Bonus Content: Sunny Ortiz on His First Musical Experience, Strangest Percussion Toys and Setlist Favorites
I wanted to know what it felt like for Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz to experience music before he ever played it on stage. What did his first live show look like through the eyes of a high school kid in Texas? And later, what keeps him curious as a percussionist who always has some new “toy” to try out?
Bonus Content: Sam Holt on the Songs That Stay With Him
Before the spotlight hit him on stage, Sam Holt was behind the scenes tuning guitars and learning the pulse of Widespread Panic from the inside out. That vantage point shaped how he tells their story today, both in his own music and in the memories he shares. Ahead of his upcoming Athens show, I sat down with Holt to explore the parts of the craft fans rarely get to see—how he approaches songwriting and the Panic songs that never get old to play.
Where We Choose to Be: Sam Holt, Sunny Ortiz and the Power of Gratitude
In recent conversations with Sam Holt and Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz, what stood out wasn’t just their stories about Athens, setlists, or even their memories of Mikey Houser and Todd Nance. It was the way both men returned, almost instinctively, to a shared truth: the music only matters because people want to be there.
Reputation Never Goes Out of Style: The ROI of PR
Marketing campaigns have a start and an end date. You buy the placement, push the message, and when the spending stops, so does the attention. PR never stops. An article, a podcast interview or an industry profile continues to circulate, showing up in search results, investor due diligence and competitor briefings long after publication.
The Life of a Showgirl Effect
The Life of a Showgirl effect isn’t just about a pop star and a color—it’s a reminder that cultural moments are the ultimate currency. When you know how to spot them, shape them, and ride them without forcing them, you unlock PR magic that money alone can’t buy.
First Quarter: Six Clients, 100+ Headlines, Zero Playing Nice
From national headlines in Axios, People Magazine, MSN, CNET and the New York Post to four podcast features and (an unheard of) more than 25 minutes of TV airtime, our clients didn’t just show up—they took center stage.
This Is Me Trying (To Build Something Real)
But here’s the thing: you can turn something awful into something beautiful.
When the dust settled, we weren't interested in vengeance because karma is undefeated. I wanted to build something honest. Real. Purposeful. Soulful. That’s how Vigilante PR was born—an agency founded on courage, transparency and a little bit of rage alchemy. We used heartbreak, betrayal and burnout to built a company we truly believe in. One where integrity isn’t negotiable, where honesty comes first and where you never have to question who’s got your back.
When Strategy Meets Soul: Building a Business on Cosmic Chemistry
The truth is, we’ve seen what happens when purpose is diluted and brilliance is buried under bureaucracy. We know the costs that come when talent gets lost behind titles and when ego overshadows reality, and we’re not here for that anymore.
The Music Never Stopped: PR Lessons from Dead & Company’s Sphere Residency
Dead & Company’s Sphere residency wasn’t just a musical milestone—it was a masterclass in how to blend tradition with innovation, fan culture with cutting-edge tech, and storytelling with spectacle. Their PR approach created not just buzz but a true movement, showing that with the right strategy, a concert series can become a cultural phenomenon.
For the Love of the Game
What if we systematically addressed everything broken within traditional agencies and simply... eliminated those problems?
3 Things I Learned From My Music Publicity Era
Timing can make or break a campaign. Pitching a story when there’s too much happening in the news, failing to coordinate PR efforts for tours or releasing an album or single at the wrong time can lead to missed opportunities.