Meet John Bartilomo

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Bartilomo.

John, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Where I am today couldn’t be any further than what I had imagined for myself some years ago.

Music has always been a focal point in my life and grew up listening to all types of genres. It took until my high school years to come across dance music. Attending dance music events on weekends in clubs had become a regular occurrence and only grew my obsession.

I started as a ticket promoter for Relentless Beats around 2016. Getting to meet the fans behind the music and seeing the inner workings on throwing these events solidified my newfound passion for getting more involved.

In late 2017, I joined my colleague’s newly formed entertainment company, OCTIV Entertainment, to curate dance music events, managing the operations, and social media. Elated to work a more impactful role, I dove in headfirst and love the roller coaster of a ride that it was. A little over two years went by of wild success for the company.

In February of this year, OCTIV was acquired, you could say. So I took time off to travel after working tirelessly for a few years and came back enlightened with my next venture; Mid 8 Media.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Easy is the last word I would use to help describe pursuing one’s passion. If it were easy, everyone would quit their day jobs to pursue their dreams.

I would say overcoming adversity would be the name of the game as the more roadblocks in the way to your goal, the better. It has been a grind to get where I’m currently at, and I still have yet to get where I’m aiming to be. I wouldn’t have it any other way as each obstacle I overcome, the better I become and more rewarding the process is. 

When I thought I was about to break the next phase of my growth, life would throw something to either slow me down or set me back. A friend once told me that failing over and over is needed to achieve. I take on failure with greatness, knowing that the outcome will be rewarding. My team is constantly reminded of this and has driven us to great success in such a short time.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Mid 8 Media story. Tell us more about the business.
I came back from my travels with the notation to build a media entity that handles media and social media for artists and companies within the dance music space. The next challenge was what to name the company. Mid 8 Media was the chosen name as it’s derived from the musical term middle eight and refers to a section of a song with a significantly different melody and lyrics, which helps the song naturally develop itself by creating contrast.

Middle eight’s purpose of this section is to break up the simple repetition of a verse/chorus/verse/chorus structure by introducing new elements into the song. Ironically, Mid 8 Media’s purpose is to break up the cookie-cutter media pattern you see in the music industry and showcase the creativity that can be done with media. Alongside alleviating the stress of having to create, schedule, post, and monitor media. The very foundation of Mid 8 Media is in letting creatives focus on their art and passion so they can be the best version of themselves without handling the stresses of marketing their brand.

The team at Mid 8 Media take their expertise in today’s evolving social media platforms to market and achieve growth in brand awareness within the music and entertainment industry. My goal with this is to unite all creatives through collaboration by providing cost-effective and quality content. Through a simple consultation, Mid 8 Media curates a unique and personalized brand management action plan to increase awareness and grow the brand’s following. 

My goal to achieve all of this was to build a small team of like-minded creatives. I’m not going to be the smartest person in the room, but with my team, we pick up where others lack creating something great. Mid 8 Media is grown from inside the industry, which allows for natural conversations as we understand the struggles firsthand. Mid 8 Media curates, while its clients can focus on their craft.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
There has always been an on-going saying in my family, that we often joke about, called “the Bartilomo way” where luck is nonexistent or not expected. I have always been ready to take on the path of more resistance. It has only made me a stronger and more disciplined leader.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Mid8Media.com
• Email: john@mid8media.com

Image Credit:
Tanner Perry, Tony Cottrell Photography, Bailey Goldstein

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