Chris McDonald

Chris McDonald has been working on his sales pitch for quite some time. The 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

www.twitter.com/SALisyourPAL

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.

Check out his music here:
http://chrismacdmv.bandcamp.com/

Chris McDonald

websites:
www.twitter.com/ChrisMac1983
www.facebook.com/chrismac1396
www.twitter.com/ATBproductions