There were no media schools when Sam Hamilton set out in pursuit of his childhood ambition to manage a broadcast network - so he charted his own course through the skills he thought relevant.
He studied photography and film in Lancashire, then then psychology in London; edited student magazines and newspapers, and during breaks, covered hard-news stories from Europe, USA and Ireland as a free-lance journalist.
Deeply influenced by the writings of Vance Packard, he spent his first post-graduate year in formal brand-management training with a multi-national foods company before returning to London as Features Editor of the UK’s leading music industry magazine.
His course was set:
He wrote about and socialised with all the stars of the era and quickly progressed to become Label (brand) Manager for the prestigious Decca Record Company before moving to, respectively, United Artists and California. He moved again at the end of 1977, this time to become the inaugural National Promotions Manager for the Philips/Siemens owned Phonogram Records in Australia
(subsequently renamed PolyGram and then Universal).
With Sam as head of promotions, then marketing and ultimately as Music and Video Divisional Manager, the company was Australia’s most successful throughout the 1980’s and he travelled the world sourcing product and developing international marketing strategies for dozens of artists, including Bon Jovi , Demis Roussos, Kiss, Elton John, Dire Straits, Van Morrison and John Mellencamp.
Declining Vice Presidency and return to London in favour of raising his young family in Australia, he joined the Ten Television Network as Director of Corporate Affairs, and in 1996 capitalised on his love of movies and previous success with Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Chariots of Fire and La Bamba by joining United International Pictures, where, as head of marketing, he launched more than 200 films for Universal, Paramount & MGM Studios – particularly significant because, as UIP’s most frequent debut territory during his tenure, his campaigns were to become critical marketing templates for the rest of the ex-USA world.
Sam has twenty three marketing awards, written and/or produced more than a hundred TV commercials and music videos, Executive Produced in excess of twenty-four hours prime-time TV and promoted some of biggest albums and tours in Australian pop history. He has published numerous articles and white papers on market profiling, media, and customer service.
He sits on several Boards and is a tireless mentor and charity worker.
This is his second book and first for Argot
