Chris McDonald has been working on his sales pitch for quite some time. The 26 year old singer/rapper/producer has been making music for over 10 years, first starting out as part of a rapping duo with a high school classmate. What started out as a fun way to entertain friends turned into something more serious his first year of college. McDonald released an album himself, selling copies out of the trunk of his car, and performing at various venues in Maryland and D.C.
When money became tight, McDonald was forced to quit school and work full time, which had an adverse effect on his music. After teaming up with a former classmate to record again and sell an independent EP with little success, he was forced to put music to the side to provide steady income for himself, which eventually led him into the world of car sales. Using his limited stage experience, McDonald was able to transfer the charisma from the stage to the car lot, working exclusively for Scion, a young, hip brand under the Toyota umbrella that thrives on grassroots marketing and urban culture. McDonald would take the marketing strategy of his bosses and eventually apply it to his music.
In the spring of 2009, McDonald secured funding from Scion to shoot a music video for his first single, Roller Rink, which features Scion car owners from all over the
DMV (D.C, Maryland, Virginia) area, and McDonald himself dressed as a sleazy car salesman named Sal, being chased by goons. The video was an instant success, and Roller Rink has become a cult favorite among the same Scion community that bought most of their cars from him.
McDonald’s EP, titled Life of A Salesman is complete with genre bending music, a fusion of Hip-Hop, RnB, and Electronic music. The EP is both fun and serious, detailing his life, selling cars in an economy and industry hit hard by a devastating recession. Also featured is a tribute to his grandfather, who passed unexpectedly a week before the Roller Rink video shoot. His death became a turning point, and McDonald soon after went full into album mode, spending all of his free time recording and perfecting the music, as well as the marketing strategy for the EP.
It is not all serious though, check out his hilarious youtube sketches starring Sal Buckley, his sleazy alter ego, which also include previews of his music.
www.youtube.com/ChrisMac1396
www.youtube.com/acrossthebridgemd
http://www.facebook.com/sal.buckley?ref=ts
McDonald has also partnered with Leland Malinski, the Director of the Roller Rink video and his Sal sketches, to form Across The Bridge Productions, a company aimed at providing quality music videos to artists of
ALL genres in the
DMV. McDonald and Malinski hope to give back to the community of musicians that inspire them by helping to bring their visions to life.
In a time where many are struggling to find footing in this economy, McDonald has taken what the recession has given him, and managed to fund an entire album and marketing campaign himself, simply by selling cars. Whether selling cars, or music, Chris McDonald is truly, in every sense of the word, living the Life of A Salesman.
Chris McDonald
soulonice312@yahoo.com
websites:
www.twitter.com/ChrisMac1983
www.facebook.com/chrismac1396
www.twitter.com/ATBproductions
Life of A Salesman EP available for purchase here online via Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/Life-Salesman-EP-Explicit/dp/B002LHNM78/ref=dm_ap_alb6
Thank you everyone so much for the support, I hope you enjoy the album