Maria Ivey
Like most things in her life, Maria Ivey started IVPR with urgency. To be clear, not in a rush but with urgency. 15+ years of experience in a single industry teaches one that the right moment rarely comes around twice and thus IVPR hatched at a kitchen table in East Nashville in a fit of now. “I wanted to tell the right kind of stories and I had to do it immediately,” says Ivey. “In a climate where everything and everyone is political, and every record and song has an opportunity to effect change or make someone feel less alone, that’s the urgency in which this firm was built.”
Of course like all things, the firm evolved to incorporate different types of story perspectives outside of only artist and band PR. “Look, a festival or a brand is no different than an artist from a “what’s the story” point of view,” says Ivey. “Brands need personalities and events need a heartbeat. PR, when done well, can be that for a client, no matter the category they fall in.”
A self-proclaimed lifer, there’s nothing more gratifying or beautiful to Ivey than a well told story. “I have exactly 13 magazine subscriptions, read 1 book per week, and read The New York Times from front to back every Sunday. When I say I love a great story, I really mean it. PR, for me, is the way to combine passion with profession.”
Passionate also about student journalism and the next generation of publicists, Ivey is the co-author of the textbook Music Publicity: A Practical Approach (Kendall Hunt) and is a mentor for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Artist in Residence program and when time allows, an adjunct professor at her alma mater Belmont University. For brain balance, she pens a monthly column for the Nashvillian Magazine called "Fixin' to Eat" which is a love letter to, and celebration of, Nashville's food scene.
Ivey lives in East Nashville with her husband Taylor, dog Willie, and mean-as-hell kitty Mama Roux. When not working (or even sometimes whilst!) you can find her in the kitchen tasting and testing, or doing “the big think” which means power-walking through Shelby Bottoms Park with Willie in lockstep.
