Austin American-Statesman
2009 Fortunate 500: Music

PR/PROMO

"If you are at all connected digitally
— e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
— you know Dean Lofton."
- Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman

I'm a self-taught publicist using strategy and a strong sense of story to garner media coverage for artists, businesses and non-profits I find inspiring. I'd be telling you about my clients even if they weren't my clients!

To avoid any conflict of interest with my previous position as executive director of the non-profit Ausitn Independent Business Alliance, most of my recent PR work has been with musicians.

Strategy, results and reviews:

" ...During her short tenure in Austin, Lofton has extended her web of friends and contacts far and wide. Some of her social connecting promotes her husband, busy jazz trumpeter Jeff Lofton, or other musicians lucky enough to gain her ear. ... It’s largely thanks to Jeff’s professionalism and Dean’s grassroots marketing skills that jazz has bumped up its Austin profile in the last year." - Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, Dean Lofton at Matt's El Rancho

"An aside for his musical peers: Lofton's site — jefflofton.com — is one of the cleanest, most informative Web presences I've ever seen for a local musician; his example is to be followed." - Joe Gross, Music Critic, Austin American-Statesman

View results for Jeff Lofton at JeffLofton.com/press.

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My client, jazz pianist
Marc Devine,
was featured in a
New York Magazine article
"New Arrivals."

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"We started out with a limited budget and no name recognition, but with Dean's help eight weeks later we sold out our first shows. We got both print media and radio mentions on multiple outlets, as well as ticket giveaways on two stations."
~ John Groves, Musical Director / Bandleader, The DarkSide Show

Results: Four months after it's first sold out shows at Hideout Theatre, The DarkSide Show moved to the Long Center's Rollins Theatre. Press coverage included Austin American-Statesman's Best Bets, a live on-air appearance on KLBJ's Dudley and Bob Show, an interview on KVUE and a top pick from Austin.com.

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"…(Dean) brings the perfect balance between creativity and business acumen to any project."
~ Elaine Towsend, Singer / Songwriter

View strategy and results

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"Musicians don’t just need a press agent with connections, they need someone with good people skills, a fine reputation and a great media list, who is willing to spend time coming up with a game plan and executing it with grace and a confident, non-alienating authority. Dean is this person. It’s very easy to say her experience is golden, but I know talent when I see it and hers is always growing."

~ Danielle Howle, Singer / Songwriter

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View strategy and results for GrooveLily

"Dean is an incredible pleasure to work with. In addition to undeniable skills at making the right connections at the right publications and then following up to get the job done, she is also a very efficient and clear communicator. It’s never unclear what she’s doing or why she’s doing it. Add to that an awesome sense of humor and warmth and you get Dean."
~ Gene Lewin, Drummer, GrooveLily

"Dean is an amazing combination of utter professionalism, effectiveness, warmth and charm. She obtained more press coverage for our band for a single weekend (in Columbia and Charleston, SC) than we have ever had before. Her efforts created incredible results: a sold-out show, terrific reviews and significantly higher name recognition for us in South Carolina."
~ Valerie Vigoda, violin/vocals, GrooveLily

"Dean’s winning personality, combined with her excellent sense of aesthetics (writing and design) and her attention to detail all come together to make a killer publicist. Here’s why these thing are crucial:

• A good publicist must be fantastic on the phone. Dean’s personality comes through here, in her confident yet friendly tone of voice, her wit and above all her complete lack of hype or fakery. A harried press person, after receiving a phone call from Dean, will be less harried.
• A good publicist must be diligent and follow-up. Dean not only sent out packages and followed-up, but she emailed us almost daily as we approached the tour dates, letting us know whom she’d spoken to, who’d written what about us, and what was likely to happen next.

I think the single most important thing about Dean is also the most hard to define. Something in all of my communication with her instilled me with absolute faith and confidence in her. She’s just inspiring."
~ Brendan Milburn, keyboard/vocals, GrooveLily