Music has always been in Catherine Polk’s blood. But she admittedly took a circuitous route when trying to make it her career. “I grew up in Decatur, Ala., and I majored in graphic design,” said Polk. “I started my career in the printing industry. But I’ve always had a great love for music. I come from a musical family of four girls. We mostly had a vocal background, but most of us played the piano. Also, my grandfather would make banjos and guitars just for fun. I remember he made an acoustic guitar for my older sister. That’s the first guitar I ever played.”
Polk wanted to translate her skills to the music industry, but that was easier said than done. “The printing industry wasn’t my cup of tea,” she said. “It was very stressful. The deadlines I worked under were crazy. I told myself I didn’t want to get into printing anymore.”
Polk went to school in Birmingham, Ala. She moved to Charleston, S.C.—where Musicorp is based—in 1996 to be with her boyfriend. Of course, that’s a gamble. If things don’t work out, some people could find themselves alone in an unfamiliar place.
Finding a new job is also a challenge. “What happened when I arrived in Charleston?” asked Polk. “I got another job at a printing company. I told myself I needed the job, but I’m not staying long.”
So she continued to scour Help Wanted advertisements. She noticed printing jobs posted by Musicorp, but was not familiar with the company. So Polk asked her boyfriend and his brother, who was working at Pecknel Music, to provide some information. They considered the company a “Charleston legend founded by Eddie Toporek.” “I was fascinated with the story,” said Polk. “But I didn’t think a lot about it at the time.”
Polk immediately attempted to make good on her self-directive to jettison the printing industry. “I answered an anonymous ad in a newspaper,” she said. “It didn’t say what company it was for. But I knew the job was for a graphic designer. A couple of days later, Musicorp called me and told me they had posted the ad. I went in immediately for an interview. The rest is history. I’ve been here almost 14 years.”
What drew Musicorp to Polk? “At the time, my résumé was on a self-designed letterhead with a stylized cat icon, which apparently caught the interviewer’s attention,” said Polk. “Looking back on it, the cat letterhead was really corny, but it helped get me the interview, so it worked. Also, I clicked with the interviewer. We had a lot in common.”
Polk’s relationship also blossomed. She married her boyfriend, Ben. Polk and her husband, a landscape designer and musician, welcomed their first child in August 2009. Her name is Ellie.
The Alabama native has been Musicorp’s director of marketing for four years. Her staff consists of six employees, all of whom Polk said are “world class” to work with. “It’s a youthful group,” she said. “Everyone is self-driven. It’s a great environment to work in every day.”
Polk also can bounce ideas off of KMC and FMIC’s marketing departments. (Fender is the parent company for both.) “We especially talk to KMC’s marketing department, because we have a lot of projects in common,” said Polk. “But we work on different promotions and market different products. Internally, we are one family.”
Working for Musicorp the company is quite enjoyable to Polk. “I think we’re a unique business,” she said. “I’ve learned so much about the music business and I continue to learn. No day is ever boring. It is fast paced. Our goal is to ship the products the same day the customer orders them. There are always a lot of great things to do. The job and the company are great because I’m so passionate about the products we deliver to our customers.”
The Musicorp catalog is something the marketing department delivers to its customers. “I’m so proud of how far that’s come,” said Polk. “When I started at Musicorp, it was black and white and printed on newsprint. Today, it’s an almost 600-page full-color catalog.”
Polk also is quite proud of a rebranding the department launched for Barcus-Berry. “We overhauled the packaging, brought new artists on board and improved the Web site,” she said. “We’ve seen sales increase ever since.”
Polk also takes pride in the Sierra Guitars launch. “We literally started a guitar line from the ground up in 2007,” she said. “The market was already saturated with acoustic guitars, but we came out with a really strong line.”
Girl, Never Interrupted
Although Polk is certainly aware she’s a female in a majority-male business, it never comes to her mind on a daily basis. “We have a great balance of men and women working here,” she said. “We have three men and three women who work in our department. That wasn’t done on purpose, but I think it’s important to have a good male/female balance at a company. Both bring great qualities.”
The only time Polk ever thinks about the male/female aspect of the business is when she attends trade shows. “I have noticed there are more men who attend shows,” she said. “But I see that as an advantage, not a disadvantage. Being a minority at trade shows, women tend to stand out more.”
Polk spends all of her free time being a mom. Her two dogs and two cats provide plenty of moral support. When she can find free time, she loves to sing on her church worship team, cook and read. Polk also loves musical theater. “I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen Les Misérables,” she said. “I’m addicted to that show.”
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