Jojo Pada is a successful publicist in the Gospel music industry. Pada is the Founder and President of Ignition PR, a premiere gospel/ faith-based PR and Marketing company. At Ignition PR, Pada works tirelessly to ensure her clients receive the best opportunities in their careers. Pada is an industry veteran with over 21 years of entertainment PR experience. She has spent 13 years learning, dominating and crafting press campaigns in the Gospel industry as the former VP of Publicity at Light Records and Sr. Director of Publicity at Verity Records.
Pada has worked with a number of artists such as: Mary Mary, Israel Houghton, Donnie McClurkin, Shirley Caesar, Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, Hezekiah Walker, actress Kim Fields, Smokie Norful, Mint Condition and a host of others. For Gospel’s top-selling group Mary Mary, Pada was integral in the launch of the now successful solo project for 5x Grammy Award Winner Erica Campbell, one-half of the group. She carries a wealth of practical experience and an acute awareness of the gospel/faith-based marketplace. Over the last few years, Pada has built Ignition PR to be the top independent gospel/faith-based PR Company.
There’s an immense amount of gratitude that happened after interviewing Ms. Jojo Pada, a woman who’s making strides in the entertainment industry. She chose to do PR work in a faith-based atmosphere, and the fact that she doesn’t have to compromise her work with her personal beliefs is encouraging. She can openly speak about her her faith and use that to fuel her success.
Excerpts from the interview:
SLBWunder: Firstly, thank you for taking the time out to interview with me. Can you tell me what a typical work day looks like for you?
Pada: There is never a “typical” day really. (LOL.) Every day comes up with its own set of challenges and tasks. What I try to do every morning or sometimes the night before is create a to-do list and often times a “Pitch List.” The To-do List includes assignments needed to get done that day while the “The Pitch List” is a list of media calls or emails that I either need to make or follow up on. There is usually a constant stream of pitches I’m making and following up on.
SLBWunder: What are some of the major challenges you face on your job?
Pada: I think the biggest challenge for me (as an independent PR person) is creating the balance between constantly looking for new clients at the same time serving the needs of the current clients. My particular field is highly competitive and there are fewer and fewer record labels and artists so the search for new clients can be tough. I have found that to be successful as an ‘indie’ it is important to keep abreast of what coming up in your genre as well as maintaining good relationships with past clients.
SLBWunder: How do you know when you’ve been successful in your job?
Pada: I measure success by two ways. First, being able to exceed the expectations of the clients. Often times, clients’ expectations and goals are high and to be able to not only meet their expectations but to go past them is really exciting. The second way, although it doesn’t happen on every project, is taking a gospel client to new places in media. For example, I love when I secure a media placement for a client on an unexpected platform such as ‘The Soul Train Awards,’ or in the New York Times.
SLBWunder: What does a typical workday look like for you? Do you have a strong team to help balance all of your clients/artists?
Pada: I actually work by myself (LOL!) I started Ignition PR in 2007 and have been blessed to see it grow by leaps and bounds in the last 9 years, but I work primarily by myself. Having built the company on my own, on my name it has been difficult to trust the right people to connect with. Because of that I am very selective about who I work with so I can pick up the best clients for me to maximize my efforts and time.
SLBWunder: How do you balance maintaining a personal life whilst handling everyday demands your profession requires?
Pada: I’m not married nor do I have kids but I do think it is important to set boundaries and create proper working hours. Often time’s independent PR people will grind constantly and be available 24/7. While I think it is important to put in 110% of effort into all you do, I am adamant about setting actual work hours. So unless it is an emergency I ask that clients try and respect my off hours and weekends.
SLBWunder: With your specific profession in PR being faith-based, has faith helped you achieve the success you have and will continue to make?
Pada: It’s definitely a ‘calling’ in choosing a career in ‘faith-based’ entertainment. The budgets are not as substantial as in mainstream, so for me it is much more than making money. I definitely think that God has ordained my steps and led me to where I am now in my career. Every job I’ve had before were all necessary steps in getting to this place and starting my own business.
SLBWunder: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Pada: As a gospel PR person, the most rewarding part of my job is that I believe that I help to spread the messages of Christianity and the gospel of Jesus Christ to the masses. I like knowing that what I do in a small way helps expand someone’s ministry to audiences they would not be able to reach otherwise.
More on Jojo Pada visit: Ignition PR
