Features

AAPRC Weekly: Jana Fleishman

Jana Fleishman
Senior Director, Media & Artist Relations
Island Def Jam Music Group
NYC


Jana Fleishman never dreamed of a career in the music industry, but now that she's arrived, she's glad she stayed. "Basically, my mother forced me to do it," she says of her first position as an intern at Mercury Records in 1992. "I had no interest in it––I wanted to have my own fashion magazine or go into a modeling agency. My mom happened to know somebody and they thought it would just be a great idea that I be an intern."

Apparently, it was a great idea because Fleishman excelled. Over the past decade, the accidental publicist parlayed her mother's little push into a stellar career in the record industry, rising from intern to her current position as senior director of media and artist relations at Island Def Jam. "Time has gone by so fast, some days I wake up and I cannot believe I've been doing this for twelve years," says Fleishman. "But here at Def Jam, the thing is that it's constantly changing, and I'm in love with my artists. I'm in love with my department."

The Bronx native's emotional connection to her work is based in part on her admiration of what she says is the label's unique atmosphere. "It's so much more than a record company, and I was tired of working at a record company," says Fleishman of her switch to Def Jam. "I wanted to work someplace where you were completely invested in the artist, in a project, in the lifestyle."

The artists Fleishman works with include hip hop legend Jay-Z, Ludacris, Method Man, Red Man, Musiq and 112, most of whom have myriad outside projects. "Every single one of those people has a life outside of music––a huge life outside of music. It's not like they're trying to put out homemade candles," says Fleishman. "I learned a different way of pitching, something that was bigger than: okay, we have this review and we have this feature. It's a lifestyle and you represent everything."

While Fleishman enjoys the challenges at Def Jam, it's not always easy. "Jay-Z can keep one person busy every day. Just Jay-Z alone drives me cuckoo," she laughs. "He's one of those artists who has pushed me…I'm always thinking what can I do for him that he's going to look at me and say: 'you know, you went above and beyond on this one.' I just want the best for my artists."

And that commitment goes beyond media. Fleishman's department also handles the small details that keep Def Jam artists happy. "I have been known to travel far and wide to make sure that they have a certain brand of T-shirt or a certain type of turkey bacon," she says. "We basically go above and beyond."

The one thing she won't do for her artists, though, is be anything but straight. "I just try and be as honest as possible. I don't blow smoke up people's asses," says Fleishman matter-of-factly. "I do not pretend that every single thing I have is the best thing since sliced bread, because then people are never going to believe me."

Fleishman admits her honesty-first policy doesn't always sit well, but it did not halt an impressive career path. After two years as an intern at Mercury Records, the label hired Fleishman in 1994 as a manager in media and artist relations. There, she worked with top R&B acts such as Tony Toni Tone, Brian McKnight, Lionel Richie and Black Sheep. Because of a partnership between Mercury and Def Jam, Fleishman was introduced to some of the team at Def Jam who would inspire her to make the move to her current label in years to come. Before then, though, Virgin Records hired the young media specialist in 1997 as a director of media and artist relations. After a year at Virgin, Fleishman made the switch to Elektra Records, where she was senior director of media and artist relations, handling a stellar roster that included Gerald Levert and Yolanda Adams.

After more than a decade spent rising to the top of her field, Fleishman admits she's not sure what's next. "I don't know what my five year plan is anymore," she concedes. "When I first started I was like okay, I want to be a director of publicity. I want to run my own department. I want to work with this type of artist. I want to say I got this type of booking. Now I'm like…hmmmm."

While she may be unsure of what's next, Fleishman is sure of what's important. "After all of my artists come and go or I stop working with them, whether or not my job here comes and goes and I move on to something else––I can't lose focus of what I am," she insists. "I cannot allow any record company or an artist to dictate who I am as a person. If I need sleep I need sleep. If I need to see my family I need to see my family. Everyone can be easily replaced, no matter what, and that's the biggest challenge––remembering that, accepting that and being happy with that."

The Bronx-born Fleishman, who is single, has lived in Brooklyn for the past 10 years. In addition to spending time with her family, who still live in the New York area, Fleishman maintains a healthy balance between her work and personal lives by carefully guarding her down time.

First of all, she doesn't have a home phone. No home email. Just a cell phone. "When you start dialing nine on your home phone to dial out, or you start picking up your home phone saying 'Def Jam,' you know that's a problem. If people need to contact me, you know how to get me. If you don't, you know, sorry."

In addition to limiting off-hours communications, Fleishman also indulges in her favorite hobby: sleeping. "I love to sleep. I think it's the best thing that God ever gave us," Fleishman enthuses. "To me, a perfect day is just covering up on my couch with the remote control and waking up every three to four hours…watch TV for like 20 minutes and then pass back out. Just drifting the whole day."

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