Lynn Tejada

Tell us a bit about the career path that led to where you are now.

How fun, as a publicist, I’m usually the one setting up the interviews (rarely giving them!). Thanx for the opportunity ? And I love your timing… next month, my PR company, Green Galactic (GG), will celebrate its 30th birthday ? For those who find themselves in LA, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, please join the party (details here).

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Let’s see…

Growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, I started out as an uber music and film fan in the 1970s/‘80s. I was very influenced by my fellow music lovers in jr. high school (shout out, Derby) and by our SUPERIOR local radio stations with influential hosts and curators, specifically The Electrifying Mojo (fusing disco with early techno, hip hop, and a blender-full of other genres) on WGPR and then WJLB, and Mike Halloran on WDET. The airwaves were amazing with those two epic radio gods.

My path was that of a fan. As it continued, I grew into an arts advocate role, becoming a cheerleader/publicist, championing all that I love— at first with electronic music but soon enough other art forms came into the fold—and helping to support creatives from all walks of life. Speaking of which, in 2021, I was thrilled to have three powerhouse septuagenarians as clients, all moving & shaking things up: Jane McNealy, a prolific composer/lyricist with an archive ripe for sharing; Michael Kearns, an iconic author, theatre artist, and AIDS activist/humanitarian; and O-Lan Jones, a pioneering experimental theater, music, and opera visionary.

If you take that initial runway + a BS in Television Production from Ferris State University + internships and jobs at post-production houses and a two year stint at the global ad agency, McCann Erickson (now McCann Worldgroup), not to mention bartending gigs in history-making night clubs in Detroit, San Francisco, and LA, you may find yourself (and, I DID find myself) embarking upon the career of an entrepreneurial business owner in the world of arts promotion.

Before I wore the publicist hat, I was a record pool director with my first business, Green House Record Pool “where your music grows” (phase 1 of GG). Then I became an event producer, spearheading a long-running live, experimental electronic music night/club (see evidence of said club here). I finally launched my full-fledged PR career starting in 1995 catering to an eclectic array of clients under the Arts & Culture umbrella, which came to include music, film, art, theatre, dance, lots of nonprofits, social justice causes, and even authors/books, chefs/restaurants, jewelry designers, and one very creative politician, over a three decade period.

What is your favorite experience you’ve had in your career? Perhaps a musical idol you got to meet or work with? A project you were involved with promoting?

Gosh, so many flash before my eyes…

For one thing, I met my husband-to-be, John Tejada, in 1994, when I was the door girl at the newly opened Public Space in Hollywood, an after-hours “live ambient” club that I would end up “adopting & raising” for the next decade (though the name would eventually change). SIDE NOTE: John handed me a cassette tape, on that first encounter, containing his original compositions and asked if I could get it to the curators. They liked what they heard and invited him to perform… it would be his first ever live hardware performance later that year.

Another life-long favorite experience was booking/producing/promoting (along with John, my now boyfriend, at the time) Autechre’s very first show in LA in ’96. They had just begun their debut North American tour. We somehow convinced the Troubadour to let us rent the venue to host this left-field concert, and even though we had the most torrential rainstorm in years that night, the show sold out and there were even scalpers selling tickets out front! Our minds were blown. We had no idea how many other Autechre fans were out there, let alone enough to fill up and sell out the 500-person joint! What an unforgettable night.

And I can’t forget what a thrill it was to meet with and become the publicist for Lol Tolhurst (The Cure co-founder) and his wife Cindy for their Levinhurst project.

I realize I’ve veered into name-dropping land but heck, growing up as such a die-hard music fan, it really was thrilling to meet/work with artists who I had respected for years. One last memory I don’t think I’ve ever shared… one day I got an email from Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black, the Pixies’s Black Francis) inviting me to lunch with him and his significant other regarding her burgeoning career. I kept pinching myself at The Standard’s Downtown LA location as we politely ate our meal and discussed the state of electronic music for indie artists.

What aspect of your job gives you the most satisfaction?

* Helping
* Collaborating
* Magnetizing my client’s creation(s) with members of the media who can then connect with, appreciate, and champion it/them further.

What band/artist or style of music outside the realm of your college/community radio promotion would people be most intrigued to hear you love?

Not sure it’s intriguing, because if anyone communicates with me for more than two emails, I’m proclaiming my TLA for Detroit Techno (circa 1980s) ?

What job do you think you would have if you weren’t in this industry?

At the moment, a therapist or social worker.

Summer is on the way! Do you have any fun plans or getaways planned? Speaking of time off, what is your dream vacation?

I know this won’t sound imaginative but I’m a big fan of staycations. I always have been. Not that I don’t LOVE experiencing new lands, cultures, and experiences, I do!

You just won 10 million dollars. What are you going to do with it?

That’s too impossible… the possibilities are endless. I hope I would be smart about saving lots of it, investing wisely, and being deeply charitable with much of it.

Entertainment Time: What is/are your current favorite TV obsession(s)? What’s a great movie (new or old) you’ve watched recently? What is your current favorite album?

Ooo, my favorite TV show of the year, thus far, is Beef. I love everything about it… it’s dark and funny; it feels like a twisted romantic comedy; the writing and character development is fantastic, all the while offering a complex and realistic window into the human condition. I’m also now an even bigger fan of Steven Yeun’s (never saw TWD but sure appreciated him and his range in both Burning and Minari). And hey, his high school (Troy) is only 4 miles from Derby!

Speaking of dark & funny, Barry is by far one of my all-time favorite shows and barely inching into the top spot is Ozark. God I love those two shows!

All-time favorite film: Blue Velvet, followed by In Bruges, Inception, and Galaxy Quest. Martyrs and Inside (the original 2007 French version) are tied for most f’ed up flicks. Favorite recent film, the documentary Sam Now (coming to PBS’s Independent Lens on May 8 – samnowmovie.com).

I’m still digging both of Wajatta’s first two albums (shameless family plug; but it’s sincere!).

Do you have a favorite restaurant in town for take out or to take out-of-town guests to?

Pre-pandemic it was Mizlala in Sherman Oaks. Lately, it’s Mirabelle Wine Bar in Valley Village. Oh, and Checker Hall in Highland Park.

You’re stranded on a desert island. What five well known people (dead or alive) would you like to have there with you?

Let’s see… Martha Graham, Noam Chomsky, David Lynch, Jon Stewart, and Robyn Hitchcock

Dang, I answered that as if you asked about a dinner party guest list!