Since 1997, Chicago-based entertainment writer/photographer Andy Argyrakis has contributed to some of the country’s most prestigious newspapers, magazines and websites, while working with some of world’s most prominent musicians, record labels and celebrities. His travels have taken him all over America and beyond, from the front rows of concerts and award shows, to a spot on the stage or in the studio, giving the public a virtual backstage pass along the way.

It all started when he landed a features position contributing to the Illinois-based Daily Herald newspaper (where he appeared regularly until 2001), followed by an extensive two year stint as a national entertainment critic for the College Press Network, a national news wire distribution service. Other college market publications followed, including music reviews and celebrity interviews for the syndication service Tribune Media Services Campus starting in early 2000.

Andy’s extensive time spent within the Tribune company led to regular appearances with the Tribune Media Services wire outside the college market and the Chicago Tribune that same year. Since then he’s racked up six “Friday” section cover stories, countless nationally syndicated stories, various entertainment columns in the “On the Town” and “At Play” sections, pieces in Sunday’s prestigious “Arts & Entertainment” and “Q” sections, plus appearances in the Tribune’s Redeye publication and Metromix website.

Also in 2000, Andy landed in the fold of the nationally distributed Hear/ Say Magazine, while adding an additional trio of notable regional publications to his roster the following year: the Illinois Entertainer, Concert Livewire (where he serves as associate editor while writing the “Street Week” and “Weekend Report” columns) and Chicagoland’s Daily Journal (which houses his “Friday Feature” celebrity column on the cover of the “Life” section on Fridays). All these outlets also keep Andy regularly reviewing and photographing major concert events at Chicago’s most prominent venues, along with correspondent trips all across the country.

From then until now, he’s also added Image Chicago and California’s MeanStreet Magazine to his roster, while earning author and narration credit on “Access Matthews,” an audio CD tracing the career of Dave Matthews Band as part of Lakeshore Records’ “Access” biography series. In additional writing realms, Andy’s been hired to construct artist biographies by various record labels, including Warner Brothers, Atlantic, Curb, EMI, Universal, Roadrunner, Razor & Tie and Koch.

From a photography perspective, he’s had images featured in Pollstar, Celebrity Access, Paste Magazine, MTV.com, Vibe.com, Virgin Records online, plus promotional shots for Fuse TV, Live Nation, Nikon, The Guess Who, UFO’s Paul Chapman and Kevin Chalfant & The Storm. A lengthy list of touring credits with various roles includes that latter act, Arlo Guthrie & Friends, Bayside, Madina Lake (on Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution Tour), plus The Elms and Peter Frampton. It’s been quite a rock & roll ride, though this ten-plus year journey is just a tip of the iceberg to come!

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