Thanks so much for your comment, it’s wonderful to hear your story. It really goes to show what one can achieve with some hard work and a lot of persistence. And best of all, it’s something you’ve built for yourself. I’m so happy to hear that you’ve had such success with your website!

I was very young when I launched my first webzine, it was in english at first to keep things international. Even though it was a small website I guess it looked clean and was simple and well put together. First I filled it with content like album reviews (just like you adviced on this post) and other articles as it was very simple since it required absolutely nothing but my time and work. It was easy to me as it cost me nothing, and I had always been a writer before becoming a photographer so creating posts came natural to me.

Once the website was up, I started requesting photo passes to shows and sending interview requests. To this day I’m quite surprised at how easily I was granted access – I immediately started to book interviews with bands quite big at the time and get passes for concerts. And not only small ones at clubs but also for bigger artists performing at arenas and stadiums. And festivals too, which opened up a whole new world to me. I attended a festival for the first time at 17 with a press pass. I figured it never hurts to ask even if the artist seemed too big to get access to, and more often than you would think I would get access or an interview.

To this day I don’t quite understand why I was given chances that big with my lil’ ol’ website, I guess the promoters saw me as harmless enough or they saw some future potential in me. I literally have no idea. But I do know I was always respectful, tried to make good connections and first and foremost always understood that it was never my automatic God given right to be there, that it was always a privilege I was given and that it required mutual respect and support.

At the time I was barely on my 20’s and now I’m 30. All of that was over 10 years ago and during the years after I ran down that website of mine and shifted to creating content more locally at a new website. I feel like I have great relations within the industry and many of the people I now work with or that have employed me now are the same people that somehow had faith in me when I started my silly little website. It was also an amazing learning curve for me as I had a very practical approach to learning how events, labels, managements, media and the industry over all roll. I’ve photographed my favorite bands, shows and festivals I could’ve never dreamed of before and have even sat in the board of the Finnish Grammy’s for a few years now. But it all started with my own independent website and was built on relationships made from there and always, always being respectful to everyone. Literally you can’t put too much emphasis on being nice, ever.

Sorry long comment, but this post just brought on so many memories! I wish more people realized the potential they have to create opportunities before even bringing in external resources.??