Fly PR CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF ECLECTIC, FORWARD-THINKING MUSIC, ARTS, AND ENTREPRENEURS
Spearheaded by Ilka Erren Pardiñas, Fly PR has brought diverse, underground sounds into the spotlight while uplifting emerging artists and industry workers.
September 4, 2024 (Los Angeles, California) — Los Angeles publicity firm Fly PR celebrates its 30th anniversary on September 13, 2024.
Founded by industry veteran Ilka Erren Pardiñas in 1994, the firm is respected in music, arts and entrepreneurial circles that seek a hands-on approach to publicity; Fly PR leverages media opportunities to draw a spotlight to emerging and overlooked artists while providing a grassroots work ethic and authenticity to major label projects.
Where some music publicists stick to specific genres, Fly PR has carved out a niche by prioritizing artistry and talent over scene cred or pressure to choose a lane. That versatility, along with their ear for new and exciting sounds, has kept them perpetually ahead of the curve. In the 90s, Fly PR helped popularize stoner rock and doom metal, drawing national attention to now-iconic bands like the Obsessed (Wino, Spirit Caravan, Hidden Hand), and shopping the original demos for the first Goatsnake album. They were also on the forefront of the third-wave ska movement, collaborating with Moon Ska Records and spearheading campaigns for the Toasters and Let’s Go Bowling. They secured German label deals for Los Angeles bands including Bottom 12 and were hired by Interscope Records for a long term campaign introducing Denton, Texas band Brutal Juice to a national audience.
By the early 2000s, Fly PR was known as a go-to PR firm for gritty and unconventional art, working with metal and garage-punk labels like the Music Cartel (Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin), Century Media (Eyehate God, the Black Halos), Small Stone, Dead Teenager, and Junk Records, with artists like charismatic punk rocker Texas Terri, hardcore-speed metal demons Zeke, and New York glam-punks the Toilet Boys. They also expanded into visual arts and literature, working with artists like René Cigler (Tank Girl), and promoting music books by journalists like Sleazegrinder as well as a collection of Vietnamese recipes by Anne Le titled The Little Saigon Cookbook. In 2003, Fly PR teamed up with Frank and Lisa Mauceri, the owners of midwestern punk label Smog Veil, for what turned into an essential 18-year partnership (until the label closed in 2021), working together on new releases from musical innovators like Rocket From the Tombs, Pere Ubu, and cutting edge Clevelanders like This Moment in Black History and archival deep dives for Mr. Stress Blues Band and Peter Laughner.
The success of Fly PR’s publicity campaign for Smog Veil’s Chicago headquarters, the Wis Tavern Building—the first LEED Homes Gold certified building in Illinois—opened up a new area of focus in green- and small business PR, attracting clients like the Climate Registry, cannabis producers like Cannassentials, and interdisciplinary theater company About. . . Productions. Ilka Erren Pardiñas served as Vice President of the Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce and as Executive Director of the German American Business Association. All the while, Fly PR kept a pulse on the music world, working with boundary-pushing artists like like avant-rock cellist Helen Money, Blind Idiot God, and the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices featuring Lisa Gerard (Dead Can Dance). Not to mention leading campaigns for labels like the Eddy Arnold-founded Plowboy Records (Cheetah Chrome, The Ghost Wolves), Hound Gawd, and AFM Records (Danko Jones, Thundermother).
When it comes to industry leadership, Fly PR has made an impact that goes far beyond publicity, and they are committed to using their resources and know-how to uplift women, POC, and LGBTQ+ artists and industry workers who’ve faced marginalization in the field. “I really want every woman who has been part of Fly PR to be a leader in their industry, or a leader in any way they want,” Erren Pardiñas says.
Heading into their 30th anniversary, Fly PR has their sights set higher than ever. They are interested in intra-industry collaborations, and diversifying their offerings including social media management, consulting, and teaching. No matter what the future looks like, though, they’ll always provide superior publicity services and an excellent experience for every client.
“I want people to be inspired to reach for the highest achievement they could hope for, and then reach beyond that,” Erren Pardiñas says.
Visit Fly PR online:
Artwork credit: Laurie Es.
Design work credit: David Etzen and redbar.
Ilka Erren Pardiñas (photo credit: Al Overdrive)