Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Rapier.
Hi Andrew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story starts in the small town of York Beach, Maine. I was born and raised in a small town, the type of town where you can’t go to the grocery store without seeing friends or teachers. As far back as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with the electric guitar. I always tell people that the obsession started when I first saw the movie “Back to the Future” and saw Marty play at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. I immediately started pleading with my parents to buy me a guitar and sign me up for lessons. Eventually, they finally caved and they got me a starter pack guitar from the local music store, the kind that comes with a small 10 inch amplifier, cable, picks and a VHS tape with lessons for beginners. My love for the instrument evolved over my adolescence and in high school, I started my first band. Being from a small town in Maine, it’s hard to really do much… we were just excited to be able to play a high school dance or getting to play a local fundraiser, but I aspirations to become a rockstar never ceased. Despite being desperate to pursue a career in music, my Mom (thankfully) pushed me to go to college instead. I enrolled in a communications school and got a bachelor’s degree in Web Development.
After my undergrad degree, I decided I quite wasn’t ready to “adult” yet so I decided to move to Orlando, FL to enroll at Full Sail University. At the time, Sunny Orlando sounded like a much more fun place to spend my 20’s than the frigid tundra of Maine. After graduating with my Master’s Degree in business, I got my first job at a local Internet marketing agency and my career in marketing began. Having a steady paycheck and my Mom’s blessing now that I had completed college, I decided it was to get back to my first passion, which is music. I turned to the only place I could think of….. Craigslist of all places in search of bandmates. It was there where I met a signer named Damien and within a few months, we have started our band FELICITY. Six years later, we have released multiple albums, toured the country, opened for bands like Fall Out Boy, Weezer, Def Leppard, Papa Roach, Chevelle, and countless others!! Currently, I own and operate my own digital marketing agency and FELICITY is about to release our first full-length record.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not! The ups and downs of both aspects of my careers have been pivotal. I have worked for other marketing agencies where I was treated horribly, dealt with “bosses from hell”, been fired, been hired, and quit a cushy office job to start my own business. As a musician, I’ve played shows and accomplished more than I could have ever imagined. However, we’ve also been told that we suck, we’ve had times where no people showed up to our shows, we’ve driven hundreds of miles to only be paid $20 for a gig, spent countless nights sleeping on random floors, and experienced all the trials and tribulations of being in a band. I’ve been living this double life of marketer by day and rocker by night, but it’s definitely been a bumpy road and have taken its toll.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Sawtooth Digital is a world-class digital marketing agency specializing in paid traffic and social media marketing. Personally, I’ve managed over 8-figures in digital ad spend on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube ads. I am considered one of the top 1% of media buyers in the world.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Never stop learning. Never stop testing. Never stop asking “why?” I could easily have just accepted a job at any marketing agency or joined the marketing department of any Fortune 500 company… but that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to pursue a career in music but still have money to put as much food on the table as I wanted to eat. It took me ten years but I’ve never wavered from that. Many of my peers in the music scene are bartenders, or barbers, or working odd jobs to get by. I’ve put in the work the past ten years to be able to own my own business, work from the road, and still pursue music.
Contact Info:
- Email: Andrew@sawtoothmediagroup.com
- Website: www.sawtoothmediagroup.com
Image Credits
Tony Catalano
