Her Story
About yolanda
Yolanda Martinez serves as the head of the sync licensing department and acts as a sync agent at a boutique artist development company based in Chicago, Illinois. With a degree in music marketing, she has been immersed in the music scene since her teenage years. Her professional journey began with approximately 10 years in college and non-commercial radio promotion, pitching music to stations across the U.S. and Canada, which helped build connections that facilitated her move into sync licensing around 5 to 6 years ago. In her current role, she pitches client music for placement in TV shows and movies by working with music supervisors. Martinez attributes her success to her deep passion for music, finding fulfillment in seeing her artists succeed, such as hearing them on the radio. She co-founded the Fair Play nonprofit with her coworkers to support marginalized artists and businesses through underwriting campaigns and programming initiatives, and she also supports the Middle East Children's Alliance. Her advice to young women entering the industry emphasizes sticking to one's passion for music despite challenges, as it leads to finding a dream job like hers.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with yolanda
01What do you attribute your success to?
My passion for music keeps me going. I get so much joy in seeing one of my artists succeed, like driving down the street and hearing one of our artists on the radio knowing that we did that. It's fulfilling and feels amazing. I have a unique job that's fun and entertainment, not bogged down like typical stressful jobs.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just stick to what you're passionate about. If you're really passionate about music, keep going. You will find a way to succeed at it. It took me years to find this job and I was going to give up, but at the end of the day my passion is music so I stuck with it and found my dream job. You have to be passionate about it because it's hard out there and you're probably going to be disappointed if you're only looking to make money.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.