Interview with Peter Coultas of The Goodie Bag

LegendBlog: Tell us a little about yourself. What’s your name, what city are you from?

Goodie Bag: Peter Coultas, owner of The Goodie Bag (http://www.thegoodiebag.ca).  I’m from Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

LegendBlog: Our blog is based out of Michigan so, what are some things about life in your area that people in other states might not know.  As far as music and what’s popular out there and just life in general out there.

Goodie Bag: Being in Canada, everyone follows Drake.  I mean everyone!  A lot of people are into Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, basically all of the hyped rappers that everybody knows about.  Kingston doesn’t have too much of an underground scene and a lot of people aren’t prowling through the blogs to find out about the newest music or artist, so a lot of people in my mind are behind.  I’m thankful enough to be one of the people that searches for the new upcoming artist.

LegendBlog: What exactly is The Goodie Bag?

Goodie Bag: The Goodie Bag is a sales, marketing, and distribution agency based in Kingston, ON.

LegendBlog: Who all is actually involved with The Goodie Bag?

Goodie Bag: It’s just me for the most part.  Some friends contribute ideas where they can, and I’ve got some graphic designs on-staff but that’s pretty much it.

LegendBlog: What are some qualities that you feel separates you from similar businesses?

Goodie Bag: I’d have to say the amazing support that I’ve gotten from my brands, clients, and other people within the industry.  Also, the fact that I market my agency a lot differently than most by getting involved with mixtapes, events, and with the general public.

LegendBlog: Who are some companies you have done work with in the past?

Goodie Bag: 5^th Column, 10.DEEP, Acropolis Apparel, Alador & Smith, Billionaire Mafia, Bloodbath, Cashletes, Chilly-O, Claw Money, DoubleDown NYC, Exact Science, Frank 151, Fully Laced, Gold Coin, GoodWood NYC, IM King, Mayan Tamang, Mosley Tribes, PCKPR, Sabit NYC, Sedgwick & Cedar, SSUR, Subconscious Threads, The Airtime Collection, The Award Tour, The Illionaires, The Superb Label, Upper Playground, Zoo York, and many others.

I’ve also worked with ACCLAIM Mag, Black Gold Kartel, Calitip Mag, CtotheJL, Digital Gravel, illRoots, Karmaloop, MashKULTURE, SuperxOfficial, The Source Magazine, Underground Hip Hop, and others.

LegendBlog: What upcoming projects are you working on?

Goodie Bag: I’m handling all of the marketing and sponsorships for a traveling mini concert series called The Leaders Of The New Cool.  There’s events planned in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City currently.  Dom Kennedy, Yung LA, Kid Cudi, Harlem’s Cash, Nero, Donnis, The Kid Daytona, Alley Boy, Q-Tip, and many others have all been a part of the events thus far or will be involved with our future events.

We’ve got some other things in the works as well, but for right now there being kept quiet.

LegendBlog: Is there anybody out there you would like to work with but haven’t got the chance?

Goodie Bag: I’d love to work with Nick Tershay from Diamond Supply Co. as well as Dennis Calvero (Crooks & Castles), Mega (Black Scale), Ray Mate (Mighty Healthy), Jonas Bevacqua (L-R-G), and a few more.

LegendBlog: Who are a few of your favorite music artists out right now?

Goodie Bag: I’m definitely feelin’ Kid Cudi.  His work and sound is so original and refreshing.  I also am a big supporter of Big Sean, my boy Cook Thomas, Harlem’s Cash, Drake, Lil Wayne, and my dude Lil Chuckee.

LegendBlog: How much do you charge for your work?

Goodie Bag: In terms of marketing, for a lot of my brands I just help them out where I can.  I’m not a trained marketer by any means, it just sort of fell on my lap and I seem to possess a gift at it.  My brands make sure that I stay fresh 24 / 7 with new gear, music, jewellery, etc. so I’m contempt with things at the moment.

LegendBlog: What are some things about your line of work that most people probably wouldn’t know?

Goodie Bag: The difficulty of it.  Most people think that you can just go to a shop and sell them your t-shirts, but it’s a lot harder than it looks.  You’ve got to make sure that the shop will be a good representation for the brand, if they are reliable with payments (and in a timely manner), getting in-touch with them directly, meetings, reaching minimums (some brands have minimum order levels), making sure that their orders arrive, etc.  You might be able to get by for a few months with little organization but it’s something that needs to be really planned out.

LegendBlog: What advice would you give to people trying to get into this line of work?

Goodie Bag: Keep up with all of the blogs and magazines for the culture.  You want to know what the trends are at the moment and forecast what they will be months down the road.  You should also have a strong work ethic and be thick-skinned.  Sometimes things can get rough and you’ve just got to remember that it’s not personal, it’s just business.  Also, make sure that you’ve got all of your ducks in a row.  You don’t want anything that you half-assed affecting you later, so make sure all of your contracts are up-to-date, keep in good contact with the brands and stores you work with, and organize where the money is spent.

LegendBlog: Where can the people go to find out more about you and the work that you do?

Goodie Bag: Feel free to check out The Goodie Bag Blog at http://thegoodiebag.wordpress.com or feel free to drop me a line at peter@thegoodiebag.ca.

LegendBlog: Thanks for takin’ the time out to do this interview.

Goodie Bag: Thanks for taking the time to interview me Chris.  I appreciate it.