“I get to choose and work with artists that I believe in and am truly passionate about their music."
One of those passion projects was "How BANDED Stole Christmas" in December 2020, which featured artist social media takeovers, performances and giveaways through Instagram.
“It was cool to highlight those artists and work with them one-on-one,” she says. “We all really came together as a team and pulled it together in honestly a week. So, it was pretty impressive. The artists really enjoyed it, and it built up our community.”
All over bandedpr.com, the website is filled to the brim with band interviews, album reviews and even essays bringing attention to issues such as human trafficking and sexual abuse.
While cities such as Nashville, Los Angeles and Chicago are hailed as some of the best cities for music, Potzner says she rejected the notion that she could not write about music while living in Cincinnati.
“I didn’t take that for an answer,” she says. “I’m going to do it here.”
Potzner manages a team of approximately 15 volunteer writers and photographers, five of whom were recently onboarded, many just getting their start in music journalism. Surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst for the outlet's growth.
“COVID, even though it sucked, really gave us time to grow,” she says.
Outside of her company, Potzner has worked with festivals and entities such as Bonnaroo, Exit 111 and Forecastle, as a social media coordinator. The festivals have featured musical acts such as Post Malone, The Killers, Guns N’ Roses and Def Leppard. Potzner herself is also a big fan of the Cincinnati music scene, especially rock bands. She covered Mammoth WVH in September when the rock band was playing at Bogart's in Cincinnati. Eddie Van Halen's son, Wolfgang, founded the band.
“I’m a big Van Halen fan and love the music that Wolfgang just released on his own,” she says.
The band ended up sharing one of Potzner’s photos on social media. Potzner also worked with Michigan-based concert promoter MiEntertainment Group. Potzner assisted with social media and on-site PR for Upheaval Festival this past summer, which featured Korn and Rob Zombie on the lineup.
Through Banded PR, Potzner also offers public relations and social media services.
Potzner says she can’t imagine her life without music.
“I’ve always been into music,” she says. “If I can’t be an artist ,I might as well use the talents that I do have to help those who do have those musical talents.”
