Sarah Jamer BComm’16
Photo credit: Scott Blackburn
Sarah Jamer BComm’16
Partner, The Syrup Factory
Managing Partner, SiteClub Tech
Halifax, NS
A music fan, Sarah Jamer got lucky in her work. She helps lead The Syrup Factory, a company that supports musicians. When not teaming up with singers and bands, she’s helping manage websites for her SiteClub Tech clients.
To learn more about her Halifax businesses, we recently connected with Sarah.
What’s your role at The Syrup Factory?
I recently became a partner of The Syrup Factory. Our company supports artists (i.e., musicians) with branding, marketing, and managing business. We work with artists and their teams on a project basis for album releases, video releases, and tours. In my role, I project manage and develop marketing strategies for our artists.
You’re a music lover who works with musicians. How did you find an opportunity to blend your personal interests with your career?
It really started with an introduction. When I finished university, I had no expectations to be in the music industry. I was introduced to Laura Simpson (my partner and founder of The Syrup Factory) through a connection by Jason Turner from the Sobey School Business Development Centre.
Laura was just back from an internship with Black Box in LA (an artist services company) and was getting ready to start The Syrup Factory in Halifax. We clicked, and I really liked her business model (we're not very traditional). I started doing some contract work for Laura and in July 2017, became her first full-time employee through the Work Smarts program. I was made partner in April 2018.
Are many SMU alumni active in the Halifax music scene?
There are definitely many musicians around Halifax that are SMU alumni. Two of the artists I work with (Christine Campbell and Christina Martin) are SMU alumni and are still based in Nova Scotia. I also have the pleasure of working with Omar Lodge who is also Sobey School of Business graduate; he's based in Toronto and is an artist manager.
You’ve got another business, in addition to The Syrup Factory. Can you tell us about that?
My other business is called SiteClub Tech. It is a partnership between myself, Mukul Gupta, Alex Rafuse, and Ali Algermozi. We are all Sobey School of Business alumni and also worked together for various periods of time at the Sobey School Business Development Centre.
SiteClub Tech is a technology consulting company that specializes in building and managing digital experiences for growing companies. We spend a lot of our time developing and managing Wordpress websites for a variety of clients.
While at SMU, you participated in Enactus. How did that experiential learning complement your class work?
I took advantage of the articulation agreement with NSCC, which meant I had quite a few non-commerce electives to take during my two years at SMU. Enactus really allowed me to apply what I learned at NSCC and what I was learning at SMU. Because I worked with small businesses and entrepreneurs through Enactus, I was able to bring those real-world experiences to class and contribute to discussions.
You were also president of the Commerce Society. What was the best part of taking on that leadership role?
The best part of taking on the role of president was the incredible team I was able to work with. I learned a lot from our executive, including our faculty advisors from the Sobey School of Business. Our team was able to create some great networking opportunities for our classmates, and I'm really proud of the work we did together.
When you reminisce about SMU, what comes to mind?
The great people!