Music has always been a part of Pamela Keating’s identity. From a two-year-old running down the stairs to dance and sing to her mom’s Celine Dion CD, to the lead royalty and data analyst at Missing Link Music, Keating and music are connected.

Throughout her high school experience, Keating, a 2017 music business graduate, performed and practiced voice, clarinet, and piano, but it wasn’t until her later years that she found her true interest in music—the work that goes on behind the scenes.

“I knew going into college and life I wanted to pursue a career in music business, open to anything and everything in this line of work,” she said.

When it came time to apply to colleges, Keating took to LVC’s Music Business Program and its student-run record label VALE Music Group and annual music conference, as well as the small community. Through VALE, she created international publishing agreements for Brazilian songwriters, in addition to many other high-impact learning experiences.

“I was a part of VALE all four years at LVC and explored various aspects of the business,” she said. “I can honestly say my time there has proven invaluable to me. Almost everything I do at my current position, I’ve learned through VALE and the Music Business Program: music publishing, artist & repertoire, business etiquette, project management, delegation, managerial experience, the list goes on.”

Keating gained additional experience during an internship at a music production company in New York City, N.Y. She landed the internship through her business minor, and there she worked with a sponsor who was an LVC music business alum. While getting to see the inner workings of the industry first-hand, Keating said, “It was very comforting to work with someone who shared the same experiences as I had at LVC.”

Once she graduated from LVC though, Keating’s career took an unexpected turn as she found herself working in a pharmacy then acquiring her pharmacy technician license.

“This unexpected part of my career path taught me many valuable lessons, including customer relations and the importance of maintaining a positive work environment,” she said.

Even during her work at the pharmacy, Keating remained persistent, knocking on the doors of the music industry. Her persistence paid off after she found an employment posting for Missing Link, a music administration company in Hoboken, N.J.

In her role as lead royalty and data analyst, Keating has helped license music for TV shows and films. When asked about her favorite part of the job, it wasn’t the interactions with the big names in media that stood out to the LVC grad. Instead, for Keating, the best part had more to do with seeing the rewards that come for her clients.

“I like seeing a client’s hard work being brought to a brighter spotlight when it gets put in a film or a commercial,” she said. “It makes our clients feel appreciated to receive the recognition they’ve worked hard to achieve.”

Though her career path did not take the route she imagined, Keating did exactly as she suggests for other students going into any realm of the music industry.

“Stick to it. It is very easy to give up in this industry. Going into it, you may feel like you’re looking at a tidal wave, but LVC will give you that surfboard to take it on.”

— Darby Seymour, Marketing & Communications Student Assistant