Heather Latter
Emo native Maverick Judson recently returned home after a week-long tour to promote his latest single, “Just Drive,” featuring Canadian singer/songwriter Danny Fernandes.
He appeared on a number of TV and radio spots across the province—even giving a few acoustic performances.
“One of the bonuses of working with a guy like Danny Fernandes is that it allowed me to tap into some resources which proved to be very useful in the marketing of ‘Just Drive,’” Judson enthused.
“I was able to make a small team of industry pros and together we combined our super powers to campaign the release.”
The promotional tour began in Winnipeg and also included stops in Toronto, Kingston, Hamilton, and Ottawa.
“The TV spots were pretty nerve-racking at first,” Judson admitted.
“But by the end of the week, I found myself getting used to feeling sick to my stomach before going on air.”
He noted the taped sessions weren’t as bad, but thought the “etalk” experience was the most exhilarating.
“You walk into this enormous CTV building and there’s all of these stars roaming the place,” Judson recalled.
“Then there’s me, a small-town kid carrying a backpack.”
He said seeing himself on “etalk” for 10 seconds in between ongoing discussions about Kanye West and Adele is something he’ll never forget.
“Even though most of you would have missed it if you turned to scratch your head,” he chuckled.
Judson also was thrilled with a radio spot he had in Ottawa that actually was the result of a successful meeting at Hot 89.9 that morning.
“The music director and I really hit it off so it was awesome to hear my own song on their ‘Hot or Not’ segment,” he remarked.
“It was pretty darn cool hearing the [disc jockey] say ‘Just Drive’ was certified ‘hot.’”
Judson added the overall experience of the promotional tour is something he wouldn’t have traded for anything.
“How many people can say they’ve been on national television—more than once?” he asked.
“I’m just happy I got to share something like this with my family and friends.
“I did this for Emo,” Judson stressed. “I want people to see anything is possible; you just have to be persistent.
“No excuses.”
Judson said the best part was that every time he called home to talk to his family, they would say how much they enjoyed seeing him on TV.
He also got plenty of positive reaction from friends on Facebook.
“Way to go, Mav,” wrote a former classmate. “I’m not surprised at all you’re on the way to the top!
“You’ve worked extremely hard to where you are [and it’s] where you deserve to be!”
Another wrote “awesome tune there, Maverick. Keep up all your hard work and put Emo on the map.
“Not that you haven’t already, but look forward to hearing some more tunes from [you].”
“There’s no better feeling in the world than knowing that your family is standing behind you and is proud of what you are doing,” Judson noted.
He said the purpose of this promotional tour was to familiarize people with the Maverick Judson brand.
He also wants to keep his “small town, big dreams” image.
“I don’t want that to change,” Judson stressed. “It took Justin Bieber about three albums before people really caught on to what he was doing.
“This is my first product and I think I need to keep making products like this so people recognize me for my sound, my image, my lifestyle, etc.,” he reasoned.
Judson said the only thing he would have done differently on the promotional tour was to take some video footage of the experience so people can see what it’s really like.
“What you see on TV is a result of months of preparation,” he explained.
“I wish people could see how nervous I was, and how irritable you can get when you know you have to perform on live television in one hour when your voice is still clogged.”
Despite the nervousness, though, Judson said it was the most memorable trip of his life.
“It’s help get lots and lots of buzz on the Internet and social media,” he noted.
“What’s cool now is when you search Maverick Judson on Google, you will see a lot more, which gives you added credibility.
“It’s good for radio, it’s good for MuchMusic, it’s good for your website, your mailing list, all of that,” he said.
And Judson vowed he’s not stopping now—he has many more plans up his sleeve.
For instance, he’ll be releasing another single (this time featuring Karl Wolf) and an album.
“Expect a lot more of the same,” he remarked, adding he wanted to thank his parents, Morris and Cindy Judson, his brothers, his girlfriend, and everyone else who has supported him up to this point.
“Because an experience like this means nothing if you have nobody to share it with that you love,” he reasoned.
“Just Drive” is available to purchase on iTunes or you can watch the official video on YouTube.
You also can subscribe to Judson’s mailing list by visiting www.maverickjudson.com
