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Justin Lefkovitch of Mirrored Media

Executive Profile: Justin Lefkovitch, CEO/Founder, Mirrored Media

BACKGROUND
Corporate sponsorships and product tie-ins have become increasingly important for artists wanting to maintain high revenue in the face of sagging record sales. So where does one go to find partnerships that won’t dilute a musician’s intellectual property? Mirrored Media acts as a liaison between artists and corporations, making beneficial matches and designing unique, experiential events that excite fans and generate brand awareness.

Bridging Worlds
My dad introduced me to Ray Kennedy, a well-known singer-songwriter who wrote for the Beach Boys. He was in a hard place and needed someone to help him as an administrator. I started working for him for free—simple things like cleaning up the books and wrestling back some of his publishing. We did non-profit concerts with huge names—I got to talk with these guys.

I saw how the conversations were very one-sided. You’d have an artist talking to an advertising agency or a brand and both sides were having their own conversation and speaking their own language. Neither cared about the other and there was always a winner and a loser. That created hostile moments. That’s where I got the idea of a company that understands the music industry and, at the same time, understands the marketing world.

Experiential Marketing
[Experiential marketing is] creating a moment we all feel. We want to create those experiences, whether they’re online or offline. The majority of our stuff is offline with an online component, but we’re not segmented to one thing or another. It’s giving fans something everyone wants to share and feel like they are influencers themselves. That’s Mirrored Media's goal: creating amazing moments in time that bring everyone together in a moment of awe.

Breaking Boundaries
We’re pushing the envelope of what is possible. We’re always trying to ideate. What is that next crazy thing we can bring to fans?

We helped Tove Lo with the release of her short film Fairy Dust and, simultaneously, her album, Lady Wood. It’s a controversial, adult-themed film, pushing the bounds of exploring sexuality. We took that idea and turned it into a physical element where we had a crazy, adult-themed carnival. We had a dildo ring toss game. We created a Lady Wood logo that was a massive vagina people walked through.

Understanding Artists
Music is our lifeblood. Everyone on my staff comes from a music background. We have our hands somewhere within music and that’s why our conversations with labels and agencies are easy. We cater to artists so well they come back. We’ve been asked to run full tours and hospitality for artists, because no one takes care of people like we do.

Synergy
Recently, Syfy came to us with a show premiering called The Magicians, so we created a first-of-its-kind integration between music and TV. Bebe Rexha was climbing the charts and was working on a single with Nicki Minaj, “No Broken Hearts.” We fast-tracked it and premiered it on the trailer.

A bunch of music sites picked it up and shared it. All of a sudden, you had people talking about The Magicians who never would have before. Additionally, you had people talking about Bebe Rexha who never would have before. We were able to create this cross-promotional opportunity.

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