Tree Paine
Elusive publicist and PR strategist for Taylor Swift.
Trina "Tree" Paine (born Trina Snyder in April 1971) is an American public relations executive who has worked exclusively as Taylor Swift’s publicist since 2014. The media often calls her an elusive publicist.
Paine grew up in Costa Mesa, California, and attended the University of Southern California, where she joined the Pi Beta Phi sorority in 1990. Her career began with an internship at British label Mute Records in sales and marketing. She later worked as a national marketing manager at World Domination Recordings and as an executive assistant in the A&R department at Madonna’s Maverick Records. In 1995, she joined Interscope Records as a West Coast marketing and artist development representative, handling acts like No Doubt, The Wallflowers, Snoop Dogg, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson.
Leaving Interscope, Paine started her own street marketing company, with Bonnie Raitt as her first client. Her client list eventually included labels such as Warner Records, Capitol Records, London Recordings, and 143 Records. In 1999, she merged her company with Immortal Records to create IR Street Marketing. She then took a job at the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills, where she met Gayle Holcomb, then vice chairman of the Academy of Country Music (ACM). This led to Paine being hired by the ACM in 2002 to oversee media, radio, and marketing. In 2007, she joined Warner Music Nashville as vice president of publicity, and was promoted to senior vice president in 2013, overseeing publicity for the company’s country and Christian divisions.
In 2014, Paine left Warner Music to launch her own firm, Premium PR, with Taylor Swift as her first and only client. Swift’s previous publicist of seven years, Paula Erickson, had reportedly resigned. Paine has guided Swift through major moments, including the feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Swift’s sexual assault trial against former radio host David Mueller, and the dispute over Swift’s masters with her former label. She appeared in Swift’s 2020 Netflix documentary *Miss Americana*. Paine occasionally posts on her own social media, such as when she directly addressed Big Machine Records on Twitter about the masters dispute and when she criticized the anonymous gossip outlet DeuxMoi for spreading rumors about Swift marrying ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
Publications have praised Paine’s PR skills.
Quick Facts
- Other Names
- Trina Paine
- Birth Name
- Trina Snyder
- Birth Date
- April 1971
- Birth Place
- Costa Mesa, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Publicist
- Years Active
- 2014–present
- Spouse
- Lance Paine · 1998
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Tree Paine grew up in Costa Mesa, California, and attended the University of Southern California, where she joined Pi Beta Phi sorority in 1990. She began her career as an intern at British record label Mute Records in Sales & Marketing, then worked as a National Marketing Manager at World Domination Recordings and as an executive assistant in A&R at Maverick Records. In 1995, she joined Interscope Records as a West Coast Marketing & Artist Development representative, working with artists such as No Doubt, The Wallflowers, Snoop Dogg, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson. She later left Interscope to launch her own street marketing company, retaining Bonnie Raitt as her first client. Paine then took a position at the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills, where she met Gayle Holcomb, then Vice Chairman of the Academy of Country Music (ACM), leading to her being hired by the ACM in 2002 to oversee media, radio, and marketing. In 2007, she joined Warner Music Nashville as vice president for publicity, and in 2013 was promoted to senior vice president of publicity, overseeing all publicity for Warner Music Group’s country and Christian divisions.
Reader's Guide
In 2014, Paine left Warner Music to start her own public relations firm, Premium PR, with Taylor Swift as her first and only client, after Swift's publicist of seven years, Paula Erickson, reportedly resigned. Paine is known for guiding Swift through high-profile moments including the feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Swift's sexual assault trial against former radio host David Mueller, and the dispute over Swift's masters with her former record label. She occasionally makes statements on her own social media, such as directly addressing Big Machine Records on Twitter regarding the masters dispute and criticizing the anonymous gossip outlet DeuxMoi for peddling rumors about Swift marrying her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Paine's PR acumen has been highlighted in publications: The Cut called her a 'quiet but ferocious PR pitbull'; The New York Times described her as a 'power publicist' and 'PR mastermind'; The Wall Street Journal called her 'one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry'; and Business Insider noted her 'strategic clapbacks and red carpet chaperoning have made her famous in her own right.' Paine maintains a low profile, sharing nothing about herself on social media and refusing to give interviews, though she is a well-known figure among Swifties.
Did You Know?
- Paine was featured in Taylor Swift's autobiographical Netflix documentary Miss Americana, directed by Lana Wilson.
- She married Lance Paine in a 1998 Las Vegas wedding; Lance has served as president of Goo Goo Cluster and later as president of Scott Brothers Global.
- Paine maintains a private Instagram account and a public Twitter account where she is active.
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