscowitz, Joie Manda and J Grand. It's easy to work hard when that example is set for you.

8. What do you do to relax and unwind?

I'm in the gym every morning and try to get some basketball in each week. Plus, I love going to games.

9. What artist(s) will radio still be playing in 5 or 10 years?

I honestly don't have the slightest idea. I'd love to see the answer to this question though if we asked a 15 year old. I'm sure they'd have a long list that's vastly different from mine.

10. What's on the way from Asylum?

We have a lot on the way. It's going to be a great start of the year. We're currently working on new projects with Mike Jones, OJ Da Juiceman (remember the name!), Shawty Lo, Paul Wall, Lil Boosie, Webbie, Ginuwine and others. Plus, our new partnership with Warner Brothers and Jay Rock, Attitude and more. I really think this is going to be a great and busy year.

In your gig, you do a lot of traveling. Do you have a favorite market you like to visit and why?

Totally, I love going to Portland, Oregon. It's a beautiful city and reminds me a lot of New England where I grew up. Plus, Nike is based there and the Blazers are fun to watch! Honestly though, I really like traveling. I like hitting local restaurants and getting out in the city. I just got back from Salisbury, Norfolk and Charlotte which was a lot of fun and head back out west this week.