Myra McCaskill

 

So, after a post-college tour with a big accounting firm, McCaskill returned to her music-industry roots. A marketing planner at Geffen Interscope Records, she is building a career that perfectly combines her talents and interests.

“As marketing planner, I’m responsible for determining all of the marketing costs for each of our artists,” McCaskill says. “I have to make sure that we’re making smart decisions,” weighing the costs of everything from hiring an artist’s stylist to funding a music video.

The relaxed but intense corporate culture of a music label allows McCaskill several perks. “It’s a fast-paced environment, but it’s very casual,” she says. “Since our primary product is music, we get to play our music really loud in the office and watch all of our artist’s videos.”

What’s more, McCaskill often finds herself rubbing shoulders with recording artists and other celebrities until the wee hours of the night at album release listening parties and similar industry events.

“Working in the music culture means we start late,” she says, adding that her typical workday begins about 9:30 a.m. “There are a lot of artist showcases and parties during the week and people at Geffen go to those events to support artists and the business.”

McCaskill, a former chapter president of the National Association of Black Accountants, also has a keen sense of community. “Giving back to the community is critical,” says McCaskill, who is also on the board of the Accounting Careers Awareness Program and part of a real estate investment club. She also is a CalCPA Board member.

And she has her CPA license to thank for this dream job. “Getting my foundation within accounting has been really beneficial to my career,” she says. “If you have that accounting skill set, you can venture off into so many different areas.”