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  • Catching the Contagious Passion of the DE&I Team
  • Nov 11, 2022
Catching the Contagious Passion of the DE&I Team

This article is written by Sasha Campbell and is part of the SMG Impact Fellows Mix Tape Series, a collection of first-person essays written by the 2022 Sony Music Group Impact Fellow cohort. Read more about the SMG Impact Fellows Program here. 

Sasha was a 2022 Impact Fellow working with Sony Music Group’s DE&I team. 

What’s been your favorite part of the internship so far?  
My favorite part of working with the DE&I team so far has been my community of coworkers. The DE&I team is a tight-knit group of amazing women and their enthusiasm for our partnerships and initiatives is super contagious.  

What projects have you been working on?  
I recently started a collaboration with Sony Music Publishing (SMP) to discuss the state of diversity and inclusion within the songwriting community at SMP. I will be conducting interviews with Sony Music songwriters, Artists & Repertoires team members, and publishing executives to gather information about how we can use DE&I practices and resources to increase the number of women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people in songwriting. I have also been working on developing DE&I partnerships with major organizations that we are super excited about. 

What does music mean to you and how does your outlook on music fit in with your internship at Sony Music Group? 
As a queer songwriter and podcast host, my approach to the music industry has always been through the lens of diversity and inclusion. On my podcast “Songwriting Saves the World,” we feature interviews with amazing women and queer people in music like Jenna Andrews, Brandra Ringo, Ali Tamposi, and Miki Ratsula. As a songwriter, I write pop songs for mostly women and queer artists! Working with the DE&I team at SMG is incredibly informative for me as I navigate the music industry prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of what I do.  

What does an average week look like in DE&I? 
An average week with the DE&I team is incredibly dynamic and no two days look the same. Our team works with several amazing partners like GLAAD, Lean In, Disability:IN and more, so a lot of the week consists of organizing and implementing the collaborative initiatives that we create with them. We also have Talent Advisory Groups at Sony Music that we meet with regularly, heritage months that we organize programming for, and a major project with our external partner GLAAD created to advance LGBTQ+ representation within SMG. My schedule as an Impact Fellow is hybrid in-person and virtual so my weeks look different depending on whether I am in office or working from home!  

Could you tell us about one of your highlights of the role? 
As an Impact Fellow, I have loved the creativity and independence that has been encouraged during my internship experience at SMG. Working to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in songwriting has always been a passion of mine and it is such a highlight to be able to learn about and pursue that larger mission while working with the DE&I team at SMG.  

How would you describe your SMG internship experience using a song from a Sony Music artist? 
Mmmm that’s a good question. I think the song that best represents my experience at Sony Music Group so far is “Take Me Where Your Heart Is” by Q. It’s a song I’ve been listening to on my walk to work a whole lot and I also hear it playing in the elevator at Sony New York occasionally!  

What songs are currently in your rotation and on repeat?  

  1. “Take Me Where Your Heart Is” – Q 
  2. “Softly” – Arlo Parks  
  3. “Vegas” – Doja Cat  
  4. “Cinema” – Harry Styles 

For more stories on the SMG Impact Fellows second cohort:

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