Her Story
About Shana
Shana Martin is a singer-songwriter and published artist with over 30 years of professional experience in the music entertainment industry. She serves as an A&R consultant for Third Eye Tribe Entertainment, an indie record label based in Los Angeles, where she assists artists with brand strategy, music construction, release planning, and brand partnerships. Martin holds a Bachelor's of Art in Music Performance from Schreiner University, earned in May 2014, building on family tutelage in music from her parents and grandparents who were performing artists. She is a non-student member of Grammy U in the Texas chapter and is also signed to the label as an artist. Based in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area, Martin attributes her success to her family's encouragement and her strong work ethic, emphasizing the importance of putting in the work, relying on instincts, and maintaining integrity in the industry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shana
01What do you attribute your success to?
I come from a family of entertainers with several siblings who are professional awarded world travel entertainers. Being able to cultivate my skills in such a talented group over my entire childhood had a lot to do with the person I am today. My interest in work ethic and learning how to become more skilled as an artist has gotten me very far. My parents never limited my siblings and I mentally; they were always very encouraging and gave us the room to explore no matter what their personal thoughts may have been.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received repeatedly from people I respect is put the work in. That can come in many forms like practice or sending emails, but you actually have to do the work. You're going to want to think a lot and plan and try to make everything perfect, but success doesn't work that way. You have to actually do, get feedback, readjust.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid to rely on your instincts because you're not coming into this with no life experience and people are still people. Get as much in writing as you possibly can. Do not rely on text messages, phone calls, or friendship conversations as legal documents. Make it a habit to have your paperwork consistently together and do not wait until everybody else can see the potential. Do what's fair while everybody's thinking clearly and protect your relationships.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It can be a little difficult sometimes to have people take you seriously as a woman. Even as an artist, you'll get into a room and sometimes people have very low expectations of what you're capable of. This industry can be very tricky legally, so finding a really good attorney or law office that specializes in entertainment and music is really key because it's very easy to end up in scenarios that are not very desirable.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Creativity, perseverance, and integrity. Being creative is not limited to music; you're gonna come up against a lot of different scenarios in life and only thinking about those things one way is not going to be helpful. Especially integrity in a business like this, sometimes you're going to be the only person with integrity in the room. It's a longer strategy to success but results will last a lot longer.
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